It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
Single by G.C. Cameron
from the album Cooley High: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/G.C. Cameron
B-side "Haulin' + Cold Blooded (Instrumental)" by Freddie Perren
Released September 1, 1975 (1975-09-01)
Format 7" single
Recorded 1975
Genre Soul
Length 3:25
Label Motown
1364
Writer(s) Freddie Perren
Christine Yarian
Producer(s) Freddie Perren
G.C. Cameron singles chronology
"If You're Ever Gonna Love Me"
(1975)		 "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
(1975)		 "Dream Lady"
(1976)

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is an R&B song written by Motown husband-and-wife songwriting team Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian for the 1975 film Cooley High. In the film, the song is performed by Motown artist G.C. Cameron, whose rendition peaked at number 38 on the Billboard R&B singles chart that same year. Perren also composed the instrumental score for Cooley High, and the B-side to "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" features two of his score compositions from the film.

Boyz II Men version

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"

U.S. commercial cassette single
Single by Boyz II Men
from the album Cooleyhighharmony
Released August 20, 1991 (UK)
November 3, 1991 (US)
Format 7" single
Cassette single
CD single
Recorded 1990
Genre R&B, soul, a cappella
Length 2:47
Label Motown
2136
Writer(s) Freddie Perren
Christine Yarian
Producer(s) Dallas Austin
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"Motownphilly"
(1991)		 "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
(1991)		 "Uhh Ahh"
(1992)

The composition fared better when covered in an a cappella rendition by contemporary R&B Motown group Boyz II Men 16 years later. Boyz II Men's recording of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" peaked at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on December 21, 1991. Over on non-genre specific charts the song reached number five on the Hot 100 Airplay on December 7, 1991 and number two on the Hot Singles Sales on November 23, 1991 and eventually went on to peak at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 14, 1991, blocked from the top spot for five weeks by Michael Jackson's single "Black or White". "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" was included on Boyz II Men's first album, Cooleyhighharmony, its name a reference to the film from which the song originated.

The song was also featured in the films Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and as the center of gags in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), and in episodes of the television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Psych and Martin. It was featured in the American Dad! episode " News Glance with Genevieve VaVance" when Steve goes missing. It was also performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon immediately after Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show in 2010, with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots singing it in the studio O'Brien had occupied when he hosted Late Night (now home of The Dr. Oz Show). The song was later sung by Tracy Morgan as part of a tribute to his 30 Rock co-stars that celebrated the show's then upcoming final episode. It was also featured on MTV during the current promotions of Jersey Shore's final season. In July 2013, the song was used by the show Game of Thrones at its Comic-Con panel in a tribute video to the characters killed off in its third season.[1]

Track listings

US Cassette Single

Europe Maxi-CD

  1. It's Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday (Radio Version) 3:06
  2. It's Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday (Accapella Version) 3:49
  3. Album Snippets

Covers and references

Singer Jacky Cheung recorded a Cantonese version of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" entitled "偷闲加油站" in 1993.

The Notorious B.I.G. humorously refers to the song in the song "Gimme the Loot," from his 1994 album Ready to Die, indicating that if a potential robbery victim tried to resist his efforts, the victim's bereaved mother would be left singing "It's so haaaard."

Nas also did something similar in the song "Destroy & Rebuild", where he didn't mention Cormega's name in the first verse of the song: "Right: Mega was his name, sorry 'bout that, but 'it's so hard' to put a coward's name in my raps!"

In 1995, Barrio Boyzz dedicated the song in Spanish to Selena after her death on March 31, 1995.

In 1998, rapper Master P with Mo B. Dick, Silkk the Shocker, and R&B group Sons of Funk did a loose cover for the song titled as "Goodbye to My Homies".

In 2002, Busch Stadium played the song while showing a memorial video of late pitcher Darryl Kile.

In 2008, Jamelody covered the song on his debut album, "Be Prepared".

In 2012, R. Kelly sang a portion of the song a capella in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Benji, which was a biography of Chicago HS basketball star Ben Wilson. Wilson was murdered in 1984 during an altercation with two teenagers at the age of 17 and Kelly was one of his AAU teammates. Kelly also sang the song as Wilson was being laid to rest the day of his funeral and recounted that for the film.

In 2012, Angela Aki sang the song using both English and Japanese lyrics.

In 2014, singer-songwriter Jason Mraz covered the song on his fifth studio album Yes!, with rock-folk band Raining Jane providing back-up.

Radio stations in the United States changing formats have on occasion used this song to sign off their old format prior to the debut of the new one, such as longtime urban station V103 in Baltimore in June 1997.

U.S. chart performance

G.C. Cameron version

Chart (1975) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles[2] 38

Boyz II Men version

Weekly charts

Chart (1991) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 2
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1992) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 37

See also

References

  1. ↑ Uproxx, "Game of Thrones Opened Its Comic-Con Panel With a Tribute Video Set to Boyz II Men" Retrieved 20 July 2013
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 99.
  3. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". Retrieved 2010-07-30.

External links

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