Goodbye to You

Happy weekend everyone!  Sorry I have been gone a bit.  Had a big Thanksgiving luncheon at work, and I was busy cooking yesterday.  Kind of strange, I know.  Anyway, I did hear from a good friend of mine yesterday who mentioned the song "Goodbye to You."  He thought it would be a good one for "becky's world," which was a huge coincidence since I was thinking about "The Warrior" right before I received his e-mail.  Anyway, I haven't heard "Goodbye to You" since it was exploited as the song for some commercial - something for Swiffer I believe.  Can't exactly remember, but I think it's always a shame when a great 80s song is exploited for commercials.  The result is usually that our once-loved songs are placed in a rather cheesy light.  Burger King seems to be a pro at this.  Poor 80s songs...we know you deserve better.

So, I checked out the "Goodbye to You" video this morning and was immediately transformed back in time to what I seem to remember was middle school.  I checked the date for the song's release, and it was 1982, which meant I was only in the 3rd grade I believe.  Hmm...I guess I was ahead of my time :) Or, perhaps I just carried the 1982 fashions through my middle school years.  Patty Smyth's hairdo and colored tights were something I seem to remember emulating.  It's refreshing to see cute, teased, shorter 'dos with bangs.  The colors of makeup were also pretty unique then.  Okay, so back to the song.  It's very straightforward.  If we take the concept behind it and fast-forward to the 21st century, it would be a "kicking to the curb" anthem.  Yup.  Goodbye, good riddance Mr. Man Friend.  The nice thing about this song is that it is upbeat and peppy, so no hard feelings.  No turmoil -- just nice bubbly synthesizer, guitar, and drums.  Ms. Smyth does a classic hop-like, side-to-side swaying dance thing throughout the video.  The guys in her band are quite handsome with their perfect coifs, and everyone is having a good time.  Patty is pretty coy and shows a bit of leg to her bandmate, but it's all in good fun.  I think my favorite part of the song is the bridge:

'Cause baby it's over now
No need to talk about it
It's not the same
My love for you's just not the same
And my heart, and my heart
And my heart can't stand the strain
And my love, and my love
And my love won't stand the pain
And my heart, and my heart
And my heart can't stand the strain
And my love, and my love
And my lo-o-o-ove.....

When she starts "and my heart, and my heart, and my heart can't stand the strain," it's actually what we in the classical world would call a sequence.  Awesome!  It's also kind of funny how as the sequence builds, it is followed by a huge keyboard solo that is kind of an 80s take on a Bach toccatta.  Pretty snazzy!  This is such a fun song.  I hope you enjoy it!