Paul McCartney Wrote Mary Hopkin’s ‘Goodbye’ and She Didn’t Like It

Paul McCartney wrote songs for several other classic rock stars. For example, he penned Mary Hopkin’s “Goodbye.” Despite her gratefulness to work with Paul, Hopkin wasn’t a fan of “Goodbye” — and she explained why.

Paul McCartney wrote Mary Hopkin’s ‘Goodbye’ but she likes ‘Those Were the Days’

Hopkin’s first single was a ballad called “Those Were the Days” that Paul produced but did not write. Paul wrote and produced her second single, “Goodbye.” During a 2007 interview posted on her website, Hopkin discussed her feelings about the two songs. “If one has to be eternally linked with any one song, then I’m relieved that it is ‘Those Were the Days’ and not one of my later singles,” Hopkin said. “Although I’m flattered that Paul wrote ‘Goodbye’ especially for me, it was, I believe, a step in the wrong direction for me.”

Hopkin explained why she liked “Those Were the Days” better than “Goodbye.” “I’m so grateful that he chose ‘Those Were the Days’ as my first single,” she said. “I think ‘Those Were the Days,’ being originally a Ukrainian folk song, has a timeless quality, but ‘Goodbye’ is set firmly in the ’60s pop era.” For context, “Those Were the Days” is based on a Russian folk tune called “Dorogoj dlinnoju,” not a Ukrainian folk tune.

Mary Hopkin explained why she dropped mostly out of the music industry for good

Hopkin discussed why she didn’t have much of a career after the early 1970s. “After I gave up the music business in 1972, after the Royal Festival Hall concert, I occasionally got involved in what I considered ‘one-off’ projects, with no intention of making a full-time commitment,” she said.

“However, the newspapers (apparently short of good stories) would report each project as a ‘comeback,’ so it seemed as though I was interested in resuming my career,” Hopkin added. “I have enjoyed these sporadic ventures, as it’s fun to try new things, but my disillusionment with the music business remained and I had no intention of getting involved again.” Notably, Hopkin released most of her albums in the past 20 years.

How ‘Goodbye’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Goodbye” became a modest hit in the United States. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for nine weeks. Afterward, Hopkin only released one more top 40 single, “Temma Harbour,” which hit No. 39. “Goodbye” appeared on some versions of the album Post Card. That record peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Goodbye” became considerably more popular in the United Kingdom. There, the track peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks. On the other hand, Post Card reached No. 3 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for nine weeks. None of Hopkin’s subsequent albums charted in the U.S. or the U.K.

“Goodbye” remains one of Hopkin’s most famous songs even if she’s not a big fan of it.