Goodbye Mr. Blue

Album: Chloë and the Next 20th Century (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Goodbye Mr. Blue" is a stripped-down, country-folk ballad about a Turkish Angora pedigree cat. The moggy symbolizes the only bond left in a broken relationship. "I think the cat is more of a pain in the ass for the narrator, at least at the very start of the song," Father John Misty explained to The Sun. "The ex-girlfriend has advanced in her career and is traveling more now and, as such, can't look after Mr. Blue."

    He added: "So he begrudgingly takes the cat because he doesn't have anything else going on, which seems like a point of contention in the relationship."

    Their crumbled romance takes an upturn following the death of the beloved Turkish Angora cat. "Mr. Blue getting sick and dying brings them back to together for a moment, but you get a sense what's been lost is lost," Misty said.
  • Father John Misty recorded the slow and emotional acoustic ballad for Chloë and the Next 20th Century. It is one of many story-telling songs on the album.
  • Father John Misty recorded Chloë and the Next 20th Century in the second half of 2020 with his longtime collaborator Jonathan Wilson. The singer-songwriter entered Wilson's Five Star Studios in August 2020 with four tunes. Following that session, Misty wrote the rest of the songs, including "Goodbye Mr. Blue," before recording resumed from October to December.
  • Misty took the album name from the record's opening track, "Chloë," and closing song, "The Next 20th Century."
  • Noel Paul (Bat For Lashes' "All Your Gold," Lily Allen's "Air Balloon," Father John Misty's "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings") directed the video. It follows a young woman's journey to her family home in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.