‘Hello, Goodbye’ (sometimes titled ‘Hello Goodbye’) is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Backed by John Lennon's ‘I Am the Walrus’, it was issued as a non-album single in November 1967, the group's first release since the death of their manager, Brian Epstein. The single was commercially successful around the world, topping charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Canada, Australia and several other countries.
McCartney later said that the lyrics take duality as their theme. The song originated when, in response to a question from Beatles aide Alistair Taylor about songwriting, McCartney sat down at a harmonium and asked Taylor to say the opposite of whatever he said. The completed song includes a musical coda, which was improvised by the Beatles when they were recording the track in October 1967. Unimpressed with the composition, Lennon pushed for ‘I Am the Walrus’ to be the single's A-side, before reluctantly accepting that ‘Hello, Goodbye’ was the more commercial-sounding of the two sides. The Beatles produced three promotional films for the song, one of which was shown on The Ed Sullivan Show in America. Due to the regulations against lip-syncing on British television, none of the clips were aired there.
Although ‘Hello, Goodbye’ is credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song was written solely by Paul McCartney. The composition came about through an exercise in word association between McCartney and Alistair Taylor, an assistant of the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein. It originated during a period when, following the completion of their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in April 1967, the Beatles typically embraced randomness and simplicity as part of the creative process.
In Britain, Parlophone issued ‘Hello, Goodbye’ backed by ‘I Am the Walrus’ on 24 November 1967. Within a day of its release, the record had sold over 300,000 copies there. It went on to top the national chart for seven weeks, giving the Beatles their longest run at number 1 since ‘She Loves You’ in 1963. In the process, the song became the group's fourth Christmas number 1 single in five years. For three weeks from 27 December 1967, the band held the top two positions in the UK, with the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack EP trailing ‘Hello, Goodbye’.
The single was released on 27 November in the United States, and replaced the Monkees' ‘Daydream Believer’ at number one on Billboard's Hot 100, where it remained for three weeks, becoming the band's fifteenth American chart-topper. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 15 December 1967. It was later listed by Billboard magazine as the band's seventh biggest US chart hit. The single was successful in many other countries, topping charts in Australia, Canada, West Germany, Holland and Norway. It also peaked at number 2 in Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland.
Labels – Parlophone (UK), Capitol (US)
Songwriters – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Producer – George Martin
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go go go
Ooh no
[Chorus]
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
[Verse 2]
I say high, you say low
You say why and I say I don't know
Oh no
[Chorus]
You say goodbye and I say hello
(Hello, goodbye, hello, goodbye) Hello, hello
(Hello, goodbye) I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
(Hello, goodbye, hello, goodbye) Hello, hello
(Hello, goodbye) I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
(Hello, goodbye)
[Bridge]
Why why why why why why do you say goodbye?
Goodbye, bye bye bye bye
Oh no
[Chorus]
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
[Verse 3]
You say yes (I say yes)
I say no (But I may mean no)
You say stop (I can stay)
And I say go go go ('Till it's time to go)
Oh, oh no
[Chorus]
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello, oh, oh
Hello
[Outro]
Hela, heba helloa
Hela, heba helloa, cha cha cha
Hela, heba helloa, woo!
Hela, heba helloa, hela!
Hela, heba helloa, cha cha cha
Hela, heba helloa, woo-hoo!
Hela, heba helloa, cha cha cha
Hela, heba helloa, cha cha cha