Music Review: Tegan & Sara "Goodbye, Goodbye"

Tegan & Sara

Goodbye, Goodbye

Album: Heartthrob

Year: 2013

           A sudden breakup leaves Tegan Quin upset in the  crisp   “Goodbye, Goodbye.”

          Sprung synths open the single, setting startled tone.   She isn’t bothering to check her phone anymore. It’s pointless. Her girlfriend isn’t going to call. She picks it up anyway and enters in her voicemail password. There’s a voicemail her girlfriend left, telling her she’s on her way over. Tears fall from her eyes as she listens, filling the grooves of her lips of her slight smile. She flips through her phone and finds some photos of when they were together. She knows she should delete them but she can’t. She puts her phone and begans to cry. The questions begin popping into her mind again: what made you hate me? why don’t you think we belong together? They are going to continously circle, leaving her spinning.  (“Goodbye/I don't want to feel the need to hear your voice/Goodbye/I don't want to feel the need to see your face/I can't live with all these things I would say/I can't live with all these things that I'd say.”)

           In the chorus, she knows it’s over. After their first breakup, she remebered how free how she felt. She no longer had to spell out her feelings and how close to making her girlfriend flash cards of her different expressions. Unlike her other exes, her girlfriend thought she wasn’t capable of being much. Her girlfriend put her needs first, informing of her getaways with her friends at the last minute and secret plans without her. Her exes, while they weren’t right for her, had some compassion. (“Goodbye, goodbye/Goodbye, goodbye/Like the first time/Goodbye, goodbye/Goodbye, goodbye/Like the first time/You never really knew me never ever/Never ever saw me, saw me like they did/You never really loved me never really/Never really loved me, loved me like they did.”)

Maybe in a couple years, she would like to see meet up with her. She’d like to find out if her interests have varied some and if her experiences caused her to grow up. She would like to see if she accomplished what she wanted and see if she has any regrets. She keeps thinking of the dreams she gave up: getting married and growing older with her. As each dreams becomes discolored with each passing day, it kills her a bit more. (“With some time I might want to see the way that you've changed/With some time I might want to see how you fared, what you can't replace/I can't stand it/All these things I've let go/I can't stand it/All these things I've let go.”)

             The chorus is sung again.

            In the  bridge, she says even though they were on and off for years, she still deserves an explanation. She left her without saying a word. She would’ve liked to have a chance to speak up for herself and explain what she might have done wrong. She could’ve dropped a vague hint here and there to give her an idea of what she was thinking. (“You could have told me goodbye/You could have told me goodbye/You let me try knowing there was nothing I could do to change you/You could have warned me/Knowing there was nothing I could do to change you/You never really knew me never ever/Never ever saw me, saw me like they did/You never really loved me never really/Never really loved me, loved me like they did

          The chorus is sung again to end the single.

          Tegan and Sara’s closed vocals shutter any bitterness to friends and family. Once alone, the hurt can be seen in plain view. They want to be over it and not to deal with it anymore. But it’s going to take time.

The modern new wave of the hip “Goodbye, Goodbye” is far too good to be toiling in obscurity.