"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes to record; however Motown decided the song would be better for the Jackson 5. Released as a single in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs. The song has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by disco diva Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group The Communards.

The recording features 12-year-old Michael Jackson singing a serious song about a love, with accompaniment from his brothers. Although such a record was unusual for a teenage group, "Never Can Say Goodbye" was a #2 hit for three consecutive weeks on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, stuck behind Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" (May 8-May 22, 1971), and a #1 hit on the Billboard Black Singles chart in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it reached #33 on the UK Singles Chart. An alternate version (live performance on Flip Wilson Show from 1971 with an extra part added to it) appears on the Jackson 5 CD "I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters" released in 2009. The song was performed on the Flip Wilson Show (4 November 1971), The Jackson 5 Show (5th November, 1972), TUPI (1974), One More Time (10 January 1974), Johnny Carson Show (4th April, 1974), Cher Show (16 March 1975) and The Jacksons TV Series (7th July, 1976).

A second major version, reimagined as a disco record by Gloria Gaynor in 1974, was a number-nine hit on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and went to number thirty-four on the Soul Singles chart. The Gloria Gaynor version became one of the defining recordings of the disco era. Indeed, her version peaked at #2 in the UK during January 1975, and #3 in Canada, surpassing the Jackson Five's original recording in those nations.

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