He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'

"Really Saying Something"
Single by Bananarama with Fun Boy Three
from the album Deep Sea Skiving
B-side	"Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares
Released	April 1982
Format	7" single, 12" single
Recorded	1981
Genre	New wave
Length	2:45
Label	London
Writer(s)	Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, and Edward Holland, Jr.
Producer(s)	Dave Jordan, Fun Boy Three
Bananarama chronology
"It Ain't What You Do...." (1982) "Really Saying Something" (1982) "Shy Boy" (1982)
"If" (2001) "Really Saying Something (Solasso remix)" (2005) "Move in My Direction" (2005) Fun Boy Three singles chronology "It Ain't What You Do...." (1982) "Really Saying Something" (1982) "The Telephone Always Rings" (1982)

"We're Really Saying Something"
Single by Buffalo G
Released	29 May 2000
Format	CD, cassette
Genre	Pop, pop rap
Length	3:18
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, and Edward Holland, Jr.
Alternative cover CD2 cover

"Really Saying Something"
"Really Saying Something" cover
Promotional single by Shakespears Sister
Released	April 2011 (2011-04)
Format	CD single, digital download
Genre	Pop, rock
Length	2:36
Label	SF
Writer(s)	Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, and Edward Holland, Jr.

"He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' is a soul song written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield, William "Mickey" Stevenson, and Edward Holland, Jr. in 1964. The song is notable in both a 1964 version by American Motown girl group the Velvelettes, and a 1982 hit version (with the title altered to "Really Saying Something") by British girl group Bananarama.

The original version of the song was recorded by Motown group the Velvelettes in December 1964. An alternate version recorded in October/November had been discarded. Produced by Norman Whitfield, the Velvelettes' version was released on Motown's V.I.P. label on December 27, 1964, and was a minor hit for the group in early 1965. "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" peaked at number 64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and at number 21 on the then recently reinstated Billboard R&B Singles chart. The single was the second most successful release for the Velvelettes, a minor Motown act which never released a full-length album.

"Throw a Farewell Kiss", composed by Whitfield and Holland and produced by Whitfield, had been recorded in October 1962 and was issued as the B-side of "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'". Six years later, Whitfield had the Temptations record "Farewell Kiss" for their 1971 album Sky's the Limit.

In 1982, the British girl group Bananarama recorded a cover version of the song and released it as the first single from their debut album Deep Sea Skiving. Providing background vocals is Fun Boy Three, a male vocal trio who had a hit with Bananarama earlier in the year with another cover, "T'ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)".