Goodbye Time
| "Goodbye Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Conway Twitty | ||||
| from the album Still in Your Dreams | ||||
| B-side | "Your Loving Side" | |||
| Released | February 1988 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Dean Hicks Roger Murrah | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Bowen Dee Henry Conway Twitty | |||
| Conway Twitty singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Goodbye Time" is a song recorded by American country music singer Conway Twitty. It was released in February 1988 as the first single from Twitty's album Still in Your Dreams. The song reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
In 2004, a cover was recorded by country music artist Blake Shelton on his album Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill. This cover was issued in early 2005 as that album's third single, and by mid-2005, it became the fourth Top Ten hit of Shelton's career, peaking at number 10 on the U.S. Billboard country charts and number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background and writing
[edit]James Dean Hicks and Roger Murrah were inspired to write "Goodbye Time" while Hicks's brother was going through a divorce. According to Hicks, his brother was "holding on to something that was already gone", and his situation inspired Hicks and Murrah to write the song.[1] Murrah pointed out that the two "just started playing music and singing lyrics", and the song came together.[1]
Initially, the two songwriters had planned for Reba McEntire to record "Goodbye Time". However, McEntire felt that she could not sing the song, as she, too, had been going through a divorce at the time, and she felt that several of the song's lyrics matched what her ex-husband had told her when they split.[1] The song was then pitched to Conway Twitty who recorded it. His version features Vince Gill on background vocals.[1]
Content
[edit]"Goodbye Time" is a ballad in which the narrator addresses a former lover, attempting to keep her from leaving him. Ultimately, he tells her that "if the feeling's gone / Words won't stop you anyway". In the chorus, he adds that "if it's too late for love to change your mind / Then it's goodbye time".
Blake Shelton version
[edit]| "Goodbye Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Blake Shelton | ||||
| from the album Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill | ||||
| Released | January 24, 2005 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:21 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Dean Hicks Roger Murrah | |||
| Producer(s) | Bobby Braddock | |||
| Blake Shelton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
16 years after Twitty's rendition, Blake Shelton recorded "Goodbye Time" for his third studio album, 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, having been inspired to record the song after hearing it on a television special about Twitty.[1] Murrah felt positively of Shelton's rendition, stating that Shelton "[made] the song his own".[1]
Chart positions
[edit]Conway Twitty
[edit]| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[2] | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 11 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 76 |
Blake Shelton
[edit]| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Radio & Records)[4] | 18 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 73 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 10 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (2005) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 47 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Salonica, Kelly (2005-11-07). "Story Behind the Song". Country Weekly. 12 (23): 70.
- ^ "Conway Twitty Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Radio & Records: June 10, 2005, page 46 worldradiohistory.com
- ^ "Blake Shelton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Blake Shelton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Best of 2005: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2005. Retrieved July 11, 2012.