Song Lyric Sunday | “Neither One of Us” – Gladys Knight & the Pips

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Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati. For complete rules and to join in, go here.

Our theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “goodbye/farewell”.  

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There are dozens of great ‘goodbye’ songs but none have been with me as long as 1973’s Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) by the amazing Gladys Knight & the Pips. I was just entering my teens and of course, that meant I was ‘grown’, right?

Neither One of Us was the title cut of the last album the group would record for Motown before moving to Buddah Records in February of 1973. Lead singer Gladys Knight recalled on A&E’s Biography that she and the group were regarded as a second-string act and that “Diana (Ross) & The Supremes, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye were given all the hits, while we took the leftovers”.

Silly Motown.

On March 17, 1973, the song reached number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, staying there for four consecutive weeks. Due to the song’s strong crossover appeal, it eventually peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, with Vicki Lawrence’s The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia blocking it from number one. However, it went number one on the U.S. Record World and Cashbox charts. It also crossed over to the adult contemporary chart, peaking at number 15. Worldwide, it was also successful, peaking at number 9 in France, number 11 in Canada and number 31 in the UK.

On March 2, 1974, at the Grammy Awards ceremony, Gladys Knight & The Pips won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for Neither One of Us. Previously that same night, they had won their first Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for Midnight Train to Georgia. [Wikipedia]

The Youtube video is of a live performance on The Midnight Special. I tend to be preoccupied (OBSESSED) with group dance moves, but for me, the Pips were second to none! (Sorry, Temptations!