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"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"
Single by Steam
from the album Steam
B-side	"It's the Magic in You Girl"
Released	November 1969
Recorded	1969
Studio	Mercury Sound Studios, New York
Genre	Pop
Length	4:08 (LP version) 6:20 (long version) 3:45 (45 version) 2:59 (45 radio version)
Label	Fontana F 1667 (US)
Songwriter(s)	Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer
Producer(s)	Paul Leka
Steam singles chronology
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (1969) "I've Gotta Make You Love Me" (1970)

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a 1969 song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band Steam. It was released under the Mercury subsidiary label Fontana and became a number-one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969, and remained on the charts in early 1970.

Original recording

Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer wrote a blues shuffle version of the song in the early 1960s when they were members of a doo-wop group from Bridgeport, Connecticut, originally called the Glenwoods, then the Citations, and finally, the Chateaus, of which Leka was the piano player. The group disbanded when Leka talked Frashuer into going into New York City with him to write and possibly produce. In 1969, DeCarlo (using the professional name Garrett Scott) recorded four songs at Mercury Records in New York with Leka as producer. The singles impressed the company's executives, who wanted to issue all of them as A-side singles. In need of a B-side, Leka and DeCarlo resurrected an old song from their days as the Glenwoods, "Kiss Him Goodbye", with their old bandmate, Frashuer.

With DeCarlo as lead vocalist, they recorded the song in one session. Instead of using a full band, Leka played keyboards and had engineer Warren Dewey splice together a drum track from one of DeCarlo's four singles and a conga drum solo by Ange DiGeronimo recorded in Leka's Bridgeport, Connecticut, studio for an entirely different session. "I said we should put a chorus to it (to make it longer)", Leka told Fred Bronson in The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. "I started writing while I was sitting at the piano going 'na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na'... Everything was 'na na' when you didn't have a lyric." Gary added "hey hey".

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" reached number one in the United States for two weeks, on December 6 1969, displacing "Come Together" by the Beatles. It was Billboard's final multi-week number 1 hit of the 1960s and also peaked at number twenty on the soul chart. In Canada, the song reached number six. By the beginning of the 21st century, sales of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" had exceeded 6.5 million records, attaining multi-platinum record status.

Jeronimo version

Jeronimo, a German hard rock band of the early 1970s from Frankfurt am Main.

The band was founded by Rainer Marz (guitar, vocal), Gunnar Schäfer (bass, vocal) and Ringo Funk (drums, vocal) in 1969 and in '69/'70 they had their first two hits "Heya" and "Na Na Hey Hey". With these two chartbreakers, they climbed to the number 1 position in almost all European countries.

Dave Clark Five version

In October of 1973, The Dave Clark Five released the song as a single, credited to Dave Clark & Friends. It did not chart in the US, but was a minor success in Germany and New Zealand.

Bananarama version

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Deep Sea Skiving
B-side	"Tell Tale Signs"
Released	February 14, 1983
Recorded	1982
Genre	Pop
Length	3:30
Label	London Records
Songwriter(s)	Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka
Producer(s)	Jolley & Swain
Bananarama singles chronology
"Cheers Then" (1982) "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (1983) "Cruel Summer" (1983)

In February 1983, UK girl group Bananarama released the song as a single from their album Deep Sea Skiving. This version became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom (number 5), but only a minor hit in the US (Billboard number 101) later that year.

This was the fifth single released from their first album in 1983. It peaked at number five in the UK singles chart, and number 38 in Australia on the Kent Music Report chart.

Track listing

UK and USA 7" vinyl single

UK: London Records NANA 4; USA: London Records 810 115-7

1. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" 3:22
2. "Tell Tale Signs" 2:58

UK 12" vinyl single

London Records NANX 4

1. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (Extended version) 4:52
2. "Na Na Hey Hey Na (Dub) Hey" 4:12
3. "Tell Tale Signs" (Extended version) 4:46

Music video

The music video directed by Keith McMillan features the band playing in a school playground and then being made to move by a group of men. They then decide to join a boxing club so the video features them singing the song whilst boxing. By the end of the video they return to the playground wearing leathers and this time make the group of men move away. They then ride off into the night on motorbikes.

