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Goodbye (Mary Hopkin song)

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"Goodbye"
US picture sleeve
Single by Mary Hopkin
B-side"Sparrow"
Released28 March 1969[1]
Recorded1 March 1969
StudioMorgan, Willesden, London
GenreFolk
Length2:23
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)Paul McCartney
Mary Hopkin singles chronology
"Those Were the Days"
(1968) 		"Goodbye"
(1969) 		""Que Sera Sera" (US)
(1969)
/ "Temma Harbour" (UK)"
(1970)

"Goodbye" is a song written by Paul McCartney (but credited to Lennon–McCartney) and performed by Mary Hopkin. It was released on 28 March 1969, and it reached No. 2 in the UK singles chart, prevented from reaching the top position by the Beatles' single "Get Back".[2] In the US, released 7 April 1969, the song reached No. 13 on the singles chart. In the Netherlands and Ireland the single peaked at No. 1.[3][4]

Background

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The song was conceived as a follow-up to the success of Hopkin's first single, produced by McCartney, titled "Those Were the Days", which was highlighted on her debut album Postcard, one of the first records issued by the newly founded Apple Records.[5] In later years, McCartney had little recollection of creating the song, which was written in a great hurry to capitalise on Hopkin's popularity, but he did recall being told by a boat skipper from the Orkney Islands that it was the man's favourite song, which seemed appropriate to McCartney since, "if you think of it from a sailor's point of view, it's very much a leaving-the-port song."[6]

Recording

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A year went by [after I first recorded for Apple] before [Paul McCartney] wrote "Goodbye." And that was after I'd said, "Look, how about another single?" But I understood. Obviously his priority was the Beatles, that's natural. ... It's a good song for its kind, but whether it was suited to me, I don't know.[7]

– Mary Hopkin, 1995

To assist Hopkin in learning the song, McCartney recorded a solo demo at his home, 7 Cavendish Avenue, London, in early February 1969.[8] The song was arranged by Richard Hewson, who had also orchestrated "Those Were the Days,"[9] and produced, along with its flip side, "Sparrow", by Paul McCartney on 1 March 1969 at Morgan Studios in Willesden.[1][10] To better match Hopkin's voice, the key was raised from C major to E major.[11] The recording was Apple's first official double-A-side, and the first Apple record to feature a full-fledged picture sleeve.[12]

For the recording, Hopkin sang and performed acoustic guitar, while McCartney played bass guitar, an acoustic guitar introduction and solo, along with lap-slapping percussion and drums. Backing vocals, horns and strings, in Hewson's arrangement, were overdubbed.[11] The session was filmed by Apple's Tony Bramwell for a promotional clip. In the footage, Hopkin can be seen miming to the song inside the studio, combined with shots of her and McCartney in the control room listening to a playback.[11]

The flip side "Sparrow" was written by Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle, a songwriting duo signed to Apple Publishing. The recording took place on 2 March 1969; Hopkin sang and played guitar, McCartney added maracas, a session musician played upright bass, and Hewson arranged a choir part.[13]

Mary Hopkin met her future husband, record producer Tony Visconti, while making foreign-language versions of the song.[14]

The song was one of only two hits to be omitted from the compilation disc The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away, issued originally in 1971 and re-released in 1979.[15]

On 28 April 2014, "Goodbye" was released digitally along with "Those Were the Days" on Mary Hopkin Music.[16]

Reception

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Billboard praised Hopkin's "fine vocal work" and McCartney's "exceptional" production.[17] Cash Box described it as a "melodic lilter with a tap dance track and some powerful instrumental work."[18] Record World called it "a charming Lennon-McCartney tune...about a girl with a wanderlust."[19] Allmusic critic Richie Unterberger described "Goodbye" as a "pleasant and catchy romp, rather like a Continental European folk love ballad in tone, with a dash of music hall."[20]

Personnel

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  • Mary Hopkin – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney – acoustic guitar (intro and solo), bass, drums, piano, ukulele, lap-slapping percussion, backing vocals
  • Richard Hewson – orchestra arrangement

