One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel
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Say Goodbye To Hollywood
Turnstiles |
 From Turnstiles (1976)
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There are two music videos for the Turnstiles album, performances of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "James," which may have been from a television program. © 1976 Sony Music Entertainment.
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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" is Billy Joel's goodbye to the Los Angeles music scene and to the first phase of his solo career trying to make it asn LA singer-songwriter. It has some of the best lyrics Billy has ever penned but for some reason, this song does not get mentioned much as one of Billy's finest even though it is one his most popular among critics and die-hard fans. The song marked Billy's decision to leave Los Angeles and return to his home state New York. He needed to move in order to get his career and life back together again. As he wrote, "movin' on is a chance you take any time you try to stay together." Moving on is inevitable. In one of his best verses of all time he captures life succinctly: "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." 
From the Roxy in 2012. Click on photo to enlarge.
This notion reminds me 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 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 then-manager/promoter, 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 Billy's manager. This reminiscent of a Bruce Springsteen song, like Spanish Johnny from "Incident on 57th Street" from his 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. Vertical Divider
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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 Listen to Billy discuss The Ronnettes' "Be My Baby" and his homage, "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" on SiriuxXM.
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The song is also a tribute to Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes and their hit song "Be My Baby." It features a Phil Sorpect-like "wall of sound" and has some of Billy's most profound lyrics. Ronnie even did a cover version of the song with the backing of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band as a sort of a comeback recording (to see a brief live version, click here). See the Rolling Stone article about Ronnie's cover. Ronnie had a minor hit with the song, which features a great sax solo by Clarence Clemons. Bette Midler also recorded a version of the song on her 1977 album Broken Blossom. A live version by Billy was also released as a single in 1981 from his Songs In The Attic album and was a moderate hit (see video below, right) The song could have fit in well on Billy's 1983 album, An Innocent Man, which was a tribute to the songs of the 1950s and 1960s.
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Billy does not sing "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" that often 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 either after 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.
Below (left) is a live version from 1978 during his tour in Europe. The band (Russell Javors, Richie Cannata, Liberty DeVitto, and Doug Stegmeyer) does an excellent job on this version. And further below (right) is a more recent version. |
It's not quite a scene down on Sunset Boulevard, but here is Billy and the band. The songbook for Turnstiles featured photos of Billy in an urban setting such as this one with band members (Brian Ruggles is driving). Photo: Unknown. Click on photo to enlarge.
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Videos
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A live version from Billy's televised concert in Germany (1978).
In this Master Class from 2001, Billy explains how he was inspired to write "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" from the Ronettes' "Be My Baby."
Unplugged version by Billy Joel at the Roxy in 2012.
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This is the music video for the 1981 live version, released on Songs In The Attic.
Live version of "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes, a classic song.
Live performance from February 18, 2015 at Madison Square Garden.
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