Which 1977 disco song by Thelma Houston was a cover of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “Don’t Leave Me This Way”?

Thelma Houston’s 1977 disco hit was her cover of “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” originally recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

The song was written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes first released it in 1975 with Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. Houston’s Motown version recast the song as a powerful disco performance, with a dramatic vocal build and an extended dance arrangement.

Houston’s recording reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, R&B chart, and disco chart. It also won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, at the 1978 ceremony. The recording later became especially important in LGBTQ+ club culture and during the AIDS crisis, when it was embraced as an anthem.

The two versions are sometimes treated as interchangeable, but their performers and arrangements differ. The earlier Philadelphia soul recording is associated with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, while the 1977 disco chart-topper is credited to Thelma Houston.