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Goodbye (Spice Girls song)

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"Goodbye"
Song
B-side"Christmas Wrapping"

"Goodbye" is a song recorded by the British girl group the Spice Girls. It was released by Virgin Records on 11 December 1998 as a Christmas single, along with the B-side, "Christmas Wrapping". The song was written by the Spice Girls, Richard Stannard, and Matt Rowe, and is the group's first song without the vocals of Geri Halliwell. "Goodbye" made the Spice Girls the first act to have three consecutive Christmas number-one singles since The Beatles.[1]

Background

"Goodbye" was originally written in 1997 with both Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard intending it to be on the Spiceworld album. However, due to time constraints it was not recorded by the Spice Girls at the time. While touring in America after the departure of Geri Halliwell, Stannard and Rowe flew to Nashville, Tennessee to meet the group and rewrite the song. The group put input on the song and recorded it.[2]

Release

"Goodbye" was released in a two-CD format (a standard single and a maxi single). The typical track listing internationally followed the UK track listing. In the U.S., the single was released as an EP and contained only the B-side, "Christmas Wrapping", which only featured vocals from Melanie C and Emma Bunton, and live versions of "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "We Are Family", which were recorded at their final concert at Wembley Stadium on September 20, 1998. The U.S. single 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". In 2000, it was included on the group's third studio album, Forever.

Reception

Critical response

A review of Sputnikmusic considered the song "very tasteful and emotionally sweeping,"[3] while Tania Kraines from BBC Music said "the heartbroken post-Geri 'Goodbye' provided the girls with their last really good single."[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic said, "neither the production, songs, nor performances [of Forever] have much life to them, with the exception of the closer, Goodbye."

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, the single became the group's eighth number-one single, topping the charts for one week, selling 380,000 in the first week. "Goodbye" got them into the records as the first act to have three consecutive Christmas number-one singles since the Beatles. As of December 2013, the song has sold 884,000 copies in the UK alone, becoming their fourth best-selling single.[1] In New Zealand, it debuted and peaked at number one for two weeks, their second consecutive number one after "Viva Forever", which also debuted and peaked at number one for two weeks. "Goodbye" was their third and final number one hit in New Zealand, with "Wannabe" in 1996 being the first. It was also their ninth consecutive top ten hit for the girls in that country. "Holler" would be their tenth.

The song debuted and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, with sales of 74,000 copies[5] at number four on the Hot 100 Singles Sales, and certified Gold for shipments of 600,000 copies[5]

Music video

File:Sggoodbvid.JPG
The group as a four-piece, in the music video for "Goodbye".

The music video for the song was filmed at Mentmore Towers in Mentmore, Buckinghamshire on 1 and 2 November 1998. It opens with each of the girls in four different black cars: 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood 75, 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood 75, 1955 Imperial Newport, 1958 Imperial Crown, and white wolves running. They arrive at a castle and walk up the stairs arm-in-arm. When they enter there are frozen couples that the girls observe. The video also shows shots of each girl in a different setting with falling objects and then 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

"Goodbye" was included on the setlist of Christmas In Spiceworld Tour in 1999. The song was performed at the 2000 BRIT Awards along with "Spice Up Your Life", "Say You'll Be There" and forthcoming single "Holler". During the ceremony the Spice Girls received an Award for Outstanding Contribution To The British Music Industry. It was also performed on the Royal Variety Performance in an orchestra format, Live & Kicking, Pepsi Chart and Top of the Pops in 1998 to promote the single. Mel B and Victoria appeared on TFI Friday in November 1998 to promote the single.

In 2007 and 2008, the song was performed on Return of the Spice Girls tour. Geri Halliwell sang the harmony with the rest of the girls. It was the only song recorded without her vocals that she participated in.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Goodbye".

Credits and personnel

Published by EMI Music Publishing (WP) Ltd., Universal Music Publishing.[8]

Charts

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United Kingdom[33] 11 December 1998 CD single (CD1) Virgin
United Kingdom[34] 14 December 1998 CD single (CD2)
Japan[35][36] 22 December 1998 CD single (CD1, CD2) EMI

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Justin Myers (20 December 2013). "Official Charts Flashback 1998: Spice Girls – Goodbye". Official Charts. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  2. ^ Biff, Stannard, Autobiography Spice Girls 1997. p. 156
  3. ^ David Driver (22 October 2009). "Sputnikmusic Review - Spice Girls' Greatest Hits". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  4. ^ Tania Kraines (12 November 2007). "BBC - Music - Review of Spice Girls - Greatest Hits". BBC UK. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  5. ^ a b c Jeffrey, Don (26 December 1998). Hot Singles Spotligth. Retrieved 5 January 2012. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Virgin Records Us (4 May 1999). "Amazon.com: Goodbye UK CD 1: Spice Girls: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  7. ^ Virgin Records Us (8 December 1998). "Amazon.com: Goodbye US CD: Spice Girls: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  8. ^ Forever (CD Album liner). Spice Girls. Virgin Records. 2000. 7243 8 50467 42.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  10. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  12. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  13. ^ "Spice Girls: Goodbye" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  14. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Irish Charts - Spice Girls - Goodbye". Irish Singles Chart. 24 December 1998. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  16. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  17. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  18. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  19. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  20. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  21. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  22. ^ "Spice Girls – Goodbye". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  24. ^ "Spice Girls Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  25. ^ Australian Recording Industry Association (1998). "Aria 1998 Charts". aria.com.au. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  26. ^ Australian Recording Industry Association (1999). "Aria 1999 Charts". aria.com.au. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  28. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Spice Girls". Music Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  29. ^ "Top 50 Singles Chart, 10 January 1999". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 5 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ "IFPI Swedish Awards 1987-1998" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ "British single certifications – Spice Girls". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Spice Girls in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  32. ^ "American single certifications – Spice Girls". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  33. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodbye-CD-1-Spice-Girls/dp/B00000I2NN
  34. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodbye-CD-2-Spice-Girls/dp/B00000I2NO
  35. ^ http://www.amazon.co.jp/Goodbye-Spice-Girls/dp/B00000FDH4
  36. ^ http://www.amazon.co.jp/Goodbye-Spice-Girls/dp/B00000FDH5

References

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