Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes
I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again Originally released on 1976's Turnstiles and again as a live record on 1981's Songs In the Attic, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" is Billy Joel's goodbye to the Los Angeles music scene and to the first phase of his solo career as an LA-based singer-songwriter. It has some of the best lyrics Billy has ever penned but for some reason this songs is rarely hailed as one of Billy's finest.
The song marked Billy's decision to leave Los Angeles and return to his home state of New York. He needed to move back in order to sort out his career and life again. He said: “The first year I was there, I was kind of seduced by the nice weather, the palm trees and the views from the Hollywood Hills, the Pacific Coast Highway and all that stuff. That wore off after about a year” and Billy felt the urge to return home, though he also said he liked his time in Los Angeles. See Rolling Stone. 
From the Roxy Theater in 2012.
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Say Goodbye to Hollywood
Bobby's drivin' through the city tonight Through the lights in a hot new rent-a-car He joins the lovers in his heavy machine It's a scene down on Sunset Boulevard Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Johnny's takin' care of things for a while And his style is so right for troubadours They got him sitting with his back to the door Now he won't be my fast gun anymore Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Movin' on is a chance You take any time you try to stay - together Say a word out of line And you find that the friends you had Are gone forever, forever So many faces in and out of my life Some will last some will just be now and then Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Movin' on is a chance you take Any time you try to stay, together, whoa Say a word out of line And you find that the friends you had Are gone forever, forever So many faces in and out of my life Some will last, some will just be now and then Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby Say goodbye to Hollywood Say goodbye my baby |
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As Billy writes in the song, "movin' on is a chance you take any time you try to stay together." And in one of his best verses, Billy succinctly captures the transitory nature of modern life: "So many faces in and out of my life, Some will last, some will just be now and then, Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again." This notion is reminiscent of The Beatles' "In My Life" when John Lennon sings "There are places I remember, All my life though some have changed, Some forever not for better, Some have gone and some remain, All these places have their moments, With lovers and friends I still can recall, Some are dead and some are living, In my life I've loved them all."
The line in "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" about Johnny "not being his "fast gun" anymore and his style being so right for "troubadors" (i.e., like Billy) is a reference to Billy's manager Jon Troy who loved the music but perhaps was not the right person to be a business manager. Troy was eventually replaced by Billy's wife Elizabeth as manager. Bruce Springsteen uses similar motifs of misfits not fitting in, like Spanish Johnny from "Incident on 57th Street" on the album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. |
Say Goodbye To Hollywood
(Recorded June 1980, Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI, Turnstiles) 1975, I wasn't glad to leave, just anxious to return home. This was sort of a Phil Spector bon voyage bash to celebrate all the good times. (From Songs In Attic liner notes) Billy discusses "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" on SiriusXM in 2016.
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"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is also a tribute to Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes and their hit song "Be My Baby." It features a Phil Spector-like "wall of sound" and Ronnie even did a cover version of the song in 1978.with the backing of Springsteen's E Street Band (brief live version, here). See the Rolling Stone article about Ronnie's cover. Bette Midler also recorded a version of the song on her 1977 album Broken Blossom.
But "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," is quintessential Billy Joel and was one of his signature songs in his early career. Billy's live version from Songs In The Attic was released as a single in 1981 and reached as high as #17 on the Billboard singles charts.
Billy rarely sings "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" in concert anymore (he has said that it "shreds" his vocal cords), and it is not on any of his live albums or concert videos since 1981's Songs In The Attic. It is a shame because "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is one of Billy's most interesting songs and contains some of his best lyrics.
Videos
"Say Goodbye To Hollywood" (live) was re-released a single in 1981 and became a Top 40 hit. © 1976, 1981 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
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Early music video of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" (1976).
Billy talks about "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" in this 1981 interview with Australia's Molly Medrum.
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Live version from 1977 television concert in Germany.
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