"Goodbye Mr A" is the second single by English
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band
the Hoosiers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, from their debut album, ''
The Trick to Life
''The Trick to Life'' is the debut studio album by English indie pop band The Hoosiers. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 October 2007 by RCA Records. Four singles were released from the album.
Album cover
The album was released with ...
'' (2007). The song is written in the key of
B major and was created in memory of frontman Irwin Sparkes' secondary school English teacher, Jonathan "Mr A" Anderton, after Sparkes heard of Anderton's death in 2006. It has been noted for its similarities to
Electric Light Orchestra's single "
Mr. Blue Sky". Released on 8 October 2007, the song gave the band their second UK top-five single, entering the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at 5 on 14 October 2007 and climbing to its peak of No. 4 the following week.
Music video
The music video to "Goodbye Mr A" is reminiscent of
superhero comics and
popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
, such as the 1960s ''
Batman'' television series. In the video, the Hoosiers kidnap Mr A, a comic-book character and the world's greatest superhero. They then take his place fighting crime as incompetent anti-heroes. Despite being fired into space at the end, Mr A. survives and opens his eyes; this is a reference to the film ''
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer''.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Use in other media
On 28 September 2007, the Hoosiers performed "Goodbye Mr A" on
GMTV's Entertainment Today segment. The song is part of the soundtrack for the video game ''
FIFA 08
''FIFA 08'' (titled ''FIFA Soccer 08'' in North America ) is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Eur ...
''.
It was also used in the 18 March 2009 episode of ''
Waterloo Road''. This song was featured in the
Halfords
Halfords Group PLC is the UK's largest retailer of motoring and cycling products and services. Through Halfords Autocentre, they provide vehicle servicing, MOT, maintenance and repairs in the United Kingdom.
Halfords Group is listed on the Lon ...
"Easter Getaway" advertisement. The instrumental for this song has also been used in the second teaser trailer for ''
Toy Story 3
''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to '' Toy Story 2'' (1999). It wa ...
'', which was released on 11 October 2009. It also appeared in the trailer for the film ''
Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
''. In 2010, it was used as the opening theme for the CBBC show, ''
Hounded''.
References
{{Authority control
2007 singles
2007 songs
The Hoosiers songs
RCA Records singles