Never Gonna Let You Go (Sérgio Mendes song)
Encyclopedia
"Never Gonna Let You Go" is a popular song from 1983 credited to Brazilian musician and bandleader Sérgio Mendes
and sung by Joe Pizzulo
and Leza Miller. Songwriters Cynthia Weil
(words) and Barry Mann
(music) composed the song, which appears on Mendes' 1983 self-titled album.
Weil and Mann originally submitted "Never Gonna Let You Go" to American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire
, but they decided not to record the song. Dionne Warwick
had previously recorded the song, which appears on her 1982 album Friends in Love
.
Mendes, preparing for the release of his 1983 album, was quoted as saying, "All the other songs on the album were up and festive. I needed a ballad on the album, just to change the pace a bit." Mendes' version was a hit, matching the #4 peak of his previous best showing on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, "The Look of Love
", in 1968. It spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart
and peaked at #28 on the Billboard R&B chart
.
Sergio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes is a Brazilian musician. He has released over thirty-five albums, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk....
and sung by Joe Pizzulo
Joe Pizzulo
Joe Pizzulo is best known as one of the lead singers for Sérgio Mendes in the 1980s. He had hit singles with "Never Gonna Let You Go" and "Alibis"...
and Leza Miller. Songwriters Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
(words) and Barry Mann
Barry Mann
Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
(music) composed the song, which appears on Mendes' 1983 self-titled album.
Weil and Mann originally submitted "Never Gonna Let You Go" to American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
, but they decided not to record the song. Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
had previously recorded the song, which appears on her 1982 album Friends in Love
Friends in Love
Friends in Love is the title of a 1982 album by the American singer Dionne Warwick. Songs include the title track, a duet with singer Johnny Mathis, which made the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #38, in addition to charting on the Billboard R&B and adult contemporary charts at #22 and #5,...
.
Mendes, preparing for the release of his 1983 album, was quoted as saying, "All the other songs on the album were up and festive. I needed a ballad on the album, just to change the pace a bit." Mendes' version was a hit, matching the #4 peak of his previous best showing on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, "The Look of Love
The Look of Love (1967 song)
"The Look of Love" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by Dusty Springfield, which appeared in the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale.-Songwriters:...
", in 1968. It spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
and peaked at #28 on the Billboard R&B chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
.