Goodbye My Lover

"Goodbye My Lover" is a song by the English singer-songwriter James Blunt, written by Blunt and British songwriter Sacha Skarbek, for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam (2004). The song was produced by Tom Rothrock and Jimmy Hogarth and recorded in the home of actress Carrie Fisher. The single received a positive reception from music critics. 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 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to digital downloads, even though the single was not yet released in the US. The song was formally released in the United States on 7 November 2006.

For the Korean television series, see Goodbye My Love.

"Goodbye My Lover"
Single by James Blunt
from the album Back to Bedlam
ReleasedNovember 2005 (2005-11)
Recorded2004, Los Angeles, California, US
GenreSoul, soft rock, pop[1]
Length4:18
Label
Songwriter(s)James Blunt, Sacha Skarbek
Producer(s)Tom Rothrock
James Blunt singles chronology
"High"
(2005)		 "Goodbye My Lover"
(2005)		 "Wisemen"
(2006)

Recording

While in Los Angeles, Blunt lodged with Carrie Fisher, whom he had met through the family of a former girlfriend. Fisher was very supportive of Blunt's aspirations, and provided the use of a bathroom in her home that featured a piano for him to record "Goodbye My Lover".[2] Blunt later said, "Everyone sings in the shower and everyone in Los Angeles seems to have a piano in the bathroom."[2]

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".[3]

Music video

"Goodbye My Lover" featured a music video that was directed by Sam Brown and was filmed on 28 October 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 man and woman, the former lovers, share an intimate moment. The video was shot in the former home of Randolph Scott.[4] The young woman in the video was played by Mischa Barton. The young man in the video was played by Matt Dallas.

Track listings
CD1
  1. "Goodbye My Lover" - 4:18
  2. "Close Your Eyes" - 3:06
CD2
  1. "Goodbye My Lover" - 4:18
  2. "Where Is My Mind" (Live in Manchester) - 4:55
  3. "Goodbye My Lover" (The Making of the Video) - 3:00
  4. "Goodbye My Lover" (Video) - 4:19
7" Vinyl
  1. "Goodbye My Lover" - 4:18
  2. "Where Is My Mind" (Live in Manchester) - 4:55

Chart performance

In December 2005, "Goodbye My Lover" was released in the United Kingdom. The song became Blunt's second top ten single when it peaked at number nine on the singles chart, and spent a total of 14 weeks in the top 75. 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 16 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 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 100, 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.

Charts and certifications

Release history
Country Release date
Worldwide November 2005 (2005-11)
Canada November 2006 (2006-11)
United States

References
  1. "Goodbye My Lover CD Single". 2004 – via Amazon.
  2. Greenwood, Carl (21 October 2013). "James Blunt stayed with Princess Leia to record album in bathroom". The Mirror. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  3. Images for James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover
  4. Making of James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" Music Video, Goodbye My Lover [Single] Enhanced CD, 2005.
  5. "Lescharts.com – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  8. "Ultratop.be – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  9. "Ultratop.be – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  10. "Danishcharts.com – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". Tracklisten. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  12. "IFPI archive". Archived from the original on 4 April 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2006.
  13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  15. "Charts.nz – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  16. "Norwegiancharts.com – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  19. "ChartsPlusYE2005" (PDF). UKchartsplus.co.uk. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  20. "2006 Annual ARIA Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  21. "Jaaroverzichten 2006". Ultratop. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  22. "Rapports Annuels 2006". Ultratop. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  23. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 2006" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  24. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2006". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  25. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2006" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  26. "Årslista Singlar – År 2006" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  27. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  28. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  29. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  30. "Italian single certifications – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Select "2015" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Goodbye My Lover" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
  31. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (James Blunt; 'Goodbye My Lover')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  32. "British single certifications – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  33. "American single certifications – James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 January 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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