It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is an R&B song written by Motown husband-and-wife songwriting team Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian for the 1975 film Cooley High. In the film, the song is performed by Motown artist G.C. Cameron, whose rendition peaked at number 38 on the Billboard R&B singles chart that same year. Perren also composed the instrumental score for Cooley High, and the B-side to "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" features two of his score compositions from the film.

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
Single by G.C. Cameron
from the album Cooley High: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/G.C. Cameron
B-side	"Haulin' + Cold Blooded (Instrumental)" by Freddie Perren
Released	September 1, 1975 (1975-09-01)
Recorded	1975
Genre	Soul
Length	3:25
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Freddie Perren Christine Yarian
Producer(s)	Freddie Perren
G.C. Cameron singles chronology
"If You're Ever Gonna Love Me" (1975) "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (1975) "Dream Lady" (1976)

Boyz II Men cover

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
U.S. commercial cassette single
Single by Boyz II Men
from the album Cooleyhighharmony
Released	August 20, 1991
Recorded	Fall 1990
Genre	A cappella, soul
Length	2:47
Label	Motown 2136
Songwriter(s)	Freddie Perren Christine Yarian
Producer(s)	Dallas Austin, Boyz II Men, Rex Salas
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"Motownphilly" (1991) "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (1991) "Uhh Ahh" (1991)

The composition was recorded in an a cappella rendition by contemporary R&B Motown group Boyz II Men 16 years later. Released as a single, Boyz II Men's recording of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart in December 1991. The track was included on Boyz II Men's first album, Cooleyhighharmony, its name a reference to the film from which the song originated.

The music video for the song is dedicated to rapper MC Trouble who died two months after and it featured archive footage of Jim Henson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Gilda Radner, and several others who had all died one to two years before.^{[citation needed]}

The song was used in the 1992 action film Lethal Weapon 3, in the funeral scene for Daryl, a 15-year-old gangbanger shot down by Murtaugh.

Track listings

US cassette single

• A It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday (LP Version)
• Album Snippets
• B1 Under Pressure
• B2 Please Don't Go
• B3 Lonely Heart
• B4 Uhh Ahh
• B5 It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

Europe Maxi-CD

1. It's Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday (Radio Version) 3:06
2. It's Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday (A capella Version) 3:49
3. Album Snippets

• 3a Under Pressure 0:48
• 3b Please Don't Go 1:00
• 3c Lonely Heart 1:00
• 3d Uhh Ahh 1:03

Other versions

The Flex covered "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" for the House Party 2 soundtrack album, released in October 1991.^[1]

A Cantonese version of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" was covered by Jacky Cheung. The song is titled "偷閒加油站" and it is featured on the 1992 album 真情流露.

Charts and certifications

G.C. Cameron version

Chart (1975)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles^[2]	38

Boyz II Men version

Weekly charts Chart (1991–1993) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[3] 100 Canada Retail Singles (The Record)^[4] 5 Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)^[4] 17 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[5] 36 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[6] 26 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[7] 21 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[8] 3 US Billboard Hot 100^[9] 2 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[10] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[11] 49 US Billboard Hot 100^[12] 37

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[13]	Gold	5,000^*
United States (RIAA)^[14]	Gold	500,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• R&B number-one hits of 1991 (USA)

References

1. "Various – House Party 2 Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack". Discogs. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 99.
3. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
4. Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 49. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2048." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
7. "Boyz II Men – It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
8. "Boyz II Men – It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
9. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
10. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
11. "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
12. . Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
13. "New Zealand single certifications – Boyz II Men – It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
14. "American single certifications – Boyz II Men – It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 9, 2019.