"Song to Say Goodbye" is a song by English

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

from their fifth studio album, '' Meds'' (2006). It was released on 6 March 2006 as the lead single from ''Meds'' in all territories outside of the United Kingdom, where "

Because I Want You "Because I Want You" is a song by English alternative rock band Placebo, released as the first UK single from their 2006 album '' Meds'' – in territories outside the UK, the single was substituted by "Song to Say Goodbye". Release In th ...

" was released as the lead single instead. The song was written by

Steve Hewitt Steven James Hewitt (born 22 March 1971) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the frontman of his own band, Love Amongst Ruin. Hewitt is best known for his tenure as the drummer for Placebo between September 199 ...

Brian Molko Brian Molko (born 10 December 1972) is a Belgian-born Scottish-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his distinctive nasal, high-pitche ...

and

Stefan Olsdal Bo Stefan Alexander Olsdal (born 31 March 1974) is a Swedish-Luxembourgish bassist/guitarist of the alternative rock band Placebo, he is part of the electronic band Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal and launched the electronic/dance remix at Hotel Perso ...

, and produced by

Dimitri Tikovoi Dimitri may refer People * Dmitry, a male given name, Slavic version of Greek name Demetrios * Dimitri (clown) (1935–2016), Swiss clown and mime * Dimitri Atanasescu, Ottoman-born Aromanian teacher * Dimitri from Paris, French DJ * Dimitri Flower ...

. It develops around piano notes that repeat throughout it, and deals with heroin

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

and its influence on the relationships of the parties involved. The cover art features a blurred picture of vocalist

. There is a live version available of the song on the live EP ''Live at La Cigale''. The song reached the top ten in Finland, Greece, Italy and Spain.

Music video

The original video written and directed by

Philippe André Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count o ...

portrays a mentally challenged father while his son is trying to cope with his dad's condition. André made an 8-minute extended version of the music video.

remixed the track for the film released on DVD by EMI. It was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

Track listing

7"

*Side A - "Song to Say Goodbye" (Radio edit) *Side B - "Because I Want You" (Ladytron remix)

Slimline Wallet CD

#"Song to Say Goodbye" (Radio edit) #"Because I Want You" (Russell Lissack Bloc Party remix)

Maxi CD

#"Song to Say Goodbye" (album version) #"36 Degrees" (Live from Wembley) #"Because I Want You" (Russell Lissack Bloc Party remix) #"Because I Want You" (Ladytron Club mix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Cover versions and remixes

Harakiri for the Sky version (2021)

"Song to Say Goodbye" was covered and released as a single by Austrian

post-black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw ( lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

band Harakiri for the Sky in January 2021. The song closes Harakiri for the Sky's album "Mӕre" just as it closes Placebo's album '' Meds''.

References

External links

* Placebo (band) songs 2006 singles Songs written by Steve Hewitt Songs written by Brian Molko Songs written by Stefan Olsdal Rock ballads 2006 songs Song recordings produced by Dimitri Tikovoï Songs about heroin {{2000s-rock-single-stub