Everytime You Go Away


"Everytime You Go Away" is a song written by American musician Daryl Hall. It was first recorded in 1980 by his duo Hall & Oates but was not released as a single. A cover version of the song by Paul Young became an international hit in 1985, reaching No. 1 in the US and No. 4 in the UK.

Hall and Oates version

The original version of "Everytime You Go Away" appeared on Hall & Oates's 1980 studio album, Voices, although it was not released as a single. Hall & Oates also recorded it for their 1985 concert album Live [at the Apollo |Live at the Apollo].
As Tom Breihan wrote in Stereogum, "It’s not a particularly complicated song, but it does a nice job showing off Hall’s soul-singer chops. Hall and Oates recorded the track as a warm, spacious, gospel-informed lament. The arrangement is built around a churchy organ and an old-timey guitar figure, and it gives Hall’s voice plenty of room to operate." Hall commented, "It's just one of those songs. I feel very proud of its craftsmanship."

Personnel

Background

English singer Paul Young recorded a cover version of the song titled "Every Time You Go Away" for his studio album The Secret of Association in 1985. His cover features a combination of echoed piano, the Yamaha DX7's "harp" preset, the distinctive fretless bass of Pino Palladino, as well as a Coral electric sitar and an Ovation Spanish acoustic guitar, which were both played by John Turnbull.
In March 1985, Young's version hit No. 4 in the UK singles chart. It was among the songs he performed at Live Aid held at Wembley Stadium in London on July 13, 1985. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks later, and was one of two top 10 hits Young had on the U.S. pop singles chart. "Every Time You Go Away" also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart for two weeks. The song won British Video of the Year at the 1986 Brit Awards.

Reception

of Spin wrote, "What can you say bad about Paul Young, except perhaps that he generally doles out incredibly bland versions of even blander songs? Here, dispensing with his penchant for ersatz British soul, caresses it into warmly moving fuck music."
Daryl Hall said that the Young version was one of his favorite covers. "I never thought of it any other way than the way it was 'til Paul Young did it... I was just doin' a kind of gospel/soul song; that was all I had in mind for it. I was really surprised to hear the production they did because it kept the elements but commercialized it - made it sound like a pop record."

Personnel

Track listings

; 7" single
  1. "Every Time You Go Away" – 4:15
  2. "This Means Anything" – 3:13
; 12" maxi
  1. "Every Time You Go Away" – 7:32
  2. "This Means Anything" – 3:13
; 15" album
  1. "Every Time You Go Away" – 4:28

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Kulcha version

In June 1995, Australian R&B group Kulcha released a version of the song that peaked at 35 in Australia and 22 in New Zealand.

Track listing

  1. "Everytime You Go Away" – 4:02
  2. "Everytime You Go Away" – 3:58
  3. "My Love" – 3:36

    Charts

Other cover versions