Who Did It Better? I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love

Who Did It Better?

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love

Today's selection is the MOR classic, I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love, which was recorded by a number of artists, including both its songwriters. We'll be looking at all eight artists who released the song as a single, hoping to snag a top 40 smash. 

Co-written by Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager, I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love is a song which grabbed many an ear, but failed for the longest time to find an artist who could take it into the US Top 40. So, that is what this story is all about... a song in search of the right artist.  

Carole Bayer Sager was the first to record the song.  She had a surprise #1 hit in Australia in 1977 with You're Movin' Out Today, a song she wrote with Bette Midler and Bruce Roberts (it also hit #6 in the UK!). It was on her self-titled  debut album for Elektra Records. That album also included her take on I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love, which was released as a single, but only reached as high as #98 - in Australia.

In 1978, a total of five artists took a stab at the song. 

Debby Boone's second mainstream album for Warner Brother's Curb label, 1978's Midstream, included I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love. The song was released as a single - because I found photos of the 45, although it is not noted as such on Discogs or her Wikipedia discography(?) Needless to say, it did not chart.

Dusty Springfield was attempting something of a comeback in 1978. Her last album, 1974's Longing had been scrapped and went unreleased. A fresh start on United Artists/Mercury Records seemed in order, and she took a definite MOR approach with the appropriately titled It Begins Again, on which I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love was included. While released as a promo single, the song never saw a full-fledged release.

Joey Travolta, older brother of John Travolta, managed to land a recording contract with RCA/Casablanca records. From his debut album, he enjoyed a #43 hit (US Hot 100) in 1978 with a Carole Bayer Sager/Bruce Roberts composition, I Don't Wanna Go. The follow-up single, his version of  I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love, failed to chart.

Veteran soul singer Thelma Jones leant her powerful pipes to the cause on her 1978 self-titled album for Columbia Records. Released as a single, her version of I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love failed to chart.

Melanie (Safka), recorded the song as part of her Phonogenic – Not Just Another Pretty Face album on the Midsong label, released in September of 1978. I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love was released as a single, but failed to chart.

Peter Allen would put his spin on the song for his 1979 A&M album, I Could Have Been A Sailor. While released as a promotional single, the track never received a full-fledge release. That could be because a certain labelmate was recording it that same year.

Rita Coolidge, who was looking to return to the Top 40 after a couple of disappointing singles, included the song on her 1979 A&M album, Satisfied. It got the nod as the second single, a move that resulted in her return to the charts.  The song peaked at #38 on the US Hot 100, while snagging the #3 slot on the US AC chart and the #32 spot on the US Country chart. In Canada, it only got as high as #87, but faired much better on their AC chart, going all the way to #1. It also hit #24 on Canada's Country chart.

Also Of Note:
Ann Peebles would record and release the song as the B-Side for her 1979 45, Heartaches and Carmen McCrae would record it as part of her 1980 Buddah album, I'm Coming Home Again (another Carole Bayer Sager/Bruce Roberts composition), however, it was not released as a single. And... many years later: Debbie Gibson would take on the song, performing her version at numerous Gay Pride events throughout the US.

And there's the whole story. 

Now, on to the competition. 

The Song: I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love

The Competitors: Bayer Sager vs. Boone vs. Springfield vs. Travolta vs. Jones vs. Melanie vs. Allen vs. Coolidge

Now, due to the volume of artists being considered today, I will forgo my usually overly-detailed commentary and simply give you my ballpark impression of each take on the song.

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Carole Bayer Sager

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Debby Boone

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Dusty Springfield

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Joey Travolta

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Thelma Jones

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Melanie

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Peter Allen

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Rita Coolidge

Carole Bayer Sager

Bayer Sager's voice has never been her strong suit; she's a songwriter, not a singer. Still, her vocal style is not without its charms. Back then? Songwriters were routinely given the opportunity to record their own works, almost always with mixed results and substandard sales. This effort is produced by Brooks Arthur, who had recently had great success with Janis Ian. I love the piano accompaniment. She had five different celebrated pianists on this album - Peter Allen, Marvin Hamlisch, Melissa Manchester, Nicky Hopkins and Bruce Roberts. Here, my bet is that that is Peter Allen on the piano, as he co-wrote the song, that is definitely him singing background vocals. 