The Nylons version

"Kiss Him Goodbye"
Single by the Nylons
from the album Happy Together
B-side	"It's What They Call Magic"
Released	January 1, 1987
Recorded	1987
Genre	A cappella
Length	3:24
Label	Attic
Songwriter(s)	Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka
Producer(s)	Bill Henderson
The Nylons singles chronology
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1986) "Kiss Him Goodbye" (1987) "Happy Together" (1987)

In 1987, Canadian quartet the Nylons released an a cappella version of this song as a single under the shortened title "Kiss Him Goodbye". It became their biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number twelve that summer, and reaching number 15 in Canada.

Track listing

Canada and USA 7" vinyl single

Canada: Attic Records AT 348; USA: Open Air Records OS-0022

1. "Kiss Him Goodbye" 3:24
2. "It's What They Call Magic" 3:49

Canada and USA 12" vinyl single

Canada: Attic Records AT 1240; USA: Open Air Records OS-12240

1. "Kiss Him Goodbye (Sheer N.R.G. mix)" 6:05
2. "Kiss Him Goodbye (Acapella version)" 4:05
3. "Kiss Him Goodbye (Dub version)" 5:15

Chart history

Bananarama cover

Certifications

In popular culture

A 1970 cover by the Canadian R&B/funk band Wayne McGhie and the Sounds of Joy had no chart success on its own, but has been sampled in numerous hip hop recordings. When the band's long-forgotten album was reissued in 2004, Canadian music critic Bill Reynolds wrote that their cover was so good it should be used at sporting events instead of Steam's original.

In 1977, Chicago White Sox organist Nancy Faust began playing the song. It had previously been sung spontaneously by fans in the stands, possibly beginning in a series with the Minnesota Twins July 1–3, 1977, a four-game series swept by the White Sox. The fan version went "Minnesota, Minnesota, Hey Hey Good Bye". Nancy Faust began playing it regularly on the organ later that month. It is generally directed at the losing side in an elimination contest when the outcome is all but certain or when an individual player is ejected, disqualified, or more often in baseball games, a pitching change is made during an inning (which is when Faust would play it). It has also been sung by crowds in political rallies, to taunt political opponents or to drown out and mock disruptive counter-protesters.

The song was used for the intro/outro theme tune for the 1990-1992 TV-am / Hey, Hey, It's Saturday! show Top Banana, hosted by Mike Brosnan.

The song is featured prominently throughout the 2000 biographical sports film Remember the Titans, which is based on the true story of the 1971 T. C. Williams High School football team from Alexandria, Virginia.

This song was one of 164 included on the list of songs which were temporarily banned from public radio airplay by Clear Channel after 9/11.

On January 23, 2006, Paul Martin was defeated by Stephen Harper as Prime Minister of Canada. Martin had acceded to the prime ministry following the ouster of Jean Chrétien. The next day's issue of La Voix de l'Est, a French newspaper in Granby, Quebec, included a cartoon by Paquette showing Chrétien calling Martin and singing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye".

In April 2009, the song was sampled by American singer Kristinia DeBarge in her single "Goodbye".

In May 2014, the song was sampled by Norwegian singer Adelén with Olé used for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as recorded for the soundtrack One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album.

On May 4, 2017, after the House of Representatives voted to pass the American Health Care Act which partially repealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Democratic representatives chanted "Na na na na, hey hey, goodbye" to Republican representatives, implying that in voting for the bill, they would lose their House seats in the next election. DeCarlo was happy to hear of the song getting renewed exposure, but said he opposed Obamacare. It was not the first time the song had been sung in Congress; in 1993, after Democrats voted for then-President Bill Clinton's tax bill, House Republicans sang "Goodbye".

