Don't Leave Me This Way

This article is about the song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. For the Tina Turner song, see Don't Leave Me This Way (Tina Turner song).

"Don't Leave Me This Way"
Single by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
from the album Wake Up Everybody
B-side	"To Be Free to Be Who We Are"
Released	1975 (1975)
Format	7" vinyl
Genre	R&B/Soul/Disco
Length	3:59
Label	Philadelphia International
Writer(s)	Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert
Producer	Gamble & Huff
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes singles chronology
"Wake Up Everybody (Part 1)" (1975) "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1975) "Tell the World How I Feel about 'Cha Baby" (1976)
Audio sample file info · help

"Don't Leave Me This Way" is an R&B/soul/disco song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. First charting as a hit for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, an act on Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1975, "Don't Leave Me This Way" was later a hit single for both Thelma Houston and The Communards.

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes version

The Blue Notes' original version of the song, featuring Teddy Pendergrass' lead vocal, was included as an album track on the group's successful Wake Up Everybody LP. Though not issued as a single in the United States, the Blue Notes' recording reached #3 on the US Billboard Disco charts and later reached #5 on the UK singles chart.

Chart performance

Chart (1975)	Peak position
US Billboard Disco Chart	3
Chart (1977)	Peak position
Swedish Singles Chart	13
UK Singles Chart	5

Thelma Houston version

"Don't Leave Me This Way"
Single by Thelma Houston
from the album Any Way You Like It
B-side	"Today Will Soon Be Yesterday"
Released	1976 (1976)
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Genre	Disco
Length	3:37
Label	Motown
Writer(s)	Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert
Producer	Hal Davis
Certification	Platinum (US)
Thelma Houston singles chronology
"You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long" (1976) "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1976) "If It's the Last Thing I Do" (1977)

"Don't Leave Me This Way" was covered by Motown artist Thelma Houston in 1976. Her version, with its more overt disco arrangement, was a massive international hit, topping the soul singles chart. and US Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in April 1977. The song peaked at #13 in the UK. The song went to number one on the disco chart, and is considered by many to be not just one of the greatest songs of the disco era but the entire 70's as well. Later in the year, it was featured on the soundtrack of the movie, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar."

Houston's version was revived in 1995 in a remix, which reached #19 on the US Billboard Dance Chart and #35 in the UK. This version got Houston ranked #86 on VH1's "100 Greatest One-hit Wonders", as well as the #2 spot on their "100 Greatest Dance Songs" list.

Chart performance

Chart (1976) (original version)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1

INTERNATIONAL CHART PEAKS (1977) (original version)
AUSTRALIA	AUSTRIA	CANADA	FRANCE	GERMANY	ITALY	HOLLAND	NEW ZEALAND	SOUTH AFRICA	SPAIN	SWEDEN	UK
#6	#18	#4	#13	#9	#15	#4	#17	#1	#11	#4	#13

Chart (1995) (remix version)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	19
UK Singles Chart	35

Preceded by "Don't Give Up on Us" by David Soul	Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 23, 1977	Succeeded by "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell
Preceded by "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder	Billboard's Hot Soul Singles number one single February 19, 1977	Succeeded by "I've Got Love on My Mind" by Natalie Cole
Preceded by Four Seasons of Love by Donna Summer (all cuts)	Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (with "Any Way You Like It") December 25, 1976 - January 29, 1977	Succeeded by "Disco Inferno" / "Starvin'" / "Body Contact Contract" by The Trammps

The Communards version

"Don't Leave Me This Way"
Single by The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris
from the album Communards
B-side	"Sanctified"
Released	1986
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, CD single, Cassette single
Recorded	1985
Genre	Hi-NRG, synthpop
Length	4:31
Label	London
Writer(s)	Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert
Producer	Mike Thorne
The Communards chronology "Disenchanted" (1986) "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1986) "So Cold the Night" (1986)

Nine years later, the song was revived by The Communards in an avowedly Hi-NRG version. This recording topped the UK charts for four weeks in September 1986, becoming the biggest selling record of the year in the process. The featured guest vocalist was jazz singer Sarah Jane Morris. The song only reached #40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but did top the Billboard Dance chart.

Several remixes were issued, notably the "Son of Gotham City Mix" which was split across two sides of a 12" single and ran for a total of 22 minutes 55 seconds.

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	1
Dutch Top 40	1
Austrian Singles Chart	19
French Singles Chart	6
Swiss Singles Chart	2
US Hot Dance Club Play	1
US Billboard Hot 100	40

Preceded by "I Want to Wake Up with You" by Boris Gardiner	UK Singles Chart number one single September 7, 1986 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "True Blue" by Madonna
Preceded by "Word Up!" by Cameo	Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single November 22, 1986	Succeeded by "I Can't Turn Around" by J.M. Silk

Other cover versions

"Don't Leave Me This Way" has been recorded by several other artists including Isaac Hayes, Gerard Joling, José Galisteo, Andy Abraham, and The Temptations, amongst others. In 1984 the first Hi-NRG styled covers before The Communards were by Carol Jiani and a group named Slip. The song was also covered by pop diva Sheena Easton in 2001 on her "Fabulous" disco album. It has been covered three times on American Idol, by LaToya London (Season 3), Vonzell Solomon (Season 4), and Ramiele Malubay (Season 7). Malubay's version had a limited release as a live performance single on the iTunes Music Store in 2008. A French version was sung by Sylvie Vartan under the title "Ne pars pas comme ça".

Cher performed the song at her Las Vegas show Cher at the Colosseum as a prelude to "Take Me Home".

A version of the song is featured in the stage musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical during a funeral scene.

The Eurodisco song "Yes Sir I Can Boogie" by Baccara (1977) borrows heavily from this song, sharing the intro and the bass line but with a different chorus line.

In 2010, Australian actor/singer Jason Donovan recorded a cover version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" for his 80s covers album "Soundtrack of the 80s"; he took the 1986 Communards version as his inspiration.