Good Goodbye
by Linkin Park (featuring Pusha T & Stormzy)

Album: One More Light (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song uses fouling out of a game of basketball as metaphor for the end of a relationship.

    And you can't understand the fact
    That it's over and done, hope you had fun
    You've got a lot to discuss on the bus
    Headed back where you're from


    The lyrics were partially inspired by rapper and producer Mike Shinoda's love of the sport. "I'm a basketball fan," he told Genius. "When I was writing this song, I wanted to capture that moment at the game when someone fouls out, and the cheerleaders sing and kick out the ejected player."

    Lead vocalist Chester Bennington added: "We wanted this song to apply to two things at the same time: someone getting kicked out of a game, and someone getting out of a bad relationship."
  • Pusha T and Stormzy both contribute verses. Though this is British rapper Stormzy's first collaboration with Linkin Park, Pusha previously worked with the band on a remix of "I'll Be Gone," which was recorded for their 2013 album, Recharged.
  • Shinoda described this song during an interview with LP Association as an outlier track that does not fit in with the rest of the One More Light album. He explained the tune is "sarcastic" in tone and a "change of pace."
  • Mike Shinoda told NME about Pusha T and Stormzy's contributions to the song: "We're big fans of both. We reached out to them and said, 'Would you be on the song?' and they said yes. I wish there was a better story! They did their vocals in the comfort of their own studios, but we did meet. We shot a video for it and we all hang out."

    Chester Bennington added: "Push did his scene in two or three takes and then Stormzy was thinking, 'I've got to go and prepare myself for a video shoot.' He flew in all the way from London, he gets there we're like, 'Dope verse, you killed it! and director does three takes and he's like Boom, Got it! He nailed it."
  • Directed by Isaac Rentz, the video features Chester Bennington in a futuristic life-threatening dunk challenge on a dystopian basketball court. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar co-stars as a sort of overlord keeping score.

    "The video we shot features, in my opinion, the greatest player of all time s the emperor of a dunk contest to the deaths in which I have to go up against round after round of dunking on dudes to save my life," Bennington told Billboard magazine. "I think we're kind of known for our more serious stuff but this is a fun distraction from being so serious all the time."
  • Mike Shinoda wanted to ensure both guest rappers had a fair crack of the whip. "There's an etiquette to how you put together a song with multiple people on it because you want to show respect to everyone involved and make sure they're each doing a verse that represents them well," he told Genius. "They each have their shot at it, right?"

    "And I had done my verse first and then sent it to Pusha, and then Stormzy heard it separate from Pusha," he added. "Nobody heard anyone else's verse when they wrote their verse. I prefer that. Because once people start hearing each other's verses and stuff then you have a reaction. I don't mind Pusha hearing my verse before he writes his, but I hate for him to feel like he wrote his verse and then I touched mine. That would be messed up. I would never do that."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."