"Goodbye" is a song recorded by British girl group Spice Girls. It was written by the group, Richard Stannard, and Matt Rowe, while it was produced by the latter two. The song became the group's first song without the vocals of

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...

. It was released by Virgin Records on 8 December 1998 and was later included on their third studio album '' Forever'' (2000). "Goodbye" is a pop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that lyrically consists of the group's farewell to a friend, specifically Halliwell. The lyrics were also seen, by the media and fans alike, as the group's end, although the idea was dismissed by the members. "Goodbye" received positive reviews from music commentators, who said it was one of the group's best singles. The song was a commercial success, peaking atop the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and making the Spice Girls the first act to have had three consecutive Christmas number-one singles since

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

in 1965. Internationally, it was also commercially successful, reaching the top spots in Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland and peaking inside the top five on the charts in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Taiwan. Additionally, "Goodbye" peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for "Goodbye" was filmed at Mentmore Towers and featured the group singing the song at a castle;

Melanie Brown Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...

and

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

were both pregnant at the time. To promote "Goodbye", the Spice Girls performed the song on several television shows, such as the '' Royal Variety Performance'' and ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'', and later on their concert tours Christmas in Spiceworld (1999),

The Return of the Spice Girls The Return of the Spice Girls Tour was the third concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. It was the group's first tour since Christmas in Spiceworld in 1999, and their first with all five members since the Spiceworld Tour in May 199 ...

(2007–2008) and Spice World – 2019 Tour (2019).

Background

On 31 May 1998, member

announced her departure from the Spice Girls. Through her solicitor, she stated, "Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best." Halliwell claimed that she was suffering from exhaustion and wanted to take a break. Her departure from the group made news headlines around the world and became one of the biggest entertainment news stories of the year. The four remaining members were adamant that the group would carry on. In July 1998, during the American leg of their Spiceworld Tour, the group decided to rework "Goodbye", which had been written when Halliwell was still part of the group. For this, songwriters and music producers Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe flew to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

to meet the group. Recording footage was shown in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

documentary ''Spice Girls In America: A Tour Story''. In an interview the following September, Mel B denied the song meant the group's split, saying:

"That was the first time I've cried listening to one of our songs, the first time I instantly cried. It's got a full orchestra on there and it just sounds fantastic. he songis really obviously about what's happened during the year, with Geri leaving and then being strong. ..The song is called 'Goodbye', but it's not goodbye-goodbye, cause the chorus actually is 'goodbye my friend, it's not the end'. So for all those people thinks we're breaking up, we're not. So correct that".

In the Spice Girls' 1999 autobiography, ''Forever Spice'', group member Melanie C said, "'Goodbye' was originally about a relationship ending, but now it's about Geri and it's really sad". Stannard elaborated, saying, "It was about moving on and saying goodbye to the old Spice Girls. It wasn't Goodbye to Geri; it wasn't really literal. A lot of that song was written when they were touring in America. We wrote it in Nashville so I think it has that sentimental feel to it because everyone was kind of homesick and knackered". Halliwell later declared that she found "very flattering that they dedicated it to me."

Release

"Goodbye" was released in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1998 as a CD and

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

. In the United States, the single was serviced to rhythmic contemporary and contemporary hit radio on 24 November 1998, and a maxi-CD was issued on 8 December 1998. The maxi-CD contains a cover of

the Waitresses The Waitresses were an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for their singles " I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping." They released two albums, ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' and '' Bruiseology'', and two EPs, '' I Co ...

' 1981 single " Christmas Wrapping", as well as live versions of "

Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics and American singer Aretha Franklin. A modern feminist anthem, it was written by Eurythmics members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and featured on both Eurythmic ...

" and " We Are Family" that were recorded at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

on 20 September 1998. "Christmas Wrapping" features vocals only from Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton due to the pregnancies of

and

. The American release also included a set of four stickers of the girls, portraying them as fairies, similar to their appearance in the music video of " Viva Forever".

Composition

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by BMG Rights Management, "Goodbye" is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

with a key of E major. The girls' vocals range between G₃ to C₅. The song has a slow

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 68

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. The song is a

which has the girls singing what Sarah Davis at

Dotmusic ''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...

called a "sugar-coated" farewell to friend

, who left the group months prior. Coming to a similar conclusion, Kristie Rohwedder with ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...

'' noted that in the chorus of the song, the Spice Girls sing "Goodbye my friend/I know you're gone, you said you're gone, but I can still feel you here" and "It's not the end/You gotta keep it strong before the pain turns into fear". Davis also remarked that, as with their previous two end-of-year songs, "

2 Become 1 "2 Become 1" is a song by the English girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for t ...

" and " Too Much", "Goodbye" is another ballad in which "the girls take turns at the lead with a chance to come together" on the chorus. Chuck Taylor of '' Billboard'' agreed that it "follows in the spirit of Too Much". '' Metro''s Joe O'Brien called its sound "wintry". Fraser McAlpine from

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary seri ...

noted that the song "captures that feeling of a tribute paid to a lost loved one".

