Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)


"Bye, Bye, Baby " is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, a member of The Four Seasons whose version of the song made it to No. 1 in Canada and No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. On the original issue of the single, the title was "Bye Bye Baby"; on The 4 Seasons Entertain You album, the name was changed to the longer, more familiar name. The song is about saying goodbye, not because the person is unloved, but rather the relationship is adulterous.
After a winding seven-bar introduction in B minor, the song settles into a triplet-swing beat and thereafter alternates between two keys, F-sharp major and A major, bridging the gap with a five-step chromatic pivot-modulation.

Chart history

The Symbols version

A cover version by British group The Symbols reached No. 44 in the UK Singles Chart in 1967.

Bay City Rollers version

A cover of the song by the Bay City Rollers sold a million copies and hit No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks from March 1975. It ended the year as the UK's top selling single. The Four Seasons' version is quite sparse in instrumental backing, instead carried by the vocals, while the Bay City Rollers' version is faster and has a fuller backing sound. Played a whole step lower, it includes an eight-bar guitar solo by Eric Faulkner, which is not present in the original.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

In popular culture

In the film Love Actually, the song is played by Daniel at his wife's funeral, and by the DJ at Juliet and Peter's wedding reception.
The anime Magical Hat uses a Japanese language variation of the song as ending theme.
The Bay City Rollers' version was used in the soundtrack of the 2002 Channel 4 adaptation of White Teeth by Zadie Smith; however, it did not appear on the soundtrack CD released that same year.
In 2005, the song was included in the musical based on the Four Seasons, Jersey Boys. It was used in the medley song, “Medley: Stay / Let’s Hang On / Opus 17 ”
In 1975, Hiromi Go recorded a Japanese cover version of the song.