Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named "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.[1]

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"
Single by Steam
from the album Steam
B-side"It's the Magic in You Girl"
ReleasedNovember 1969
Recorded1969 in New York at Mercury Sound Studios
GenrePop, psychedelic pop, bubblegum pop
Length4:08 (LP version)
6:20 (Long version)
3:45 (45 version)
2:59 (45 radio version)
LabelFontana F 1667 (U.S.)
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)

Original version

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, called the Glenwoods, the Citations, and 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 1968, DeCarlo 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 recording 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 Mr. Leka's Bridgeport, Connecticut studio for an entirely different session.[2] "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".[3] The group that is seen on the album cover and in the old black and white video was a road group that had nothing to do with the recording. The road group was lip syncing to DeCarlo's vocal in the video.

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" reached number one in the United States for two weeks, on December 6 and 13, 1969; it was Billboard's final multi-week number 1 hit of the 1960s and also peaked at number twenty on the soul chart.[4] In Canada, the song reached number six.[5] By the beginning of the 21st century, sales of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" had exceeded 6.5 million records,[6] attaining Multi-Platinum record status.[7]

Bananarama version
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Deep Sea Skiving
B-side"Tell Tale Signs"
Released14 February 1983
Recorded1982
GenreNew wave
Length3:30
LabelLondon Records
Songwriter(s)Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka
Producer(s)Jolley & Swain
Bananarama singles chronology
"He's Got Tact"
(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 (#5), but only a minor hit in the US (Billboard #101) later that year.[8]

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.[9]

Track listing
UK & 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 features the band playing in a school playground and then being made to move by a group of lads. 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 lads 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"
Released1 January 1987
Recorded1987
GenreA cappella
Length3:24
LabelAttic Records
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.[10]

Track listing
Canada & 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 & 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
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[21] 38
Belgium (Flanders) 29
Ireland (IRMA)[13] 4
New Zealand (RIANZ) 29
UK[22] 5
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[23] 101
U.S. Billboard Disco/Dance 14

Other cover versions

The Supremes included a cover of the song on their 1970 album New Ways but Love Stays.

The Belmonts recorded an a cappella version, which can be found as a track on their 1972 album Cigars, Acappella, Candy.

Dave Clark & Friends released the song in October 1973 under the title "Sha-Na-Na-Na (Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye)" (EMI 2082), but the single did not chart.

The Donna Summer compilation album Gold (a 1995 release exclusively for the Netherlands) contains a 3:42 disco cover of the song.

In 2000, Taiwanese singer Yuki Hsu released a cover of the song as a single (titled 'Na Na Na') with an accompanying music video.

In 2014 the Norwegian artist Adelén used the chorus line of the song on her World Cup song "Olé." The song was one of the tracks on the One Love, One Rhythm — The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album. The song peaked at number #3 in Norway.

The song "Chillin" by rapper Wale featuring singer Lady Gaga samples the chorus. It was also sampled in "Goodbye" by Kristinia DeBarge.

"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" paraphrases several lyrics from Jerry Butler's 1960 hit "He Will Break Your Heart," later covered by Tony Orlando and Dawn as "He Don't Love You."

The rap song "We Ready" by Archie Eversole featuring Bubba Sparxxx samples the song and has become a sports stadium anthem as well as being featured in nationally-run commercials.[24][25]

American singer Katy Perry's "Not the End of the World", from her 2020 sixth album Smile, interpolated the chorus of the song.

In 1977, Chicago White Sox organist Nancy Faust began playing the song. 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 or disqualified. It has also been sung by crowds in political rallies, to taunt political opponents or to drown out and mock disruptive counter-protesters.[26] In 2005, after the White Sox won the World Series, during the credits on Fox Sports, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" was the first song to be played. The song has been used several times on WWE in which it is sung by the crowd when a superstar/general manager (mostly a heel) is fired or forced to leave the arena, e.g. legal reasons etc., from Steve Austin, to Chris Jericho, from Edge, to Paul Heyman, from Jonathan Coachman, to John Laurinaitis, from Eric Bischoff, to Vickie Guerrero, from Dolph Ziggler, to the IIconics, from Stephanie McMahon, to her father.

The song is typically sung by the crowd in NBA games, as a noteworthy opposing player is ejected due to personal, technical or flagrant fouls.

The MTV game show Remote Control featured the song as one of several songs the audience would sing as a player was eliminated. (Audiences sometimes sang "Hit the Road Jack" instead.)

Since 2003, it has been used at cricket matches in England and Wales during the T20 Blast to celebrate wickets.

The song is sung a cappella by the crowd at ice hockey games in Canada, particularly in Montréal and Québec City, at the end of games in order to say goodbye to the losing team.

The Paquette cartoon shows Jean Chrétien taunting Paul Martin by singing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"

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".

At the 2009 and 2017 Presidential Inaugurations, some audiences were chanting "Na na na na" to the departing Presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama respectively.[27][28]

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.[29] 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".[30]

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.[31]

In November 2020, after the presidential election, many people chanted the song on the streets after it was announced that Donald Trump had lost.[32] On January 20, 2021, the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Jimmy Kimmel’s segment on the departure of President Donald Trump featured the song in a satiric CGI video of American icons, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Obama "Hope" poster, dancing and singing the chorus “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye.”[33]

See also

References
  1. "Steam Biography". Pandora Internet Radio. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  2. Paul Leka confirmed some months before his death that the conga solo was in fact Mr. DiGeronimo's. It had been recorded in Bridgeport as part of a session with the band "Yazoo Fraud," then under contract with Mr. Leka's production company.
  3. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 550.
  5. "RPM100" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 27, 1969. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  6. "Steam's Gary DeCarlo of 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' Fame Dead at 75". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. 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.
  8. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. p. 25. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Record Research. p. 464.
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 27, 1969. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  14. Flavour of New Zealand, 13 February 1970
  15. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  16. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. January 31, 1970. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  17. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 — ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  18. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 550.
  19. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 20, 1969". Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  20. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  21. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  22. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. February 6, 1983. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  23. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
  24. Berg, Ted (October 20, 2014). "Rapper behind Royals' anthem is headed to Kansas City and the Royals are psyched". USA Today. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  25. "NFL TV Commercial, 'Get Ready for the NFL Playoffs'". Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  26. https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/29/na-na-na-na-hey-hey-hey-goodbye-co-author-of-immortal-lyric-is-dead-at-75/
  27. "Flashback: Bush booed, mocked by 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' song at '09 Obama inaugural". The Blaze. January 20, 2017.
  28. https://washingtonpost.com/local/protesters-bring-shouts-skirmishes-and-shutdowns-to-inauguration-celebration/2017/01/20/00ea4c72-df11-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html
  29. Ken Stone. "'Hey Hey, Goodbye' songman liked Dems' House chant, not Obamacare". MyNewsLA.com. May 4, 2017.
  30. Haag, Matthew (May 4, 2017). "Democrats Taunt Republicans With 'Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye' During Health Vote". The New York Times.
  31. "GMC Launches Awesome New Ad Campaign For 2019 Sierra". GM Authority. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  32. "Americans chanting Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye to Ex-Pres. Donald Trump. LET'S party in the USA!". YouTube. November 11, 2020.
  33. Southern, Keiran. "Gleeful late night hosts wave goodbye to Donald Trump". Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
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