“Never Can Say Goodbye” by Gloria Gaynor: The Song That Took Disco from Underground to Iconic (and Invented the 12-Inch Record along the way)

The Twelve Inch 150 : Never Can Say Goodbye (Gloria Gaynor)

Before Donna Summer, before Chic, before the Bee Gees—there was Gloria Gaynor’s “Never Can Say Goodbye.” This track didn’t just launch a star; it changed the way music was made, mixed, and played forever. Here’s how a heartbreak ballad became one of the first-ever continuous-mix disco records and helped invent the 12-inch format.

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Welcome, I’m Pe Dupre and I’m really glad you’re here. This is “The Twelve Inch”, my newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.

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Disco in 1975: The Underground Awakens

In early 1975, disco was still an underground movement, thriving in Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ nightlife but far from the mainstream force it would become. However, two key transformations were taking place:

1. Nightclubs were becoming hit-making powerhouses. DJs in clubs were beginning to break records and break the dominance of radio

2. The emergence of the disco mix and extended versions. Dance music was evolving beyond the standard 7-inch single, driven by the need for longer, more immersive grooves.

At the forefront of this revolution was Tom Moulton, a remixer and producer whose innovations would lay the groundwork for modern dance music. And the perfect example of this shift? A song originally recorded as a ballad by a teenage boy band, reimagined as one of the first-ever continuous-mix disco tracks: Gloria Gaynor’s “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Gloria Gaynor: A Star Searching for a Sound

By 1974, Gloria Gaynor had been in the music business for years, recording soul and R&B tracks without landing a defining hit. Signed to MGM Records—a label better known for movie soundtracks than dance music—she was talented but directionless.

At the same time, the major record labels were waking up to a crucial shift in American music: soul and R&B tracks were crossing over into the pop charts at an unprecedented rate. Some labels, like Atlantic, were already invested in Black music, while others, like Columbia, were just beginning to catch on. Clive Davis, recognizing the potential, had backed Philadelphia International Records, leading to the rise of the Philly Sound—a lush, orchestrated style that laid the foundation for disco.

As this new sound took shape, clubs became the testing ground for emerging hits. It didn’t matter if a record had radio airplay—if it got people dancing, it spread like wildfire. This club-first success led to breakout hits like Hues Corporation’s “Rock the Boat” and George McCrae’s “Rock Your Baby”, both of which became No. 1 hits only after dominating dance floors.

Despite this momentum, most record labels still underestimated the influence of club DJs. But a few independent labels were beginning to catch on, and one man in particular—Tom Moulton—was about to change everything.

Tom Moulton and the Birth of the Disco Mix

Tom started out as a model. And no, he’s not gay. And yes, that’s quite hard to believe looking at this image 😃 Photo : Fire Island Pines Historical Society.

In the early ‘70s, Tom Moulton, a former record promoter, noticed the growing problem: dance records were too short. Club DJs needed extended versions to keep the energy going. So, he started experimenting, and creating what would become the disco mix.

Record labels were skeptical at first, but the success of Moulton’s extended remix of Don Downing’s “Dream World”proved his instincts were right. DJs and clubgoers loved it. Soon, Billboard magazine took notice, sending editor Bill Wardlow on a tour of New York’s hottest clubs. The impact was immediate:

✔️ Billboard launched the first-ever Disco Chart in October 1974 (with “Never Can Say Goodbye” as its first No. 1).

✔️ Moulton was hired to write a column, Disco Action, spotlighting dance music’s growing influence.

✔️ The industry began to acknowledge DJs as key tastemakers, capable of making or breaking a record.

“Never Can Say Goodbye”: From Ballad to Dancefloor Smash

Originally recorded by The Jackson 5 in 1971, “Never Can Say Goodbye” was a slow, soulful heartbreak song. The legendary Isaac Hayes also covered it in 1972, giving it a rich, orchestral treatment. But in late 1973, producers Tony Bongiovi, Meco Monardo, and Jay Ellis (collectively known as the Disco Corporation of America or DCA) reimagined it for the dance floor.

✔️ They sped up the tempo, transforming it into an upbeat, driving groove.

✔️ They layered in orchestral elements, giving it the signature disco lushness.

✔️ Tom Moulton turned it into a continuous-mix track, something unheard of at the time.

The full “suite”

When asked why they chose Tom Moulton, Meco Monardo explained: "Tom Moulton, who had worked with DCA on Dream World by Don Downing and had already gained a good reputation from working with Peoples' Choice, The Trammps, and First Choice, was a natural choice to help put the finishing touches on Gloria's album."

The result? A very pleased production crew and a club sensation. DJs played it relentlessly, and dancers couldn’t get enough. But there was a problem:

No support arrived. “MGM said it was a dance record, and they couldn’t care less,” says Moulton. “They thought, ‘Big deal, so it’s a fast version of a Michael Jackson song.’ ” Radio remained indifferent, even as the song quietly crept into the lower ranks of the chart. Frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm, Moulton seized the opportunity to expose the issue in his debut column. “With large numbers of discos reportedly opening around the country,” he wrote, “four questions most asked of discos by their customers are: (1) The name of the record being played and the artist. (2) Is it new? (3) Where can it be purchased? (4) If Gloria Gaynor is so popular at discos, why isn’t she being played on radio?” Rather than backing down, Wardlow stood by his columnist, running a bold full-page ad that provocatively questioned how a record could sell so many copies without any radio support. “MGM was so mad at Billboard they threatened to pull their ads,” says Moulton. “It was rough.”

