Goodbye My Lover
Encyclopedia
"Goodbye My Lover" is a pop rock
song written by Sacha Skarbek
for James Blunt
's debut album Back to Bedlam. The song was produced by Tom Rothrock
and Jimmy Hogarth and received a positive reception from music critic
s. It was released as the fourth single
in November 2005 and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom
, where it became Blunt's second top ten single. It also reached the top ten in Sweden
, Australia
and France
. In the United States
, "Goodbye My Lover" had modest success on the Billboard singles chart, where it reached number sixty-six on the Billboard Hot 100
due to digital downloads, even though the single was not yet released in the U.S. The song was formally released in the United States
on November 7, 2006.
that was directed
by Sam Brown and was filmed on October 28, 2005 in Los Angeles
. In the video Blunt is featured sitting in a darkened room by himself, reflecting on a past relationship. In what appears to be the same room, but in daylight, a young woman, Blunt's former lover, is shown having an intimate encounter with another man. The video was shot in the former home of Randolph Scott
. The young woman in the video was played by actress Mischa Barton
. The young man in the video was played by actor
Matt Dallas
(Kyle XY
).
CD2
7" Vinyl
. The song became Blunt's second top ten single when it peaked at number nine on the singles chart
, and spent a total of fourteen weeks in the top seventy-five. Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number one in Sweden
and became Blunt's second number one on the singles chart. "Goodbye My Lover" was released in Australia
in December 2005 and debuted at number eight before ascending the chart to number three, remaining inside the top ten for sixteen weeks, a feat rarely reached in recent years. Due to the favourable reception of Blunt's previous single "You're Beautiful
", "Goodbye My Lover" debuted on the United States
Billboard Hot 100
singles chart at number hundred, even though it had not been released as a single in the U.S. The single appeared on the chart backed solely on the strength of digital sales after a re-run of an episode of Saturday Night Live
that featured Blunt performing the song. It later re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, again due to digital downloads as a result of Blunt's performance of the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show
.
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
song written by Sacha Skarbek
Sacha Skarbek
-Early life:Sacha Skarbek showed early talent as a musician, winning many piano competitions from the age of seven. Awarded music scholarships to Northbourne Park and King's School Canterbury, Sacha was taught by the distinguished pianist Ronald Smith and played French horn, clarinet and percussion...
for James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
's debut album Back to Bedlam. The song was produced by Tom Rothrock
Tom Rothrock
Tom Rothrock is an international record producer, composer and musician. Tom Rothrock has produced albums with James Blunt, Badly Drawn Boy, R. L. Burnside, Yonder Mountain String Band, Athlete, Sloan and Roman Carter....
and Jimmy Hogarth and received a positive reception from music critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s. It was released as the fourth single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in November 2005 and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it became Blunt's second top ten single. It also reached the top ten in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, "Goodbye My Lover" had modest success on the Billboard singles chart, where it reached number sixty-six on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
due to digital downloads, even though the single was not yet released in the U.S. The song was formally released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 7, 2006.
Release
The single was released on three physical formats. CD1 includes an exclusive non-album recording, "Close Your Eyes", which was first written during Blunt's army days. CD2 includes a further non-album recording, "Where Is My Mind" performed live in Manchester, plus the video for "Goodbye My Lover" and behind-the-scenes "Making-Of" footage. The 7" vinyl includes the live version of "Where Is My Mind".Music video
"Goodbye My Lover" featured a music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
that was directed
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
by Sam Brown and was filmed on October 28, 2005 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In the video Blunt is featured sitting in a darkened room by himself, reflecting on a past relationship. In what appears to be the same room, but in daylight, a young woman, Blunt's former lover, is shown having an intimate encounter with another man. The video was shot in the former home of Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
. The young woman in the video was played by actress Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
. The young man in the video was played by actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Matt Dallas
Matt Dallas
Matthew Joseph "Matt" Dallas is an American actor, best known for playing the titular character on the ABC Family series, Kyle XY.-Personal life:Dallas was born in Phoenix, Arizona and attended Arizona School for the Arts...
(Kyle XY
Kyle XY
Kyle XY is an American television series with a science fiction premise and mystery-drama style. The central character is a teenage boy who awakens naked in a forest outside Seattle, Washington, with no more knowledge or abilities than a newborn. He is taken in by a family and given the name Kyle...
).
Track listings
CD1- "Goodbye My Lover" - 4:18
- "Close Your Eyes" - 3:06
CD2
- "Goodbye My Lover" - 4:18
- "Where Is My Mind" (Live In Manchester) - 4:55
- "Goodbye My Lover" (The Making Of The Video) - 3:00
- "Goodbye My Lover" (Video) - 4:19
7" Vinyl
- "Goodbye My Lover" - 4:18
- "Where Is My Mind" (Live In Manchester) - 4:55
Release history
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| Worldwide | |
| Canada | |
| United States |
Chart performance
In December 2005, "Goodbye My Lover" was released in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The song became Blunt's second top ten single when it peaked at number nine on the singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and spent a total of fourteen weeks in the top seventy-five. Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number one in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and became Blunt's second number one on the singles chart. "Goodbye My Lover" was released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in December 2005 and debuted at number eight before ascending the chart to number three, remaining inside the top ten for sixteen weeks, a feat rarely reached in recent years. Due to the favourable reception of Blunt's previous single "You're Beautiful
You're Beautiful
"You're Beautiful" is a pop rock song co-written by British singer James Blunt, Sacha Skarbek, and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam . It was released as the third single from the album in 2005. In the UK and Australia the song reached number one and number two respectively...
", "Goodbye My Lover" debuted on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart at number hundred, even though it had not been released as a single in the U.S. The single appeared on the chart backed solely on the strength of digital sales after a re-run of an episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
that featured Blunt performing the song. It later re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, again due to digital downloads as a result of Blunt's performance of the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
.
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Top 100 Singles | 6 |
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
| Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Top 50 Singles |
3 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 36 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 2 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 2 |
| Canadian BDS Airplay Chart | 85 |
| Czech IFPI Chart | 4 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 9 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 4 |
| German Singles Chart | 28 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 13 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 19 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 19 |
| UK Top 75 Singles | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles | 66 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 53 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Adult | 17 |
Miscellaneous
- Engelbert HumperdinckEngelbert Humperdinck (singer)Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
recorded a cover of the song in his 2007 album The Winding Road. - Michael ScottMichael Scott (The Office)Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
on NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The OfficeThe Office (US TV series)The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
repeatedly plays a free internet sample of the song after breaking up with his girlfriend in the Season Three episode "A Benihana ChristmasA Benihana Christmas"A Benihana Christmas" is the tenth and eleventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Harold Ramis...
", as opposed to just buying the whole song. - The song ranks No. 1 in funeral song requests according to The Bereavement Register.
- The song is played in episode 2 of series 2 of Gavin & StaceyGavin & StaceyGavin & Stacey is a British comedy television series. A romantic comedy-drama, the show follows the long-distance relationship of Gavin from Billericay in Essex, England, and Stacey from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The writers of the show, actors James Corden and Ruth Jones, also...
with Bryn singing along whilst he and Gwen are driving home.