Goodbye songs

[Traxan]

So I'm in kind of a morose mood and looking around at songs where the writer is saying goodbye to the fans.

The one that’s hitting me the hardest even though the writer wasn’t dying at the time is “The Garden” by Rush. Not that Peart predicted his death in eight years, but it was the last song he ever wrote on the last Rush album and it seems clear interpretation (including by most fans) that Peart is saying I’m done and goodbye.

Another obvious track is “Till The End” on Motorhead’s last album. Several people have said that reading these lyrics, they got the feeling Lemmy knew that this would be his last album. He was in pretty bad shape even when the album came out it only got worse and those lyrics are very poignant.

There’s also “Keep Me In Your Heart” by Warren Zevon and “Don’t Worry About Me” by Joey Ramone, both songs written and recorded as those two men were dying of cancer. I’m not a fan of them but I understand what they were saying.

What else ya got?

[MattleyCrue]

Goodbye - Enuff ZNuff

[Mojo]

"Show Must Go On" is pretty obvious. Brian knew exactly where Freddie was headed when he wrote it.

[LAglamrocker]

Mane Attraction
Farewell To You..last White Lion song
Band saying good bye to fans and career

Probably last song Cobain heard before Courtney came into the room

[MetalSludgeCEO]

"I Hate Kissing You Goodbye" > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC-9NBhxTxw

Of course...

$tEvil

[Traxan]

Would Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt" count?

[Rocker4Real]

https://youtu.be/BIashDcvsZc?si=FKuGXiouuB6kZujU

[Chip Z'Hoy]

Purple Mountains - the entire self-titled album

[Sleek]

Not a goodbye song per se, but the way Diary of a Madman ends, so sad and epic always just leaves me sitting there for a couple seconds afterwards thinking: "And that was it. The final song on Randy Rhoads final album." because it sounds like exactly that.

The big fanfare leading up to that last: Dun dun! Sounds like an ending. A permanent ending.

[TheDeadBastard]

I don't think Buckley intended this to be a "see you later song" but it basically ended up being that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MMXjunSx80

Don't going swimming in the Mississippi kids!

[keyofgee]

https://youtu.be/QWY7-ZcyvZg?si=mnDhHRl1Gz4PCqA5

https://youtu.be/-KuBNxS6QIs?si=htvZBYtAo0rbsfpc

https://youtu.be/Z6qnRS36EgE?si=fCyPSIgnMP918LmD

[HoldenSSV]

Night Ranger - Goodbye

[daveg]

Night Ranger - Goodbye

Don't think this is about saying goodbye to fans. Unless they knew their next album would just about bury them.

[Hatchets Molly]

Night Ranger - Goodbye

That's the one I was going to say. Has a good melody, and I like nostalgic stuff that reminds me of summers in high school, getting laid by my first real gf, that kind of stuff.

Edit: Sorry. Didn't read the OP. Was just scrolling and thinking of "Goodbye songs."

[Hair I Go Again]

They're not "goodbye to the world"-type songs, but here are two for the hell of it:

--Hardcore Superstar ended their modern classic "You Can't Kill My Rock 'N Roll" with a song called -- wait for it -- "Goodbye" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9nOK2cb-qU). It's essentially a "the show's over, thanks for coming, see you next time" song.

--Mr. Big just released an absolutely dreadful new song in Japan called "Forever In Our Hearts" that will apparently serve as their farewell single. They're obviously not dying, but you'll want to do so after you hear it. Here's a sample: https://music.apple.com/jp/album/foreve ... 1794514712

[TheRiotRoom]

Warren Zevon-Keep Me In Your Heart. Dude knew he was dying of cancer and went into the studio to record one last album.

https://youtu.be/RMTKb-pgxGI?si=Kdsm3D7dYNbk05ST

[mrsnikkisixx]

David Bowie’s entire Blackstar album

[GoodJudge]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MCuXhBz3cJ0
Wolfsbane - Say Goodbye. Last track on the bonus disc to the last (initial break-up) album. They said in the cd booklet that it hadn't been written as a farewell song, but then Blaze got the Maiden offer, so...

[Hellsinkey]

Alice In Chains' Died & Get Born Again may have been written by Jerry Cantrell as a hint to Layne Staley to shape up. Died was the last song Layne sang.

[risingfarce]

"Show Must Go On" is pretty obvious. Brian knew exactly where Freddie was headed when he wrote it.

Prior to "The Show Must Go On" there was "Was It All Worth It". Then with "The Show Must Go On" there was "These Are The Days Of Our Lives". After that there was "Mother Love".

[HORRORHOLIC1979]

Slipknot - Goodbye

[Demon Kogure]

Thin Lizzy, "Heart Attack"

Last song on their last album

"My heart can't handle the strain that's shaking it"

"Papa, I'm dying of an overdose"

"I tried to warn you there was something wrong"

Shit's brutal

[Earl Skakel]

So I'm in kind of a morose mood and looking around at songs where the writer is saying goodbye to the fans.

The one that’s hitting me the hardest even though the writer wasn’t dying at the time is “The Garden” by Rush. Not that Peart predicted his death in eight years, but it was the last song he ever wrote on the last Rush album and it seems clear interpretation (including by most fans) that Peart is saying I’m done and goodbye.

Another obvious track is “Till The End” on Motorhead’s last album. Several people have said that reading these lyrics, they got the feeling Lemmy knew that this would be his last album. He was in pretty bad shape even when the album came out it only got worse and those lyrics are very poignant.

There’s also “Keep Me In Your Heart” by Warren Zevon and “Don’t Worry About Me” by Joey Ramone, both songs written and recorded as those two men were dying of cancer. I’m not a fan of them but I understand what they were saying.

What else ya got?

I knew Lemmy for a very long time essentially being neighbors and I used to take him to my dentist but man the last time I was him was at Sunset Oil(gas station on Sunset/San Vicente)and he looked like a walking skeleton and I think he died about a week later and the image of him looking at me that night is burned in my brain.

[DavidLeeLarsUlrichRoth]

Not a goodbye to the fans, per say, but Goodbye to Romance was Ozzy's goodbye to his days in Black Sabbath.

[AliceManson]

Gregg Allman My Only True Friend.

[veritas]

Alice In Chains: It's Over Now

[DavidLeeLarsUlrichRoth]

Not a goodbye to the fans, per say, but Goodbye to Romance was Ozzy's goodbye to his days in Black Sabbath.

Bullshit. He didn’t write any of it. Much like Suicide Solution he has invented a story well after the fact about what the song is about.

I agree; however, when I said "Ozzy's farewell", I meant him singing it, not necessarily writing it (Randy and Bob Daisley, mostly).

[factchecker]

Fire and Ice by POISON is a guilty pleasure of mine and even better when played live (7 days live). I'd say Richie Kotzen's lead guitar and backing vocals mog that of the over-rated "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" that schmucks used to play as a loser anthem in any (now long closed) bikers Pub.

[MickeyG]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MCuXhBz3cJ0
Wolfsbane - Say Goodbye. Last track on the bonus disc to the last (initial break-up) album. They said in the cd booklet that it hadn't been written as a farewell song, but then Blaze got the Maiden offer, so...

This is what came to my mind as I was reading through the replies. Good song too.

[Nobodyspecial]

Night Ranger - Goodbye
Dokken - Walk Away
LA Guns - It's over now
Def Leppard - Goodbye
Bon Jovi - Never say goodbye
White Lion - Farewell to you