Bye Bye

Album: Bye Bye (1998)
Charted: 43
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With characteristic bluntness, singer/songwriter Jo Dee Messina says that this was a song she definitely related to at the time she recorded it. And it was the whole "You know what? I'm outta here, I deserve better than this" strength of this song that caught her interest. "Not in an arrogant sense, but everyone deserves to be treated well, and everyone deserves to be happy. And I love that this song was like, You know what? I'm never looking back. See ya! You've given me the runaround, I really deserve better than that. Everyone does. So I love the strength in this song, and the whole, 'I'm going to take care of me.'"

    Complainers have no place in her life. Jo Dee is a believer in action and sees complaining and remaining stationary in the problem as a lousy way to spend your time. "You'll see that belief in a lot of the stuff that I sing about and I write about," she says. "It's very low energy, it takes its toll on you physically, it affects you when you're sitting in that humdrum place. Look at the person that gripes all the time. Look at their face. It's written all over their face. They don't smile, they've got these really deep creases, the frown lines, the this, the that. You can see it. They're constantly angry. I don't want that." (Read more in our interview with Jo Dee Messina.)
  • This was written by Phil Vassar (and country scribe Rory Michael Bourke), who started out in Nashville as a songwriter before releasing his self-titled debut album in 2000. Vassar included his rendition on his 2006 album, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1.
  • This was a #2 hit on the Country chart.

Comments: 2

  • Kate from Poughkeepsie, NySinger/songwriter Phil Vassar co-wrote this song, and he sung it on his Greatest Hits album...I like his version of this song is pretty good! I like Jo Dee's version too!
  • Mark from Lancaster, OhI wish her later songs had the band this one did. The instrumentation is simply amazing: one of the finest arrangements I've heard anywhere.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

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.