If It Don't Work Out

Pat Kelly recorded the song for his 1969 solo debut Pat Kelly Sings, issued by Pama, with Bunny Lee producing. The release was engineered by Lee "Scratch" Perry, and the track was cut in Jamaica during the period when Kelly was turning from the Techniques into a solo singer. The song became one of Pat Kelly's signature solo recordings and a standout from Pat Kelly Sings. It reworked John D. Loudermilk's "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" into a Jamaican soul-reggae performance that helped define Kelly's reputation as a refined interpreter of American popular songs. "If It Don't Work Out" has remained a core Pat Kelly title on later compilations and reissues. It is still cited as one of the classic late-1960s reggae versions that linked rocksteady harmony singing with soul material.