Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

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"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka, and co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Sedaka recorded this song twice, in 1962 and 1975, in two vastly different arrangements, and it is considered to be his signature song.[ Breaking Up Is Hard To Do Song Review] November 29, 2011 Another song by the same name had previously been recorded by Jivin' Gene [Bourgeois] and The Jokers, in 1959.
==Neil Sedaka 1962 original version==
thumb|left|200px|Neil Sedaka recorded both "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and its B-side, "As Long as I Live" in Italian as "Tu Non Lo Sai" and "Finche Vivro", respectively, further endearing him to his Italian fans.
Described by AllMusic as "two minutes and sixteen seconds of pure pop magic," "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, 1962 and peaked at number twelve on the Hot R&B Sides chart. The single was a solid hit all over the world, reaching number 7 in the UK, sometimes with the text translated into foreign languages. For example, the Italian version was called "Tu non lo sai" ("You Don't Know") and was recorded by Sedaka himself.
On this version, background vocals on the song are performed by the female group The Cookies.
The personnel on the original recording session included: Al Casamenti, Art Ryerson, and Charles Macy on guitar; Ernie Hayes on piano; George Duvivier on bass; Gary Chester on drums; Artie Kaplan on saxophone; George Devens and Phil Kraus on percussion; Seymour Barab and Morris Stonzek on cellos; and David Gulliet, Joseph H. Haber, Harry Kohon, David Sackson, and Louis Stone on violins.
==Sedaka's 1975 version==
Though originally an uptempo song, Sedaka re-recorded it as a ballad in 1975. The slower arrangement was originally debuted by Lenny Welch; it peaked at #34 on the US Billboard charts in January 1970. Sedaka's slow version peaked at #8 in December 1975 and went to number one on the Easy Listening chart. It was only the second time that an artist made the Billboard Top Ten with two different versions of the same song.
===Chart performance===
====Weekly charts====
Chart (1975–76) 	Peakposition
Australia KMR 	48
Canada RPM Top Singles 	1
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 	1
US Billboard Hot 100 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002	8
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 	1
US Cash Box Top 100 	7
====Year-end charts====
Chart (1976) 	Rank
Australia 	161
Canada RPM Top Singles	30
US Billboard Hot 100 	91
US Cash Box 	75
==The Partridge Family version==
Apart from Sedaka's own reworking of the song, by far the most successful cover of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" was done by the Partridge Family in 1972. While only a medium hit in North America, their version reached number 3 in both the UK and Australia.
===Chart performance===
====Weekly charts====
Chart (1972) 	Peakposition
Australia KMR 	3
Canada RPM Top Singles 	18
New Zealand 	11
UK Singles Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 419. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.	3
US Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 	28
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 	30
US Cash Box Top 100 	25
====Year-end charts====
Chart (1972) 	Rank
Australia 	18
UK 	31
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)	197
==Other versions==
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" has been covered by numerous other artists over the years, including:
German version: Abschiednehmen ist so schwer
* Anna-Lena Löfgren (1962; she was a Swedish singer, born 1944, died 2010)
French version: Moi je pense encore à toi
* sung and adapted by Claude François (co-author of "My Way") the title means "I'm still thinking of you".
* Sylvie Vartan under the same French title Moi je pense encore a toi (I'm still thinking about you)
Portuguese version: O Superstar
* sung by new wave/comedy rock band João Penca e Seus Miquinhos Amestrados (1993)
Spanish version: Qué triste es el primer adiós
*sung by La Onda Vaselina (1989).
==See also==
*List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1962 (U.S.)
*List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1976 (U.S.)
==References==
==External links==
* 
* Waking up is hard to do
Recorded by Shelly Fabres in 1962
Category:1962 singles
Category:1972 singles
Category:1975 singles
Category:Songs with lyrics by Howard Greenfield
Category:Songs written by Neil Sedaka
Category:Neil Sedaka songs
Category:Paul Anka songs
Category:The Carpenters songs
Category:The Four Seasons (band) songs
Category:Tom Jones (singer) songs
Category:Carole King songs
Category:The Partridge Family songs
Category:Shelley Fabares songs
Category:The Marbles (duo) songs
Category:Andy Williams songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles
Category:1962 songs