Western songs about saying “goodbye” — perfect for bereavement or a departed lover

Say GoodbyeChris Brown

Chris Brown – Say Goodbye (Official HD Video)

Chris Brown is an R&B singer who was hugely active from the 2000s through the 2010s.

He’s an artist known for performances that evoke Michael Jackson and for his highly sophisticated melodic lines.

One of his works themed around “goodbye” is Say Goodbye.

Centered on a breakup with a lover, it portrays the bittersweet feelings of a man.

If you imagine this song as a man with only a short time left to live breaking the news of parting to a woman, an overwhelming sadness washes over you.

The lyrics are abstract, so why not overlay them with your own experiences?

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One Day Goodbye Will Be FarewellMorrissey

Morrissey – One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell

When you become dependent on what you love, what follows is frightening.

Morrissey’s “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell,” with its philosophical content, was one of the songs that won overwhelming support from the beatnik-affected youth of the time.

I may be able to love you now, but I might not be able to love you tomorrow.

It became the spokesperson for such precarious youths.

Don’t Think Twice It’s All RightBob Dylan

Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right – Bob Dylan

Don’t fret; it was something that couldn’t be helped either way.

Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” is a song that gives a powerful push to young people struggling with a breakup.

It supports a positive shift in mindset—the sense that just by your existing, I can keep on traveling.

Exit MusicRadiohead

Radiohead Exit Music live (high audio quality)

It’s so cold here; we smile, and wrapped in an unending peace that will never fade, we finally become one.

Radiohead’s Exit Music, which portrays Romeo and Juliet—who could only be joined in death—has become one of the most highly regarded songs among Thom Yorke’s lyrics.

San TropezPink Floyd

San Tropez

Dreams and hopes that slipped from my love.

Pink Floyd’s “San Tropez” is a complex song whose philosophical and cerebral lyrics allow for multiple interpretations.

Although it’s a relatively little-known tune included on the album Meddle, its introspective world is highly captivating.

GoodbyeSpice Girls

Spice Girls – Goodbye (Official Music Video)

I can still feel you here.

Spice Girls’ “Goodbye” is a delicate song that uniquely captures a woman’s wish to keep sensing the warmth of a man who’s gone, holding onto his presence until it fades.

Though the lyrics are about parting, the song has an upbeat feel, making it a good recommendation for those who want to move on from a breakup.

MotherJohn Lennon

Mother (Remastered 2010)

Mother.

I belonged to you, but you did not belong to me.

I reached out for you, but you did not reach out for me.

Mother, goodbye.

Perhaps only John Lennon could write lyrics that shake the soul and heart to this extent.

Songs overflowing with love, songs filled with sorrow—everything is John Lennon.