Critical reception

"Goodbye" was met with positive reception by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Quentin Harrison from Albumism described it as "a touching ode to beginnings and endings inspired by Horner. As 1998 closed, the triumph of that single in the United Kingdom and abroad was proof positive that the power of the Spice Girls had not been diminished by Horner’s exit." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

commented that the song was "actually a pretty good finale". Fraser McAlpine from

said that "this is the song they wrote after Geri left, and is also, coincidentally, the last decent thing they ever did as a group". Tania Kraines from

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

said "the heartbroken post-Geri 'Goodbye' provided the girls with their last really good single". Chuck Taylor from '' Billboard'' called the song's melody "absolutely beautiful, in fact, one of the group's most memorable, with well-rounded harmonies". Another editor, Jason Lipshutz ranked it as the seventh of "The Top 8 Spice Girls Songs" list, based on the songs' performances on the Hot 100 chart, whilst also stating that "the pangs of sorrow resulting in the realization that the Spice Girls' pop reign had effectively ended makes "Goodbye" a bittersweet hit". During his review of ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'', Nick Levine of Digital Spy said, "Best of all is 'Goodbye', the supremely elegant ballad that became a post-Halliwell Christmas number one". Sarah Davis from

website commented that the "feelgood" chorus was "strong enough for this otherwise unremarkable song to be lifted above ordinariness". Alexis Petridis, a journalist from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ranked "Goodbye" 16th on their list "All 43 Spice Girls songs ranked", stating that "calling your comeback single Goodbye was pretty daft – it suggests you have already thrown in the towel – but it was a decent enough song". British music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' said "Goodbye" was a fine song in any age. A review of Sputnikmusic considered the song "very tasteful and emotionally sweeping". Whitney Matheson of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', whilst reviewing their last studio album '' Forever'', wondered, "who the heck ends their album with an old chart-topper? Is this — like the repeated mentions of Carnie, Wendy and Chyna — a subliminal message? Are the Spice Girls simply playing a game, or are they perhaps saying goodbye to their fans?".

Chart performance

On 20 December 1998, "Goodbye" became the Spice Girls' eighth number-one single in the UK, selling 380,000 copies in the first week. With the song, the group became the first act to have three consecutive

Christmas number-one single In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume ...

s since

in 1965. "Goodbye" stayed at number one for one week, remaining inside the chart for twenty-one weeks, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) only four days after it was released, on 18 December 1998. As of December 2020, the song has sold 949,000 copies in the United Kingdom, including 5.6 million streams. "Goodbye" is their second best-selling Christmas single and overall their fifth biggest single in the UK. Around the world, the song was also successful. In Europe, it reached number two on the Eurochart Hot 100; reached number one in Ireland and Scotland; peaked inside the top ten in Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, and Spain; and inside the top twenty in Austria, Belgium (both the Flemish and Walloon charts), and Germany. In Oceania, it debuted on Australia's

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

at number eight, peaking at number five in its fifth week and staying there for another week. It remained on the chart for sixteen weeks, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, it debuted at the top of the chart, remaining there for the following week and was certified platinum by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). It gave the group their third and final number 1 single in New Zealand. In the United States, "Goodbye" debuted at number eleven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, on the issue dated 26 December 1998. Although it was receiving radio airplay, it was not until its commercial release that it was able to debut on the chart, with 74,000 copies sold. The song was their seventh single to chart, and their best debut since "

", which debuted at number six in 1997. "Goodbye" spent three weeks at its peak, eleven weeks on the Hot 100, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In Canada, the song reached number fifteen on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart, becoming the girls' seventh top 10 hit. Meanwhile, it peaked at number one on the Canadian Singles Chart for 13 consecutive weeks, published by ''Billboard'' magazine.

Music video

The accompanying

for "Goodbye" was filmed at Mentmore Towers in Mentmore, Buckinghamshire on 1 and 2 November 1998, being directed by

Howard Greenhalgh Howard Douglas Greenhalgh (born 19 February 1963) is a British director of music videos and advertising. Biography Greenhalgh was born in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire and studied at the Royal College of Art, setting up the firm Why No ...

, who previously directed their music video for " Too Much" (1997). It was premiered through MTV on 20 November 1998. Brown and Beckham were pregnant during the filming of this video. It opens with each of the girls in four different black cars – 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood 75, 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood 75, 1955 Imperial Newport,

Tatra 603 The Tatra 603 is a large rear-engined luxury car which was produced by the Czechoslovak company Tatra from 1956 to 1975. It was a continuation of the series of Tatra streamlined sedans which began with the Tatra 77. In Socialist Czechoslovak ...

