Say Goodbye To Hollywood

Album: Turnstiles (1976)
Charted: 17
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  • Bobby's driving through the city tonight
    Through the lights
    In a hot new rent a car
    He joins the lover 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 taking care of things for awhile
    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

    Moving on is a chance that you take every 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

    Moving on is a chance that you take every 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 Writer/s: Billy Joel
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 12

  • 11c1p from North DakotaI don't think he'll ever know how much that song meant to me my last 2 years in H.S., my time in the army & coming home for good. Like so many of Billy's songs that are HUGE parts of my life, this & the others are like time machines that take me right back.
  • Brad from FlA great couple of lines for when it's time to move on... "Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes."
  • Stormy from Kokomo, InCan I make a suggestion to all of you "singers" out there that have videos on YouTube and try to duplicate songs like this guy. STOPPPPP! PLEASEEEE! If you can't sing any better than this guy, just play the record or the album and leave off the video!
  • Ken from Louisville, KyBilly Joel said the song is misinterpreted as meaning that he hated Hollywood. He said he wrote it as fond farewell..."So long, Hollywood, I had a great time there, but it's time for me to go back home."
  • Ken from Louisville, KyThis is another song where Joel lets the concert crowd sing part of they lyrics instead of himself. After he sings "Say Goodybye to Hollywood" he leans towards the audience and waits for them to respond with "Say goodbye my baby".
  • Karen from La Crosse , WiThe live version can be found on Billy's album "Songs in the Attic". There's also a great version of Captain Jack on this album too.
  • Sculder from Berkshire, MaI always wondered this since I was a kid and it made more sense, at least in my head, with age. Anyway, do you think the Bobby and John he refers to were the Kennedy brothers?
    Please forgive me, I cant find lyrics, I got the cd but I'll do from memory and apologize beforehand for errors.
    "Johnny's taking care of things for a while/and his style blank trubidores/they got him sitting with his back to the door/ now he won't be my fast gun anymore"
    "Bobbbys driving through the city tonight /throught he lights in a hot new rent a car/joins the lovers in his heaven machine . . ."
    I see those verse as Hollywood images of John and Bobby,moreso or easier with 'Johnny'. And, well, like it or not and like them or not John and Bobby Kennedy are Hollywood images at least that's all they are to most people. I kinda always saw a bit of Joel aknowledging a goodbye(or time for one) of an Hollywood image in his own Hollywood image.
    Agh, I'm sure I have made a fool out of myself. Go ahead I deserve all comments its the price to live in my head.
  • Jr from Philadelphia, PaI remember Ronnie Spector talking about this song on a late night show(possibly rick dees into the night), and saying that it was written for her by Billy Joel and had to do with her"escaping"
    from Phil Spector because he was keeping her "captive" in their L.A. mansion.
  • Sunset from London, United StatesRonnie Spector was Phil Spector's Wife. Spector also produced Ronettes records.
  • Pete from Nowra, AustraliaPhil or Ronnie ????? come on ..make up your minds
  • Ken from Louisville, KyActually this is a tribute to Phil Sepctor and his famous "Wall Of Sound".
  • Gordon from Snyder, NyBette Midler covered this and did a great job with it.
see more comments

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