Open Your Box 20/Hits 33: Goodbyes

This post, a hybrid of little-heard album tracks and past hits, represents a lot of change in my life right now. In the past week, and over the next few weeks, I have a whole lot of goodbyes to say. I'm leaving work (my first paying job in a while), and many old friends, to return to school after a summer break. In that spirit, I've rounded up a handful of goodbye songs. It's nearly enough for a full mixtape, but unlike the actual Mixtape series, I haven't picked them out to work as a cohesive set of songs. To start off, a classic standard performed y Ella Fitzgerald is sure to pull on the heartstrings. The Spice Girls follow it up with perhaps their sappiest ballad of all, the entirely appropriate farewell track "Goodbye." Next is one of Elton John's greatest songs, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," a goodbye to comforting dreams taken from his groundbreaking album of the same name. N Sync turns things around with their smash hit "Bye Bye Bye," and Madonna gets the drum & bass treatment with a remix of her subtle ballad "The Power Of Goodbye." Faithless turned out an out-of-character acoustic ballad with their single "Don't Leave," while Natalie Imbruglia stays true to her power ballad roots with the stirring album track "Goodbye," from her underappreciated second effort White Lilies Island. The Pet Shop Boys have an extensive discography full of both exceptional singles and worthwhile album tracks, like the great "This must be the place I waited years to leave," written with a James Bond film soundtrack in mind. Pizzicato Five are as cheeky and purely pop as ever on one of their last great songs, "Goodbye Baby & Amen," while the Smashing Pumpkins ended an epic phase of their career, the unmatched double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, with the sedated "Farewell And Goodnight." There are loads of fitting farewell songs, and these few can't begin to dig in to the many out there, but hopefully the selections below should give you a head start.

Ella Fitzgerald, "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" [YSI] (from The Best Of The Song Books)
Spice Girls, "Goodbye" [YSI] (from Forever)
Elton John, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" [YSI] (from Greatest Hits)
N Sync, "Bye Bye Bye" [YSI] (from No Strings Attached)
Madonna, "The Power Of Goodbye" (Fabien's Good God Mix) [YSI] (original on Ray Of Light)
Faithless, "Don't Leave" [YSI] (from Forever Faithless: The Greatest Hits)
Natalie Imbruglia, "Goodbye" [YSI] (from White Lilies Island)
Pet Shop Boys, "This must be the place I waited years to leave" [YSI] (from Behaviour)
Pizzicato Five, "Goodbye Baby & Amen" [YSI] (from The Fifth Release From Matador)
The Smashing Pumpkins, "Farewell And Goodnight" [YSI] (from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)

***Note: Links removed***

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