– and white wolves running. They arrive at a castle and walk up the stairs arm-in-arm. When they enter within dry ice clouds, there are frozen couples that the girls observe. The video also shows shots of each girl inside the castle in a different setting with falling objects, namely sheets of paper (Beckham), toilet paper rolls (Bunton), plates (Brown), and an exploding chandelier (Chisholm). They are also seen singing the song together as a group. The video ends with the ice melting off the people as they come back to life, then shows the shot of the girls entering in reverse to look like they are leaving.

Live performances

The first live performance of "Goodbye" was on Channel 5's '' Pepsi Chart'', before the single's commercial release. The group followed with performances of the song on the '' Royal Variety Performance'', where they sang sitting down so that Beckham and Brown did not have to dance. They went on to perform "Goodbye" on '' Children in Need'', ''

The National Lottery Draws ''The National Lottery Results'' (previously ''The National Lottery Live'', ''The National Lottery Draw'', ''The National Lottery Stars'' and ''The National Lottery Draws'') is the television programme that broadcasts the drawing of the Natio ...

'', '' Live & Kicking'', '' CD:UK'', and on the ''

'' 1998 Christmas special. The song was performed at the

2000 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2000 was the 20th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 3 March 2000 at Earls Court in London. Performances Winn ...

along with "

Spice Up Your Life "Spice Up Your Life" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, at the same time as the group was shooting ...

", " Say You'll Be There" and " Holler", which would be released as a single later that year. During the ceremony, the Spice Girls received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. The Spice Girls have performed the song on three of their tours, the Christmas in Spiceworld Tour, the Return of the Spice Girls Tour, and the Spice World – 2019 Tour. "Goodbye" was first included on the setlist of the Christmas in Spiceworld Tour, which had stops in London and Manchester in December 1999. In 2007 and 2008, the song was performed on The Return of the Spice Girls Tour, with

singing the harmony with the rest of the girls. It was the first song recorded without her vocals that she participated in. It was also performed on the Spice World - 2019 Tour with Beckham's parts being sung by Halliwell. It was on the 2019 tour that Halliwell also performed “Holler”, another song that was recorded without her vocals, with the rest of the group. She sang Beckham’s part during that song. During the tour's last show in London's

, Halliwell publicly apologised for quitting the band before performing the song.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Goodbye". *UK CD 1/European Maxi CD 1/Australian Maxi CD 1/Brazilian Maxi CD/Japanese Maxi CD/Mexican Maxi CD/South African Maxi CD/Digital EP 1 # "Goodbye" (Radio Edit) – 4:20 # " Christmas Wrapping" – 4:14 # "Goodbye" (Orchestral Mix) – 4:14 *UK CD 2/European Maxi CD 2/Argentine Maxi CD/Australian Maxi CD 2/Digital EP 2 # "Goodbye" (Album Version) – 4:35 # "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (Live) – 4:22 # "We Are Family" (Live) – 3:35 *US/Canadian/CD single # "Goodbye" (Album Version) – 4:35 # "Christmas Wrapping" – 4:14 # "

" (Live) – 4:35 # " We Are Family" (Live) – 3:22 *South Korean/Indonesian Maxi CD/Malaysian Maxi CD/Philippine Maxi CD/Singaporean Maxi CD/Taiwanese Maxi CD/Thai EP # "Goodbye" (Album Version) – 4:35 # "Christmas Wrapping" – 4:14 # "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (Live) – 4:22 # "We Are Family" (Live) – 3:35 # "Goodbye" (Orchestral Mix) – 4:14 # "Goodbye" (Music Video - Enhanced Interactive Element) – 4:34

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from ''Forever'' album liner notes. *Spice Girls – lyrics, vocals * Richard Stannard – lyrics,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

*Matt Rowe – lyrics, production *Adrian Bushby – record engineering *Jake Davies – assistance *

Wil Malone Wil Malone (born 1952, in Hornsey, North London) is a British music producer and arranger, who has worked with artists including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode and Italian rocker Gianna Nannini ...

– string arrangement *Paul Waller –

drum programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These ...

* Mark "Spike" Stent –

audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...

*Paul "P.Dub" Walton – assistant *Jan Kybert – assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodbye (Spice Girls Song) Songs about parting Songs about friendship 1990s ballads 1998 singles Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Howard Greenhalgh Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Scotland Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Richard Stannard (songwriter) Songs written by Emma Bunton Songs written by Matt Rowe (songwriter) Songs written by Mel B Songs written by Melanie C Songs written by Richard Stannard (songwriter) Songs written by Victoria Beckham Spice Girls songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles