 25 Songs for Saying GoodbyeBy
Douglas Newman Share:
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After my recent post of 10 Songs That Make Me Cry , a reader suggested I make a list of songs for saying goodbye. Never one to turn down a request, I started digging through my vast collection of vinyl, CDs, and MP3s to find my favorite farewell songs. I came up with, what I believe, is a pretty solid and eclectic list of songs for saying goodbye. They represent a variety of ilks, from leaving a lover to leaving life on earth. As usual, I didn’t rank the tunes but ordered them chronologically. What are some of your favorite songs for saying goodbye?
“Fare You Well, Darling” by Elizabeth Cotten (1965) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. This is a classic “see ya later” blues number by the incomparable Elizabeth Cotten. A major songwriting talent and a unique guitar and banjo stylist, Cotten has influenced countless musicians that followed. artists.
“She’s Leaving Home” by The Beatles (1967) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. A sad song about a runaway. Here’s McCartney’s explanation: “John and I wrote ‘She’s Leaving Home’ together. It was my inspiration. We’d seen a story in the newspaper about a young girl who’d left home and not been found, there were a lot of those at the time, and that was enough to give us a story line.” The girl was eventually found, but the counterpoint of the girl’s and the parent’s perspectives is a brilliant angle and make this one of the Fab 4’s most poignant ballads.
“Close the Door Lightly When You Go” by Fairport Convention (1968) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Written by folkie Eric Anderson, I prefer Fairport Convention’s rendition recorded for the BBC. It’s another bitter, you done me wrong farewell song. “So fare thee well, sweet love of mine/Take your tears to someone else’s eyes/They’re made of glass/And are cut like wounded lies/Memories are drifting like the snow/So close the door lightly when you go.”
“Don’t Forget About Me” by Dusty Springfield (1969) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Revisiting the classic theme of a broken relationship and the parting of ways, “Don’t Forget About Me” find Dusty in full sultry soul singer mode. “Ah, someday, our paths may cross again/Baby, then we’ll find the kind of love we’ve lost again/But for now, i’ve got to let you go/It’s ourselves we’ve got to get to know.”
“Child’s Song” by Tom Rush (1970) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Like “She’s Leaving Home” by The Beatles (listed above), “Child’s Song” is another heart-wrenching ballad about a child leaving the nest. This one brings a tear to my eye everytime and I don’t even have kids yet. “Thanks for all you done it may sound hollow/Thank you for the good times that we’ve known/But I must find my own road now to follow/You will all be welcome in my home.”
“You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” by Bob Dylan (1975) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Dylan has many songs for saying goodbye (”Farewell Angelina,” “Going, Going, Gone”) but “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” from the masterful Blood on the Tracks record is by far my favorite. Steeped in regret and sadness, Dylan bids adieu to his love, knowing that they’ll always be connected spiritually if not physically. “I’ll look for you in old Honolulu, San Francisco, Ashtabula/Yer gonna have to leave me now, I know/But I’ll see you in the sky above/In the tall grass, in the ones I love/Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.”
“Red Army Blues” by The Waterboys (1984) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. A powerful first-person narrative about a young soldier who leaves home at 17 years old to fight in the Battle of Berlin during World War II. The song was based on The Diary of Vikenty Angorov and features The Waterboys’ classic “big music” sound. “When I left my home and my family/My mother said to me/Son, its not how many germans you kill that counts/Its how many people you set free/So I packed my bags/Brushed my cap/Walked out into the world/Seventeen years old/Never kissed a girl.”
“Chartered Trips” by Husker Du (1984) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. A hardcore classic about leaving town for some much needed time alone to think things over. Bob Mould was one of the genre’s more thoughtful songwriters and this early Husker Du number is evidence of that. “Horizon is oblivious, chartered trip away.”
“Sally MacLennane” by The Pogues (1985) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. You’d be hard pressed to find a more jubilant farewell song. The Pogues’ 1985 classic is a glass-raising celebration of the good times had and the ones yet to come. “I’m sad to say I must be on my way/So buy me beer and whiskey ’cause I’m going far away (far away)/I’d like to think of me returning when I can/To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane.”
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COMMENTS (26)
Phillip P said:
Nice list, but one question, Where is “Go now” by the Moody Blues? Rick said:
No “Box Elder”?! Carl said:
10000 Miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter Arthur Brown said:
This is a great list of songs to say goodbye to. derek said:
what about the final countdown? buletov said:
“What Sarah Said”… such a masterpiece, both the song and the video. Really? said:
Where’s Hammer Smashed Face by Cannibal Corpse? Google The Oct8pus said:
Indeed…Cannibal Corpse is an often overlooked band in these sentimental compilations. Google The Oct8pus said:
What’s with the 9 year gap between Johnston and Buckley? KnowledgeJunkie said:
Too bad you didn’t have “Goodbye” by Army of Anyone… maybe you haven’t heard of them? Or it was too obvious… anyways, A.o.A. is a super group with the guitarists from Stone Temple Pilots and the singer from Filter- a great band. Ian said:
>Leavin’ on a Jetplane by TARNATION? You fail so hard for not listing John Denver. The original version is about 1,000x better. Ian said:
& Where is “Fairest of The Seasons,” by Nico? amy said:
the get up kids- stay golden, ponyboy: probably not list-worthy, but it’s my favorite goodbye song. rubken said:
This coments thread is turning into an omissions list. The main missing piece fro me is _Go Leave_ by Kate and Anna McGarrigle. It’s a good list though and very nicely put together. Thanks. Ryan G said:
I hope my gf doesn’t Stumble on this site!! Kim said:
Great list, but what about “The Best Deceptions” by Dashboard Confessional? It’s one of the best “You cheated on me, so piss off!” songs I’ve ever heard! Rick said:
San Francisco by Alkaline Trio should be on here as well I think… “Choking On The Thought Of Leaving And I Was Drinking You Goodbye Matt Skiba you devil you… Mattias "Haku" said:
Placebo’s ‘Song to Say Goodbye’ Adhiraj said:
No “leaving on a jet plane”? Aaaaaargh Tony said:
Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” Tinner said:
“When you go” by Jonathan Coulton. Ed Smith said:
What’s with all of this “alternative” rock crap? Where are the real bands? Ed Smith said:
And yes, I’m well aware there are a few here who are not “alternative” rock, but the vast majority is. Carmen said:
Does anyone have the lyrics for Fare You Well My Darling? [...] @JamsBio : A reader suggested I make a list of songs for saying goodbye. Never one to turn down a request, I started digging through my vast collection of vinyl, CDs, and MP3s to find my favorite farewell songs. [...] Alex said:
This is a really awesome list. Kudos |
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