The Long Goodbye (song) explained

The Long Goodbye
Type:	single
Artist:	Paul Brady
Album:	Oh What a World
Genre:	Rock, folk
Length:	(album version) (single version)
Label:	Rykodisc
Producer:	Alastair McMillan, Paul Brady

"The Long Goodbye" is a song written by Irish singer-songwriters Paul Brady and Ronan Keating for Brady's 2000 album Oh What a World. In October 2001, it was released by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn as the third single from their album Steers & Stripes. Ronan Keating released his version in April 2003 as the last single from his album Destination (2002).

Track listing

• Promotional CD single

1. "The Long Goodbye" – 3:57

Brooks & Dunn version

The Long Goodbye
Cover:	Brooks & Dunn - The Long Goodbye.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Brooks & Dunn
Album:	Steers & Stripes
B-Side:	Only in America
Released:	22 October 2001
Genre:	Country
Length:	3:15 (single edit) 3:51 (album version) 4:25 (The Greatest Hits Collection II version)
Label:	Arista Nashville 69101
Producer:	Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Mark Wright
Prev Title:	Only in America
Prev Year:	2001
Next Title:	My Heart Is Lost to You
Next Year:	2002

"The Long Goodbye" was recorded by country music duo Brooks & Dunn for their album Steers & Stripes (2001). The single was Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and a No. 39 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

Ronnie Dunn, one-half of the duo, was initially challenged by this song. "For me, I didn't know if I could sing some of these songs, if I could get inside them. So I'd take the tracks home...Paul Brady's demo of 'The Long Good-bye was intimidating...How do you do that? I'd work in my barn, explore the songs, try things, really learn where the song wanted to go, where I wanted to go."^[1]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably saying that the song has more of a pop flavor than most of their other music. Taylor also says that Dunn's "earnest emotion exudes quiet desperation mixed with knowing acceptance."^[2]

Charts

"The Long Goodbye" debuted at number 53 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of October 27, 2001, the same week that the duo's previous single "Only in America" was at number one.

Year-end charts

Ronan Keating version

The Long Goodbye
Cover:	thelastgoodbyepart2-ronan.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Ronan Keating
Album:	Destination
Studio:	Various
Length:	4:43 (album version) 4:18 (single version)
Label:	Polydor
Producer:	Calum MacColl Liam Bradley Stephen Lipson (single version)
Prev Title:	We've Got Tonight
Prev Year:	2002
Next Title:	Lost for Words
Next Year:	2003

"The Long Goodbye" was released as the fourth and last single from Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating's second studio album, Destination (2002). The album version was produced by Calum MacColl and Liam Bradley while the single version was produced by Stephen Lipson. The single peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Ireland, and reached the top 50 in Australia, Austria, Germany, and New Zealand.

Track listings

UK CD1^[4]

1. "The Long Goodbye"
2. "Love Won't Work (If We Don't Try)"
3. "This Is It"
4. "The Long Goodbye" (video)

UK CD2^[5]

1. "The Long Goodbye"
2. "We've Got Tonight" (featuring Jeanette)
3. "Love Won't Work (If We Don't Try)" (video)

European CD single^[6]

1. "The Long Goodbye"
2. "The Long Goodbye" (Bimbo Jones vocal mix)

Credits and personnel

Credits for the album version are lifted from the Destination album booklet.^[7]

Studios

• Recorded at various studios in Los Angeles, London, and Dublin
• Mixed at Olympic Studios (London, England)
• Engineered at Clonmannon Studios (County Wicklow, Ireland)
• Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, US)

Personnel

• Ronan Keating – writing
• Paul Brady – writing
• Janet Ramus – background vocals
• Tracy Ackerman – background vocals
• Liam Bradley – backing vocals, drums, percussion, production
• Calum MacColl – backing vocals, guitar, production
• Steve Jones – guitar, programming
• Paul Turner – bass guitar
• James McNally – piano, bodhrán
• Kieran Kiely – piano, Hammond
• Yoad Nevo – programming
• Máire Breatnach – violin
• Fiachra Terence W. Trench – string arrangement
• Avril Mackintosh – additional vocal production
• Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
• Alastair McMillan – engineering
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[8]	10
Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[9]	68

Year-end charts

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Australia	28 April 2003	CD	Polydor	^[11]
United Kingdom				^[12]

Notes and References

1. Anon (2001). "Biography: Steers & Stripes" Arista Nashville.com. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
2. Billboard, 6 October 2001
3. Best of 2002: Country Songs. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2002. 24 July 2012.
4. The Long Goodbye. Ronan Keating. 2003. UK CD1 liner notes. Polydor Records. 0657372.
5. The Long Goodbye. Ronan Keating. 2003. UK CD2 liner notes. Polydor Records. 0657382.
6. The Long Goodbye. Ronan Keating. 2003. European CD single liner notes. Polydor Records. 0657392.
7. Destination. Destination (Ronan Keating album). Ronan Keating. 2002. UK CD album booklet. Polydor Records. 5897992.
8. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 21. 21. 8. 17 May 2003. 13 May 2020.
9. Web site: Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 22, saptamina 9.06–15.06, 2003. Romanian Top 100. ro. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050218170554/http://www.rt100.ro/editie-top-100_x10073.html. 18 February 2005. 13 May 2020.
10. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2003. UKChartsPlus. 21 September 2018.
11. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th April 2003. ARIA. 27. 28 April 2003. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030506140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20030507-0000/Issue688.pdf. 6 May 2003. 27 June 2021.
12. New Releases – For Week Starting 28 April 2003: Singles. Music Week. 27. 26 April 2003. 4 September 2021.