<P> They worked on the majority of the album with producer Joe Porter, who allowed the group creative freedom in the studio . According to Bubba Knight, Porter allowed the group to co-produce the album, saying Porter would bring them the songs and allowed them to "mold (ed) it to the Gladys Knight & The Pips' way" and upon hearing their arrangements, would tell engineers to just "turn the tape on". Porter had given them the song titled "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)", a song written and first recorded by fledgling country singer - songwriter Jim Weatherly . Porter had picked the song out from Weatherly's publishing company . Knight recorded her lead vocal in one take at MoWest Studios, with parts of the background by the group already done . </P> <P> The group then headed back from Los Angeles to Detroit but while in their car, Bubba Knight recounted that them singing the song prompted them to return to the studio to add more to the background . During this time period, the group's contract was up for renewal in the winter of 1973 . The group eventually refused to renew it after failing to get Motown to renew their contract in "good faith" and eventually asked to be released from their contract . </P> <P> Following the completion of the recording, Motown issued it for promotional use in December 1972, not too long afterwards . After negotiations with Motown broke down, the group was allowed to leave the label in January 1973; shortly thereafter, the group signed a contract with Buddah Records the following month in February 1973 . By that point, the song was already climbing the charts on both the pop and R&B charts, on its way to give the group their biggest hit since "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" roughly six years before . Motown issued the group's final contractual album, Neither One of Us, that March . </P> <P> On March 17, 1973, the song reached number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, staying there for four consecutive weeks . Due to the song's strong crossover appeal, it eventually peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, with Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" blocking it from number one . However, it went number one on the U.S. Record World and Cashbox charts . It also crossed over to the adult contemporary chart, peaking at number 15 . Worldwide, it was also successful, peaking at number 9 in France, number 11 in Canada and number 31 in the UK . </P>

Gladys knight and the pips neither one of us wants to be the first to say goodbye