The Meaning Behind “Goodbye,” Mary Hopkin’s 1969 Hit Written by Paul McCartney

Mary Hopkin’s time in the spotlight as a folk-pop singer was relatively brief, but quite accomplished nonetheless. After a runaway hit debut single, she was able to follow it up with several more charting hits, including the lovely “Goodbye” in 1969. The song hit the Top 20 in the U.S. and rolled all the way to the No. 2 spot in the United Kingdom.

What is the song about? How did Paul McCartney factor into Hopkin’s career? And what about McCartney’s own recording of the song? Let’s say hello to all the details of “Goodbye.”

Apple Action

Apple, The Beatles’ self-owned company, never quite lived up to the promises the group made about it when they first announced its creation. The band found out that running a business was a bit out of their comfort zone, at least compared to making music, which came naturally to them. But for a minute there, Apple Records enjoyed some impressive success, and Mary Hopkin was responsible for a good chunk of it.

Hopkin, who hailed from Wales, appeared on the extremely popular British talent show Opportunity Knocks as a teenager. That’s how she caught the attention of Apple. At just 18 years old in 1968, her debut single, produced by none other than Paul McCartney, was released.

That single was “Those Were the Days,” an English-language version of a Russian folk song, and it became a runaway success. It hit the top of the charts in the UK, and it was only stopped by doing so in the United States by, ironically enough, The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”

After a well-regarded and successful debut album in 1969, Hopkin was ready for her follow-up single. Only this time, McCartney did her one better. He wrote “Goodbye” specifically for her to release as that second single, even doing a demo of it. You can hear that demo on the expanded edition of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album that was released in 2019 on the album’s 50th anniversary.

McCartney once again produced Hopkin on the song. He put together a jaunty horn-filled arrangement. In later years, Hopkin suggested she wasn’t crazy about this take on the song, as she preferred a purer form of folk music. It became another big hit for her anyway.

But Hopkin wasn’t all that interested in sustaining a career in the limelight. McCartney was disappointed when she wanted her following album to be a more folk-oriented affair without all the pop touches. He decided he didn’t really want to be a part of that, and the two didn’t work together again. After two more Top-10 British hits, Hopkin mostly backed away from her music career, recording only sporadically after the early ‘70s.

What is the Meaning of “Goodbye”?

“Goodbye” takes a relaxed look at the ephemeral nature of relationships. The narrator appears to be leaving behind one close companion to return to the company of another. But first, she tries to convince the person she’s departing to allow her smooth passage: Please don’t wake me up too late / Tomorrow comes and I will not be late.

While the person who wants her to stay might be melancholy, she can’t help but show enthusiasm for her travels: Songs that lingered on my lips / Excite me now and linger on my mind. In the final verse, she explains that her lover awaits her, and that’s why she mustn’t bide much longer: When a song of lonely love invites me on / I must go to his side.

Hopkin sings it all with a kind of wisdom in her voice that belies the young age at which she recorded the song. One wonders how long she might have continued denting the pop charts had she chosen to stay active with her career. The tender readings she gave songs like “Goodbye” left quite an impression.

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