In January 2019, GMC launched an advertising campaign for its 2019 Sierra 1500 pickup truck, focusing on GMC's new MultiPro tailgate feature. The commercial shows owners of competing pickups carrying tailgates from those trucks and singing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" while heading to the top of a mountain.

In 2020, American singer-songwriter and pop star Katy Perry sampled “Goodbye” in the song Not The End Of The World off her 5th studio album, Smile.

See also

• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. "Steam Biography". Pandora Internet Radio. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
2. Jankoski, Jan (March 29, 1970). "'Steam' Steams to Gold Platter". The Bridgeport Post. pp. C8–C14.
3. Knippenberg, Jim (May 2, 1970). "Garrett Scott's star rising as singer, writer and producer". The Cincinnati Enquirer – via Newspapers.com.
4. Paul Leka confirmed some months before his death that the conga solo was in fact DiGeronimo's. It had been recorded in Bridgeport as part of a session with the band "Yazoo Fraud," then under contract with Leka's production company.
5. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). New York: Watson-Guptill. p. 263. ISBN 9780823076772.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 550.
7. "RPM100" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 27, 1969. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
8. "Steam's Gary DeCarlo of 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' Fame Dead at 75". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
9. Torsiello, John (November 16, 2012). "Pricetag for Colgate Mansion in Sharon: $8.9 Million. Its Great Tales: Free". The Litchfield County Times. Hearst Media Services Connecticut. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
10. "Dave Clark & Friends – Sha-Na-Na-Na (Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye)". Discogs. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
11. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Bananarama". Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 28–29. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
12. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. p. 25. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
14. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Record Research. p. 464.
15. "RPM Top 100 Singles - August 1, 1987" (PDF).
16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
17. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 27, 1969. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
19. "Charts singles Top 50 en France: 22 Mar 1970". 2015.
20. Flavour of New Zealand, 13 February 1970
21. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved August 18, 2019.
22. "Official Charts Company". Official Charts. January 31, 1970. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
23. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 — ISBN 0-89820-089-X
24. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 550.
25. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 20, 1969". Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
26. "UK-Charts - 1970".
27. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
28. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
29. "Bananarama – Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
30. "Bananarama – Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
31. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. February 6, 1983. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
32. "American single certifications – Steam – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
33. Del Cowie, "The unsung Canadian soul of Wayne McGhie". Q, August 24, 2017.
34. Bill Reynolds, "McGhie doesn't blow his covers". Hamilton Spectator, July 5, 2004.
35. "Na na, hey hey: How a throwaway song became the anthem of taunt". June 29, 2017.
36. "Top Banana - UKGameshows".
37. "The 164 Songs That Were Banned From American Radio After 9/11v". September 10, 2021.
38. "Exposed by Kristinia DeBarge". People.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009.
39. Mikael Wood (July 28, 2009). "Album review: Kristinia DeBarge's 'Exposed'". Los Angeles Times.
40. "Goodbye – The Short List of Things to Do". Time. Archived from the original on October 25, 2010.
41. Ken Stone (May 4, 2017). "'Hey Hey, Goodbye' songman liked Dems' House chant, not Obamacare". MyNewsLA.com.
42. Haag, Matthew (May 4, 2017). "Democrats Taunt Republicans With 'Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye' During Health Vote". The New York Times.
43. "GMC Launches Awesome New Ad Campaign For 2019 Sierra". GM Authority. January 7, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.

External links

• Steam - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye on YouTube

• 1969 songs
• 1969 debut singles
• 1983 singles
• Fontana Records singles
• London Records singles
• Bananarama songs
• Hermes House Band songs
• Crazy Frog songs
• Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
• Songs written by Paul Leka
• Quotations from music
• Catchphrases
• 1969 quotations
• Songs about parting
• Diss tracks