Foolish Lullaby
"Foolish Lullaby" is a song by Laura Branigan from her fourth studio album, Hold Me (1985). It was written by Jack White and Mark Spiro, and produced by White. The song was later reworked by Paul Anka under the title "It's Hard to Say Goodbye".
Paul Anka versions
Paul Anka 1993 versions
In 1993, Paul Anka rewrote "Foolish Lullaby" and recorded it as "It's Hard to Say Goodbye". This version was produced by C+C Music Factory and included on his album Face in the Mirror. Anka also recorded a duet version with Filipino singer Regine Velasquez for the Asian edition of Face in the Mirror and for Velasquez's 1993 album Reason Enough.[1]
Paul Anka and Celine Dion versions
| "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" | |
|---|---|
| Promotional single by Paul Anka and Celine Dion | |
| from the album A Body of Work | |
| Released | January 1999 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 4:31 |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers | |
| Audio | |
| "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" on YouTube | |
In 1996, Anka and Celine Dion recorded a bilingual version of "It's Hard to Say Goodbye", with Dion singing in Spanish and Anka in English. The Spanish lyrics were written by Adrian Posse and Humberto Gatica, and the track was produced by David Foster. Titled "Mejor Decir Adiós", it appeared on Anka's album Amigos, released on July 30, 1996.
In 1998, Anka and Dion recorded an English-language duet version of "It's Hard to Say Goodbye". Produced by Foster and Gatica, it was included on Anka's album A Body of Work, issued on September 22, 1998. The song was released as a promotional single to US adult contemporary radio in January 1999.[2] The single included a shortened radio edit running four minutes and sixteen seconds.[3]
Critical reception
Chuck Taylor of Billboard praised the duet and compared it to Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers".[3]
Commercial performance
In March 1999, Fred Bronson of Billboard noted that Dion might soon have three duets on the Adult Contemporary chart, as she was already charting with "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer".[4] Although "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" did not enter the Billboard Adult Contemporary top 25, it reached number 26 on the Radio & Records Adult Contemporary top 30 chart.[5]
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)[5] | 26 |
References
- ^ "Paul Anka - Face in the Mirror". Discogs. 1993. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ "AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. February 5, 1999. p. 76. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Chuck Taylor (February 27, 1999). "Reviews and Previews: AC" (PDF). Billboard. p. 25. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ Fred Bronson (March 20, 1999). "Chart Beat: Patsy's Popularity Won't De-Cline" (PDF). Billboard. p. 94. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ a b "AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. March 5, 1999. p. 74. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
External links
- "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" at Discogs (list of releases)