country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer
Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...
. It was released in February 1988 as the first single from Twitty's album '' Still in Your Dreams''. The song reached number 7 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart.
In 2004, a
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
was recorded by country music artist
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
on his album '' Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill''. This cover was issued in early 2005 as that album's third single, and by mid-2005, it became the fourth Top Ten hit of Shelton's career, peaking at number 10 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' country charts and number 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Background and writing
James Dean Hicks and
Roger Murrah
Roger Alan Murrah (born November 20, 1946) is a songwriter and independent music publisher who has written hits for artists including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Alabama. Murrah pointed out that the two "just started playing music and singing lyrics", and the song came together.
Initially, the two songwriters had planned for
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
to record "Goodbye Time". However, McEntire felt that she could not sing the song, as she, too, had been going through a divorce at the time, and she felt that several of the song's lyrics matched what her ex-husband had told her when they split. The song was then pitched to
Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...
who recorded it. His version features
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
on background vocals.
Content
"Goodbye Time" is a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
in which the narrator addresses a former lover, attempting to keep her from leaving him. Ultimately, he tells her that "if the feeling's gone / Words won't stop you anyway". In the chorus, he adds that "if it's too late for love to change your mind / Then it's goodbye time".
Blake Shelton version
16 years after Twitty's rendition,
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
recorded "Goodbye Time" for his third studio album, 2004's '' Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill'', having been inspired to record the song after hearing it on a television special about Twitty. Murrah felt positively of Shelton's rendition, stating that Shelton "
ade
Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to:
Aeronautics
*Ada Air's ICAO code
* Aden International Airport's IATA code
*Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India
Medical
* Adverse Drug Event
*Antibody-dependent enhancement
* A ...