Every Time We Say Goodbye, a popular jazz song with lyrics and music by Cole Porter, is part of The Great American Songbook. It was introduced in a little-known musical revue, Seven Lively Arts, in 1944.  The song has since become a jazz standard after gaining popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In my opinion, this little gem of a song stands out even among the great Cole Porter songs. The song is designed to help the listener feel an intensity of love, both the ecstasy of being with the beloved and the sorrow and pain of separation. And every element of Porter's composition conspires to communicate that intensity: the lyrics, the cadence, the simple gentle melody, and even the change of key. The song begins in A-flat major and ends appropriately in A-flat minor. As with any love song, the purpose is to evoke a feeling in YOU, the listeners. In this case the author/composer has certainly done his part.

 

Bob Levering – Feb., 2018