"To Say Goodbye" is the title of a song written and recorded by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 duo Joey + Rory

Joey + Rory

Joey+Rory is an American country music duo composed of singer-songwriters Rory Lee Feek and Joey Martin Feek, who are husband and wife. Joey is the duo's lead vocalist, while Rory sings background vocals and plays guitar. The duo was the third-place finalist on CMT's competition Can You Duet in 2008...

. It was released in July 2009 as the third single from their debut album, The Life of a Song

The Life of a Song

The Life of a Song is the debut studio album from the country music duo Joey + Rory. The album was released on October 28, 2008 via Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records. It was produced by Carl Jackson...

. Both members of Joey + Rory wrote the song along with Jamie Teachenor.

Content

"To Say Goodbye" is a piano ballad. In the first verse, the song describes a woman whose husband was killed in 9/11, and in the second an old man whose wife has Alzheimer’s and cannot remember who he is. The chorus finds both realizing they didn't get the chance "to say goodbye."

'Cause she wants to put her arms around his neck, and look in his eyes so blue

And say "Honey I don't regret a single day I spent with you"

She wants to tell him that she loves him so, and will until the day she dies

It ain't that she can't let him go, she just wants to say goodbye

Joey + Rory dedicated a special website to coencide with the single's release, an online community where people could share their personal stories and potentially say goodbye to the loved ones even after they're gone. Joey Martin uploaded a video of her talking about how she herself didn't get the chance "to say goodbye" to her brother Justin, who died in a car crash in July 1994. Additionally, Joey + Rory's MySpace features an edited version of the song, which includes a spoken intro from Joey describing her emotional connection to the song.

Reception

The song received mixed reception from critics. Bobby Peacock of Roughstock reviewed the song positively, comparing Joey's vocals to Patty Loveless

Patty Loveless

Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...

', and the song's theme to her 1994 single "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye

How Can I Help You Say Goodbye

"How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" is a single release by Patty Loveless, recorded at Sony/Epic in the early spring of 1993. It was included on her first album with Epic Records, Only What I Feel, her sixth career album. The single was released in March 1994...

". He also said, "[I]t still sounds as fresh and laid-back as the rest of the duo's releases[…]Joey + Rory find themselves faced with the challenge of releasing a slow, sad song in the summertime. But it's certainly a challenge worth facing, especially with music this strong." Stephen M. Deusner of The 9513 gave the song a thumbs down. "National tragedies and personal illnesses are certainly legitimate concerns for musicians and artists to address, but this song indulges melodrama

Melodrama

The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...

with no real focus or point." He also added that the song felt "weirdly truncated, as if there’s a third verse missing".