Gloria Gaynor is an artist I deeply admire and respect. She has always evolved with the times, embracing new trends without hesitation—like launching her own YouTube channel, which has become quite popular. And let’s be honest, she seems to defy aging! What’s the secret sauce ? 😁👍

The Record That Changed Everything

“Never Can Say Goodbye” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed in the charts for 17 weeks. It reached the Top 5 in Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK. But beyond the charts, its real legacy was in its format:

Yet, despite his low profile, Moulton—who crafted an innovative mix for Gaynor’s next album—ultimately proved to be the more influential figure. “There were three songs on side one, and I turned them into a continuous eighteen-minute mix,” says Moulton, who didn’t receive a credit for his work. “Nobody had done that before, and Gloria wasn’t very happy. When she heard it she said, ‘I don’t sing much! What am I supposed to do when we perform the song?’ I said, ‘You learn to dance!’ ” After perfecting her steps, Gaynor sent out a collection of autographed LPs to New York’s DJs. “to show her appreciation for all the help they have given her.” Two of the recipients, Michael Cappello and David Rodriguez, affirmed that Moulton had made the perfect choice for the dance floor. “Both report a predictably knock-out response,” Vince Aletti reported in a new column for Record World, “especially when the pressing is playing straight through (‘It gives me a chance to take a break, too,’ Rodriguez adds).”

The “Moulton treatment” explained

Moulton was reshaping records with a fresh set of priorities in mind. “I started making drastic changes right from the beginning,” he says. “People called me the doctor. They would bring me their sick record, and I would fix it. They all thought I was crazy in terms of the way I changed everything around.” The mixer would start off by studying the recording at home, after which he would take it into the studio and ask for certain tracks to be taken out so that he could “hear what’s hidden.” While the vocals were typically untouched, the instrumentation was almost always altered. When engineers insisted that Moulton’s requests were impossible, he would simply respond, “Well, how can we create that illusion?” While MFSB and Barry White had brought orchestration into dance music, Moulton was now weaving dance music into symphonic structures. “I always wanted to make songs sound like a suite. Each record would go through different movements to produce a mini musical masterpiece.” The mixer’s masterpiece took shape around a steady, driving beat, with the innovative use of looping providing much of his additional material. “He would stretch the instrumental so that by the end of the song people would be that much more excited about it,” says music critic Brian Chin. “To think that producers used to curse him for what he did!” A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Moulton consistently boosted the upper midrange in the bass and vocals to ensure clarity. He also meticulously arranged tracks so that horns and strings played from separate channels, adding a dynamic, almost visual depth to the sound. “I wanted my work to sound good in the discotheques. I didn’t like muddy. I wanted crystal clear.”

Legacy: How One Record Shaped Dance Music

For Gloria Gaynor, “Never Can Say Goodbye” launched a decades-long career. While critics often dismiss disco as a genre without lasting stars, she proved otherwise. Even today, she defends its legacy, saying: “It was a time when people came together,” Gaynor explains. “It was every nationality and color and age group. Disco had that thing of camaraderie. It was an upbeat and happy time. If disco had stuck around, we don’t how much less terrorism we might have in the world now. It puts everyone in a good mood.”

For Tom Moulton, the success of “Never Can Say Goodbye” was just the beginning. His pioneering mixing techniques led to the birth of the 12-inch single, a format that would dominate dance music from the late ‘70s through the mid-‘90s. The label “A Tom Moulton Mix” became a mark of quality, and he went on to remix countless classics.

Meanwhile, producers Meco Monardo and Tony Bongiovi built on their success:

🎵 Meco created a massive disco hit with his “Star Wars” soundtrack rework in 1977.

🎚️ Bongiovi founded the legendary Power Station studios in New York and became a key figure in rock production (and yes, he and Jon Bon Jovi are related. 😁 He’s Jon Bon Jovi’s second cousin!).

Gloria Gaynor later admitted she had underestimated Moulton’s genius: 👉 “Tom was largely responsible for the great response to my early catalogue. He was a genius at remixing.”

A Call to Action

I’m curious—how did you first discover Never Can Say Goodbye? Was Gloria Gaynor’s version your introduction to the song, or perhaps the only one you’ve heard? Did you know it was originally a ballad or that it was featured in the first-ever continuous mix of dance music on an album? Share your thoughts in the comments and join us next week for more behind-the-scenes stories of music’s hidden gems. Don’t forget to subscribe and share. Or forward it to the friend you know is interested in the subject I weekly write about: the history of dance music!

Further reading (or should I say watching)

There are a number of interesting video’s/links :

1. The official video : or sort of

So You Wanna Hear More ?

I thought you would !

It’s fun to write about music but let’s be honest. Music is made to listen to.

Every week, together with this newsletter, I release a 1 hour beatmix on Mixcloud and Soundcloud. I start with the discussed twelve inch and follow up with 10/15 songs from the same timeframe/genre. The ideal soundtrack for…. Well whatever you like to do when you listen to dance music.

The MIXCLOUD Mix Of The Week

So what’s in this week’s mix ?

This mix kicks off right at the heart of the era I’m covering in this newsletter—when the Philly Sound was in full swing. Expect lush arrangements packed with sweeping string sections, bold brass, electric piano, and tight rhythm guitars. This was disco’s golden moment: a polished, orchestrated sound built on melody, harmony, syncopated basslines, and irresistible four-on-the-floor beats.

“Never Can Say Goodbye” is just the beginning of this one-hour deep dive into the dancefloor hits of 1975, with a few gems from 1976 woven in. You’ll hear disco’s early stars like Barry White, Thelma Houston, The Salsoul Orchestra, and The Trammps, but I’ve also included some lesser-known treasures.

If the Philly Sound moves you, this mix is for you!

Enjoy !

Next week, we’ll return to mid eighties Germany and the successtory of a singer that would never be Maria Magdalena (and no that’s not the song we’ll be discussing 😃)