Beyond breakups: Songs for those other goodbyes in life

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio

Some of the most beautiful songs center around the theme of saying “goodbye.” Most of these songs are love songs, with lyrics about having to say goodbye to a romantic partner due to a breakup. Many more are about unrequited love, or saying goodbye to the dream of a romantic relationship that never happened. These songs provide great comfort to those who need them, but songs in which a romantic couple doesn’t work out for one reason or the other are so plentiful, anyone can find a multi-item playlist devoted to the topic with a few clicks and keywords on any music streaming service. 

But what about those other times in life we have to say goodbye? What if the romantic relationship isn’t over, or what if the situation doesn’t have anything to do with romance at all?

One of these five songs might be the perfect theme song for your own goodbye. It may even be the first on a playlist you make to fit your unique situation. 

A happy goodbye: Looking forward to your new life in a new place: Moving Song (Lou Santacroce

Moving away can be sad, if the move is forced or reluctant. It can be bittersweet, as dear friends or family members are left behind, while at the same time, new experiences and settings are eagerly anticipated. Or it can be nothing buy joyful, like this song. Released in 2018 on the album “The Man in the Rainbow Suspenders,” Moving Song describes the process of packing and loading boxes with the help of friends. The song is one of the most upbeat tracks on the album, with even the instruments described sounding happy to be packed as they’re played in the background.

Wistful goodbyes: The goodbyes to family and friends in our memories: Memories (Maroon 5)

At first listen, this one seems to be about the narrator remembering a breakup, thinking about a past love. But if you pick up on the lyric “toast to the ones here today, toast to the ones that we lost on the way,” and you realize that the song is actually about the loss of family and/or friends. There is nothing that explicitly states that the people have gone on the Heaven and not just drifted out of the narrator’s life, but it is suggested by the line ‘cause I can’t reach out to call you, but I know I will one day.”

One of the worst goodbyes: A pet going to wait for you in Heaven: One More Walk (Kevin Keating)

According to his official YouTube channel, Utica musician Kevin Keating wrote this song a few days after the passing of his beloved Border Collie, Teala. The song is a sweet, loving tribute describing both a longing for one more day spent here on earth with a pet who has passed, while at the same time knowing they are waiting to spend eternity with us.

A temporary goodbye: Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver)

People often reference this song when they or someone else is going on vacation, but no vacationing happens in the story told by this song. The narrator describes already being “so lonesome I could die” and says “I hate to go.” As the song progresses, we learn that the narrator regrets past bad behavior, asks the woman to please promise to wait for him, and assures her that when he gets back, they’ll get married. When read or listened to closely as a whole, this song is not about someone about to have a great trip. It’s about someone hoping his beloved will forgive him for his poor treatment of her, believe his promises to be different, and wait for him to return.

The best goodbye: Goodbye to a life without Jesus as your Lord and Savior: The End of the Beginning (David Phelps)

Christian songwriter David Phelps witnesses about the love of Jesus Christ through a story about reading a Bible on a plane, meeting someone who rejects it, and repeating the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, with a reminder that He did all of this for the man who doubts him. In the end, the person smiles and asks to hear more, placing him on the verge of being saved. Anyone who is saved has to say goodbye to the person they were before, but it is the best goodbye one could ever say.


There is no song for ending a work project, but two weeks from today, The Heat Beat will be saying our own type of “goodbye.” Next Wednesday, look for one last experiment involving artificial intelligence (AI) and the world of music. On the following Wednesday, come back one last time for a special announcement about the music articles we hope you’ve enjoyed here.