Goodbye Stranger

"Goodbye Stranger"
Single by Supertramp
from the album Breakfast in America
B-side	"Even in the Quietest Moments"
Released	June 1979
Recorded	1978 The Village Recorder (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Rock pop
Length	5:50
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Rick Davies Roger Hodgson
Producer(s)	Peter Henderson Supertramp
Certification	Gold (CRIA)[1]
Supertramp singles chronology
"Breakfast in America" (1979) "Goodbye Stranger" (1979) "Take the Long Way Home" (1979)

"Goodbye Stranger" is a song by the English rock band Supertramp, which first appeared on their sixth studio album, Breakfast in America (1979). It met with only limited success in the band's native country but was a major hit elsewhere, reaching number 15 in the USA and number 6 in Canada.

Music video

In the music video, the band plays the track on a soundstage. Rick Davies is playing the Wurlitzer electric piano, Roger Hodgson and Dougie Thomson are playing their guitars (Hodgson on electric, Thomson on bass), John Helliwell is playing keyboards and Bob Siebenberg is playing drums and percussion.

Cover versions

• The song was covered by Lili Haydn on her Goodbye Stranger Ep (2007) Nettwerk Music Group
• A parody of this song, called "Goodbye, Toby" was featured on the 4th season finale of The Office, sung by Michael Scott (Steve Carell).^[2]

In popular culture

It was featured on the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati on the episode "Baby, If You Ever Wondered". It was also featured on the 1999 soundtrack to Magnolia album, along with "The Logical Song", its predecessor on the Billboard singles charts. The American TV series Supernatural has an episode named after the song, which features it prominently during the closing scene. The song is featured in the American mockumentary The Office sung by Michael Scott sarcastically to send off Toby Flenderson, changing the lyrics to "Goodbye Toby".

Charts

Chart (1979)	Peak Position
UK Singles Chart[3]	57
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4]	15
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[5]	6
New Zealand Singles Chart[6]	40

Personnel

• Rick Davies — Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond organ, lead and backing vocals
• Roger Hodgson — electric guitar
• John Helliwell — whistling
• Bob Siebenberg — drums
• Dougie Thomson — bass guitar

References

1. "Gold Platinum Database: Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
2. The Office - Goodbye Toby, from NBC, retrieved 2009-08-27
3. Supertramp in the UK Charts, The Official Charts.
4. "Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
5. "Top Singles - Volume 32, No. 1, September 29, 1979". RPM. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
6. Charts.org.nz

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics