I'll Have to Let Him Go

About I'll Have to Let Him Go

"I'll Have to Let Him Go" is a 1962 song and single written, composed and produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson and issued on the Gordy (Motown) label. it is notable for being one of two singles that marked the Motown debut of Martha and the Vandellas. The song is about ending a romantic relationship, as its narrator, after seeing her lover kissing and holding another, realizing its over and decides she going “to set him free” even though "it's gonna hurt (her) so". Originally recorded when the group was just renamed the Vels (from the Del-Phis), the song was one of the first of many recordings led by Martha Reeves; original member Gloria Williams was the group's lead singer up until this point. The song was intended for Mary Wells, but when Wells couldn't make the session, Martha, then an assistant and secretary to Stevenson, was asked to sing it in her place as a demo record, and she recruited her groupmates Rosalind Ashford, Gloria Williams and Annette Beard to back her. The performance so impressed Stevenson and label president Berry Gordy that they signed the group to the label, decided to release the song as a single, and recorded another single for release, the Williams led "You'll Never Cherish A Love So True('Til You Lose It)" / "There He Is (At My Door)". But by the time of its release the Vels would become first "the Vandellas" and then finally "Martha and the Vandellas". Also around this time, Williams would leave the quartet, deciding that show business was too rigorous, making them a trio from then onward. The Williams-led single was released at the same time as this one, but on the Mel-O-Dy subsidiary and still credited to "the Vells" [sic]. Neither singles charted, but five months later they would release their first hit single, "Come and Get These Memories". more »

Year:

1982

2:46

120 Views

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I saw him kiss another & watched him hold her tight 
& I made up in my mind that very night 
I've got to let him go, I've got to set him free 
Even though I let him go, he's still a part of me 
Oh now I know, yes I know there's someone he's thinkin' of 
I'll have to let him go with all my love 

I saw him (I saw him) but he didn't see me (but he didn't see me) 
The tears just filled my eyes when he kissed her tonight 
Oh it hurt me so inside, so much he'll never know 
I'll simply hide my pride & I'll have to let him go (let him go) 
Mmm I've got to let him go (let him go) 

(Let him go) Move on, move on! my heart cries 
(Let him go) Find yourself another; let him be 
Oh (let him go) he's better off without me 
(Let him go) This I know 
My only wish is to make him happy, oh 

I've got to say goodbye (got to say goodbye) 
I've got to say so long (got to say so long) 
Even though the years roll by, my love will carry on 
Oh I must not tear his soul; surely he must know 
That it's gonna hurt me so 
But I'll have to let him go (let him go) 
Yeah, it's gonna hurt me so 
But I'll have to let him go (let him go) 
I've got to say so long (let him go) 
It's gonna hurt me so (say goodbye) 
But I've got to say goodbye 
...& fade 

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Martha Reeves

Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941 in Eufaula, Alabama) is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Nowhere to Run", "Jimmy Mack", and their signature "Dancing In The Street". From 2005 until 2009, Reeves served as an elected councilwoman for the city of Detroit, Michigan. more »

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