Bon Jovi – Never Say Goodbye

Music video by Bon Jovi performing Never Say Goodbye. (C) 1986 The Island Def Jam Music Group

Lyrics:

As I sit in this smokey room
The night about to end
I pass my time with strangers
But this bottle’s my only friend

Remember when we used to park
On Butler Street out in the dark
Remember when we lost the keys
And you lost more than that in my backseat baby

Remember how we used to talk
About busting out – we’d break their hearts
Together – forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin’ on – we got to try
Holdin’ on to never say goodbye

Remember days of skipping school
Racing cars and being cool
With a six pack and the radio
We didn’t need no place to go

Remember at the prom that night
You and me we had a fight
But the band they played our favorite song
And I held you in my arms so strong

We danced so close
We danced so slow
And I swore I’d never let you go
Together – forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin’ on – we got to try
Holdin’ on to never say goodbye

I guess you’d say we used to talk
About busting out
We’d break their hearts
Together – forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin’ on – we got to try
Holdin’ on to never say goodbye
Yeah yeah

“Never Say Goodbye” is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. It was a track off the band’s third album, Slippery When Wet, in June 1987, and reached number 11 on the mainstream rock charts^[1] and number 21 in the UK Singles Chart. Because it was not released domestically as a commercially available single, “Never Say Goodbye” was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100;^[2] nevertheless, it reached number 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay survey.^[3]

The song was featured on some versions of the band’s Cross Road greatest hits album and is still occasionally performed live by the band in concert.

Song style

“Never Say Goodbye” is a power ballad, featuring drawn out vocals and a slow tempo, in contrast to the other tracks on Slippery When Wet, which are of a much faster, hard rock pace.

This song is often used as the class song at prom nights, especially in New Jersey. Jon Bon Jovi claims that his inspiration for the song was the Southside Johnny song “Hearts of Stone“.^[4]

The song is in the key of A major and progresses to C# minor, D major and D minor.

	Never Say Goodbye

Track listing

• Original European Release (August 13, 1987)

1. “Never Say Goodbye”
2. “Shot Through the Heart” (Live)

US & UK CD “Re-Release”

1. “Never Say Goodbye”
2. “Social Disease”
3. “Edge Of A Broken Heart”
4. “Raise Your Hands”

Charts

End