Paul McCartney recording

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For many years bootleg recordings existed of McCartney's original demo of the song, recorded for Mary Hopkin.[21] The international online magazine PopMatters published McCartney's demo along with critical commentary expressing a preference for the composer's version over Hopkin's rendition.[22]

The original demo by McCartney was officially released on the Super Deluxe Edition of Abbey Road in September 2019.[23]

Chart performance

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References

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  1. ^ a b Miles, Barry (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 335, 337–338. ISBN 978-0-7119-8308-3.
  2. ^ "Eurovision Stars". Eurovision. Archived from the original on 16 January 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. ^ ""Goodbye" chart performance according to the Dutch top 40". Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b "The Irish Charts IRMA". IRMA. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  5. ^ Hill, Sarah (2011). "Mary Hopkin and the Deep Throat of Culture," in She's So Fine: Reflections on Whiteness, Femininity, Adolescence and Class in 1960s Music, ed. Laurie Stras. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing. pp. 169–177. ISBN 978-1-4094-0051-6.
  6. ^ Miles, Barry (1998). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Macmillan. p. 457. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
  7. ^ Unterberger, Richie (2006). The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat Books. p. 350. ISBN 978-0-87930-892-6.
  8. ^ Winn, John C. (2009). That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-3074-5239-9.
  9. ^ Harry, Bill (2003). The Paul McCartney encyclopedia. London: Virgin. p. 414. ISBN 978-0-7535-0716-2.
  10. ^ Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1977). "1969 – "But If Paul's Alive, How Did He Die?"". All Together Now – The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975 (Second ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 76. ISBN 0-345-25680-8.
  11. ^ a b c "Paul McCartney produces Mary Hopkin's Goodbye". Beatles Diary, 1969. The Beatles Bible. March 1969. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Reference Library: Apple 45s". The Internet Beatles Album. Adam Forrest. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  13. ^ "Paul McCartney produces Mary Hopkin's Goodbye – 12.00pm, Sunday 2 March 1969". The Beatles Bible. 2 March 1969. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  14. ^ Warner, Jay (2008). Notable Moments of Women in Music. Milwaukee WI: Hal Leonard Books. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-4234-2951-7.
  15. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; et al., eds. (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 1293. ISBN 0-87930-653-X.
  16. ^ "Those Were The Days/Goodbye". Mary Hopkin Music. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 5 April 1969. p. 72. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  18. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. 5 April 1969. p. 22. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 6 April 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  20. ^ Unterberger, R. "Goodbye". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  21. ^ Dowlding, William J. (1989). Beatlesongs. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 309. ISBN 0-671-68229-6.
  22. ^ Williams, Zachary. "Paul McCartney's "Goodbye"". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  23. ^ Sheffield, Rob (26 September 2019). "A Deluxe Edition of 'Abbey Road' Lets Us Rediscover the Beatles' Joyous Final Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  24. ^ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). Cashbox. 26 July 1969. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  25. ^ David Kent's Australian Chart Book: based on the Kent Music Report
  26. ^ a b c d e Billboard Magazine, June 1969. 7 June 1969. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  27. ^ Brazilian Singles Sales - Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. 2 August 1969.
  28. ^ "RPM Magazine, May 1969". Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  29. ^ "RPM Magazine, May 1969". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  30. ^ a b c Billboard Magazine, May 1969. 24 May 1969. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  31. ^ Billboard Magazine, September 1969. 6 September 1969. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  32. ^ "Mary Hopkins (search)". Flavour of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  33. ^ Portuguese Charts Archive. December 1969.
  34. ^ "Swedish Charts 1966–1969/Kvällstoppen – Listresultaten vecka för vecka > Maj 1969" (PDF) (in Swedish). hitsallertijden.nl. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  35. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 118.
  36. ^ "1969". UK-Charts.
  37. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 380. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  38. ^ "Top Records on 1969 (Based on Billboard Charts)" (PDF). Billboard. 27 December 1969. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
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