Arthur does the right thing, keeping the arrangement on the light side, so as not to overpower Bayer Sager's rather slight vocals. This is an acquired taste - all those little crackles in her tiny voice. One could find it endearing (which I do) or inadequate. Love the strings. The instrumental section? Meh. I don't care for the woodwind. I get that it was a popular sound at that time, but it feels cheesy - like a TV Movie of the Week theme song. She comes on much stronger after the instrumental break. It seems her voice is best heard sitting atop a bed of strings. That's as warm as this gets. I dislike the backing vocals. They distract and add nothing. The ending is nice. A very intimate reading; not something everybody will appreciate.

Debby Boone

So, Boone's initial foray into the mainstream sort of informed my perception of her as a vocalist. I found her vocals on her mega-hit You Light Up My Live to be overly strident and lacking color. That could be Joe Brooks fault, as his proved to be a rather ham-fisted approach to music. The backlash she suffered as a result pretty much put the kibosh on Midstream's commercial potential.  

Surprisingly - guess who is producing her version of this song? Brooks Arthur! 

Her voice is much warmer this time. More mature sounding. However, the way she keeps pulling back her notes causes a weird delay. It gets to sounding a bit dragged out. It's like she's behind/ahead of every beat. There's a lovely quality to her voice; a lilt that's rather engaging. Her enunciation is impeccable, and helps create an aura of intimacy. As her vocals grow in power, it gets more interesting. Unfortunately, those backing vocals at the critical emotional peak right before launching into verse two sound too homogenized and flatten the power of Boone's vocals as a result. A bit more fire would have been welcome. The instrumental fill is cloying.

Man, when she stretches out for that great big 'love'? That's her power. That's a lovely sound. 

I wonder how much influence Olivia Newton John's vocals had on this take. Boone seems to be borrowing a lot from the ONJ playbook. That said - this is a vocalist still very much trying to find herself, and, while pleasant, she doesn't accomplish it with this song.

Dusty Springfield

That string beginning is like something from an old Disney film. Glad it's a short intro. Dusty's voice is dripping in reverb, but it grabs hold from note one. You hear the experience - that ache, that sad knowing. Man, this arrangement and the producer -  Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars) do her no favors. The instrumental portion is keyed up too high and bright - destroying the ghostly vision Springfield is attempting to serve up. 

Wow, the attempt to move this into Son Of A Preacher Man ear with that first bridge - that's Dusty! 

Oddly enough, considering this is an MOR song, it's that string arrangement that is mucking things up. It's pushing way too hard and is far too sweet. Everything is so bright. It hurts my ears. That sax? ICK! This just gets noisier and noisier. And that orchestrated muck at the end. SHAME! Dusty's vocals, on the other hand? Masterful. Roy Thomas Baker must be kicking himself to this day - because he blows it here, big time. Too bad he didn't trust Dusty to sell it on her own. Had he kept this intimate? It would have been amazing.

Joey Travolta

Huh. Better than I expected. I like his vocals. Pedestrian? Perhaps. But there's a warmth there. And, it's not embarrassing by any means. I like the occasional breathiness he brings to it... listen to what he does on the word 'gone', for instance. I do wish he'd lean into things just a bit more. The arrangement is by the book for the period and rather trite. What is that - a flute? Ugh. Backing vocals, also ugh. 

Yeah, second time through? Joey... lean into it. Come on. Commit. It's like he's standing in the hallway. Oh, there he goes. A little fire. Those backing vocals are encroaching way too much. 

That last note? Very Barry Manilow. Is that what they were going for here? Well, better than I expected, but... nope - looks like we didn't make it.  Nice, though.

Thelma Jones

Oooo... that is a funkier beginning than we are used to. It's just like Love Hangover. Meh. Swamped by horns. That guitar lick helps. Huh. Her voice. Emotionally flat in places. Pitched nicely, though. Very pointed with a knowing growl in there. Her vibrato is in play, too, when she goes airy. Wow. She takes no sh*t. Those backing vocals? Too much, but she can handle it. I like where this is going. Oh, I love it when she stretches out... but will she break free? Oh, yes, honey... she do, she do. 'So if-a-you-a-wake' - I rather love this lady. She got pipes. She got chops. 

I like that the arrangement has a bit of bounce to it, but those strings are by the book and annoying. I think she could've taken this song in a whole different direction, which might've been refreshing. I sure like her voice and vocal mannerisms - nothing too out of control, but still a lot of fire there. You can hear some Gladys Knight slip in there at the end. But this woman? She's her own woman, her own vocalist. Stellar. Makes me want to hear the rest of this album.

