Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)

"Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)" was a 1978 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. Written by keyboardist Don Walker and vocalist Jimmy Barnes, it was released as a single in 1978, peaking at number 65 on the Australian charts. It appeared as a track on the 1979 album Breakfast at Sweethearts.[1]

"Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)"
Single by Cold Chisel
from the album Breakfast at Sweethearts
B-side"Georgia on My Mind"
Released11 September 1978
RecordedAlbert Studios, 1978
GenreRock
LabelWEA
Songwriter(s)Don Walker, Jimmy Barnes
Producer(s)Richard Batchens
Cold Chisel singles chronology
"Khe Sanh"
(1978)		 "Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)"
(1978)		 "Breakfast at Sweethearts"
(1979)

Details

The single, "Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)" preceded the album Breakfast at Sweethearts by some months, and was recorded when demos were being done for the album. The single is markedly different from the later album version, with a doubled guitar riff and a less prominent piano.[2]

A fast-paced rocker, lyricist Walker said the song was written because the band, "needed a set finisher."[3] Described as, "the band's blazing showstopper,"[4] it was often played as the last song in concerts, and also on the live album Swingshift.

Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of a husband leaving his wife. Opening with the lines, "Open up the door Astrid, cause I'm comin' down the stairs / And I ain't gonna listen to no more pissin' around", the three verses are all addressed to the wife. The lyrics were originally written for a completely different song that was sung by Ian Moss before being given to Barnes to write matching music. Walker later said he knew no-one named Astrid, and he had probably heard the name in relation to Bill Wyman's wife.[2]

Although included in Cold Chisel's greatest hits collections, the single received little airplay at the time of release.[5]

Reception

Critic Toby Creswell described the song as a rudimentary 12-bar thrash. He said the song is, "full of wit and attitude. The Narrator lets fly his scorn for the woman's lifestyle. All the bottled-up anger spews out. Taking three chords and a simple story and transforming them into a unique and confronting piece like this takes real genius."[6]

Reviewed at the time of release, Roadrunner said, "Radio play is the chief objective of Cold Chisel's "Goodbye". It's a good, basic rock song with great vocals. The flip, a version of the old Hoagy Carmichael standard is just superb."[7]

References
  1. David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. p. 72. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  2. Michael Lawrence (1998). Showtime: The Cold Chisel Story. Belmont, Victoria: Michael Lawrence. p. 59. ISBN 1-86503-118-6.
  3. Michael Lawrence (2012). Cold Chisel: Wild Colonial Boys. Melbourne, Victoria: Melbourne Books. p. 322. ISBN 9781877096174.
  4. Adrian Zupp. "Breakfast at Sweethearts". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  5. Anthony O'Grady (2001). Cold Chisel: The Pure Stuff. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. p. 48. ISBN 1-86508-196-5.
  6. Toby Crewswell (2005). "Goodbye Astrid". 1001 Songs. Hardie Grant Books: 19. ISBN 978-1-74066-458-5.
  7. Mark Burford (October 1978). "Singles". Roadrunner. p. 20.
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