Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)

"Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, a member of The Four Seasons whose version of the song made it to No. 1 in Canada[1] and No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.[2] On the original issue of the single, the title was "Bye Bye Baby"; on The 4 Seasons Entertain You album (and later issues of the song), the name was changed to the longer, more familiar name. The song is about saying goodbye, not because the person is unloved, but rather the relationship is adulterous ("there's a wedding ring on my finger").

"Bye Bye Baby"
Single by The Four Seasons
from the album The Four Seasons Entertain You
B-side"Searching Wind (from the album Born To Wander)"
Released1965
GenreRock
Length2:32
LabelPhilips Records
Songwriter(s)Bob Gaudio, Bob Crewe
Producer(s)Bob Crewe
The Four Seasons singles chronology
"Big Man in Town"
(1964)
"Bye Bye Baby"
(1965)
"Toy Soldier"
(1965)
"Bye Bye Baby"
Single by Bay City Rollers
from the album Once Upon a Star
Released1975
GenrePower pop, hard rock
Length2:50
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Producer(s)Phil Wainman
Bay City Rollers singles chronology
"All of Me Loves All of You"
(1974)
"Bye Bye Baby"
(1975)
"Give a Little Love"
(1975)
Music video
"Bye Bye Baby" (TopPop, 1975) on YouTube

After a winding seven-bar introduction in B minor, featuring Frankie Vali's spoken recitation, the song settles into a triplet-swing beat and thereafter alternates between two keys, F-sharp major (in the chorus) and A major (in the verse and final chorus), bridging the gap with a five-step chromatic pivot-modulation (D-D-E-F-F over the line "She's got me and I'm not free").

Chart history

Chart (1965) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles[3] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] 12
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[5] 10

Other charting versions

A 1959 cover by Col Joye reached No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart.

A version by British group The Symbols reached No. 44 in the UK Singles Chart in 1967.[6]

Bay City Rollers version

A cover of the song by the Bay City Rollers sold a million copies and hit No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks from March 1975.[7] It ended the year as the UK's top selling single.[8] The Four Seasons' version is quite sparse in instrumental backing, instead carried by the vocals, while the Bay City Rollers' version is faster and has a fuller backing sound. Played a whole step lower, it includes an eight-bar guitar solo by Eric Faulkner, which is not present in the original.

Weekly charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 1
Austria 13
Belgium 15
Germany 10
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 1
Italy 3
Japan
Netherlands 11
New Zealand 32
Norway 7
South Africa[11] 6
United Kingdom[12] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 12
UK 1

In the film Love Actually, the song is played by Daniel (Liam Neeson) at his wife's funeral, and by the DJ (Junior Simpson) at Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter's (Chiwetel Ejiofor) wedding reception.

The anime Magical Hat uses a Japanese language variation of the song as ending theme.

The Bay City Rollers' version was used in the soundtrack of the 2002 Channel 4 adaptation of White Teeth by Zadie Smith; however, it did not appear on the soundtrack CD released that same year.

In 2005, the song was included in the musical based on the Four Seasons, Jersey Boys. It was used in the medley song, “Medley: Stay / Let’s Hang On / Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me / Bye, Bye, Baby)”

In 1975, Hiromi Go recorded a Japanese cover version of the song.

References

  1. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1965-02-22. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 238.
  3. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1965-02-22. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  5. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 20, 1965
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 544. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 311–2. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. "Britain's best selling records of '75". Record Mirror. London: Billboard. January 10, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bye, Bye, Baby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  11. Currin, Brian. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs (A-B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  12. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1975-08-03. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 427. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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