Melanie

I like the piano intro. Could do without all the trills and frills. Interesting voice. Did you know she had six Top 40 hits, two of which went Top 10 and one of which went to #1? There's a dry rasp in her throat. It sounds painful, but aurally interesting. Oh, that horn section is swamping this. Her voice? Has seen better days. But not bad. When she combines her vibrato with that throaty ache? Not an attractive sound. Clarinets. Eww. They went for sort of a New Orleans feel with the horn/orchestra section. It doesn't work. Her vocals don't even flirt with that interpretation at all. Huh, that sax on the other hand. That suits her voice. Nice feeling at the end there. Her voice breaks up too much, but... oh, well.

Peter Allen

Peter's voice is an acquired taste. It is the gayest thing ever. You either get with the program and accept that pointed, nasal quality or you sit this one out. I have never minded it. In fact, I pretty much love all the songwriter albums from this time period - Carole Bayer Sager, Bruce Roberts, Allen, Buzzy Linhart, et. al. With the exception of Roberts, none of them had great voices - serviceable, yes - great? No. 

I appreciated the entertainer Allen always strived to be. He was charming. Funny. Warm. He'd been there and done that and was willing to wear his heart on his sleeve. 

His intro is certainly funkier than most - a much more pop-oriented approach, akin to a lot of the Top 40 at the time - think: Stephen Bishop, Kenny Nolan. Interesting phrasing. This is also true of his take on Don't Cry Out Loud, also featured on this album (yep, he co-wrote it). His interpretation is much more sly than the previous takes we've heard. Those doubled harmony vocals of his? Nice. The back up singers? Necessary? I guess, if he wants to go full pop on this. His emotional peak is not much of one. I rather love the counter melody that bowed guitar adds. 

As a vocalist, he's aware of his limitations and never overplays his hand. I believe that's why this reading is coming across as so restrained. Oh, that second shot at the emotional peak? Nicely played. It works. But, those flat sounding vowel sounds... when he carries out the word 'love?' Not good. That said, his 'e' sound - as in 'believe' and 'leave' - tasty. You want to ask him to simply drop his jaw and open up the sound on words like 'love'.  And the background singers take it home. I could see him slipping this one in before the encore... walking off-stage while the background singers finish up the song, before running back on in full Carmen Miranda gear and doing I Go To Rio.

His take on this song? Bittersweet.

Rita Coolidge

Coolidge's vocals always remind me of a Long Island Iced Tea... deceptively seductive, laid back, effective, and going down easy. That piano intro is a might bright, but then they were aiming for Top 40 radio play, so it had to grab attention. And I can hear why this got played on Country Radio stations, too. Her vocals? Saturated with reverb. Her voice and that piano are pitched on the same tone... very odd choice. Not warm, at all. But there's a lazy charm to Coolidge's vocal mannerisms which makes it work. That first minute? All about the piano and her voice. A little steel guitar throwing in some accents before the band kicks in. No emotional peak. This is all moving on a linear line - straight ahead.

Even when the band kicks in, it's still the piano and her voice, more or less. Subtle use of strings; I appreciate that. So Coolidge remains steadfast, moving forward and the arrangement simply keeps adding breadth in the form of additional instruments. Dynamics don't really play much of a part in this reading. Near the end, you start to hear the husky, hollowness of her throat. 

As a vocalist? Not everybody's cup of tea. A little sleepy. But lovely. That was her charm. 

The Verdict

I love Dusty Springfield's vocals, but she's undone by unsympathetic, tone deaf production work. 

I appreciate Allen's pop sense and his 'bitter with the sweet' take on this one.

Coolidge got the hit, but I am underwhelmed. Coasting dreamily by, she fails to get to the heart of the song.

Boone, Travolta, Melanie - pedestrian. 

Carole Bayer's limitations as a vocalist sabotages her version.

Thelma Jones? I like her chops. I like the Love Hangover vibe, though I wish they would have played with that a lot more. I'm giving this one to her. The woman has strong pipes and great chops. I get a sense she's not in love with the song, but she sure does a fine job with it. 

I'm going with Ms. Jones. 

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Okay, your turn. 

Who do you pick? I know... it's a lot to get through, right? But fun. I do love this song. It has an interesting emotional build and the bridge's relationship to the verse is unique. 

Let me know your thoughts. Leave them in the comments section. You know how I love to hear from you.

That's all for now...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Ann Peebles

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Carmen McRae

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love - Debbie Gibson