"What's So Good About Goodbye" was a 1961 hit single recorded by R&B group

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential grou ...

for

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

' Tamla label, later included on their 1962 album ''

I'll Try Something New ''I'll Try Something New'' is the third Tamla (Motown) album by The Miracles. The title track was an important early single for the group, featuring Smokey Robinson's lead voice, a chorus led by his wife Claudette and an orchestra of strings ...

.'' The single was the Miracles’ second Top 40 Pop hit, peaking at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

during the winter of 1962, and a Top 20 R&B hit as well, peaking at number 16 on ''Billboard's''

R&B singles chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

Background

"What's So Good About Goodbye" was written by Miracles lead singer

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chi ...

, "What's So Good About Goodbye" explores a relationship on the verge of breakup. This song, particularly Miracles member

Marv Tarplin Marvin Tarplin (June 13, 1941 – September 30, 2011) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their bigges ...

's guitar licks, proved a major influence on

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

, and inspired their song "

Ask Me Why "Ask Me Why" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles originally released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of their single "Please Please Me". It was also included on their 1963 debut album ''Please Please Me''. It was written primarily ...

". Its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, " I've Been Good To You", was also a hit, charting at number 103 in the U.S. It too was an influence on The Beatles, most notably shown on their 1968 recording “

Sexy Sadie Sexy is an adjective to describe a sexually appealing person (or thing), primarily referring to physical attractiveness. It may also refer to: * Sexual arousal, the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity * Sexual a ...

”. Both songs were performed on the group's first live album, ''

The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage ''The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage'' is a 1963 live album by the Miracles, part of the early 1960s Motown "Live on Stage" series by various artists. The first of three live albums the group released during their career, it features R&B number ...

''.

Personnel

- lead vocals *

Claudette Rogers Robinson Claudette Annette Rogers Robinson ( Rogers; born June 20, 1938) is an American singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was a founding member of the group, which befor ...

- background vocals * Pete Moore - background vocals *

Ronnie White Ronald Anthony White (April 5, 1939 – August 26, 1995), usually referred to as Ronnie White, was an American singer, best known as the co-founder of The Miracles and its only consistent original member. White was also known for bringing Stevi ...

- background vocals *

Bobby Rogers Robert Edward Rogers (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013) was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a member of Motown vocal group the Miracles from 1956 until his death. He was inducted, in 2012, as a member of the Miracles to t ...

- background vocals *

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The ...

- instrumentation

Chart performance

Cover Versions

"What's So Good About Goodbye" was later covered by: *

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, who included on their 1965 album '' The Temptations Sing Smokey''. *

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...

(Unreleased from 1969) *Rock band

Quix*o*tic Quix*o*tic was a rock band active from 1997 to 2002 in the area of Washington, D.C., United States. They were known for their blend of R&B and doo wop with a Gothic outlook. History Quix*o*tic formed in 1997. The original line-up was guitarist/voca ...

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

group

Giant Sunflower In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 ...

References

External links

*
''The Miracles: "What's So Good About Goodbye" - Song review from the " Motown Junkies" website''
The Miracles songs Songs written by Smokey Robinson Tamla Records singles 1961 singles 1962 singles Song recordings produced by Berry Gordy 1961 songs {{1960s-single-stub