“Bye Bye Love”
Song by Ray Charles
“Bye Bye Love” is a song from Ray’s 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music. The well-known song is treated by Ray Charles much like it was in its other well-known versions: “Bye Bye Love” is fun, despite the situation the protagonist finds himself in.
And on “Bye Bye Love” Ray is definitely having fun. The title phrase is sung by his chorus of female singers while Ray busies himself with his infectious grunts, wails, and ecstatic outbursts. The song is an unusual example of Ray not really getting into or reflecting on the meaning of the words – the lyrics are all woe-is-me “I’m through with love” stuff but our hero just cuts loose, enjoying the musicality of it all.
This version of “Bye Bye Love” finds Ray and his musicians altering the melody of parts of the song – particularly the parts about “I think I’m gonna die” – to make them less ostentatious, more sad. Presumably this is to make room for the brass which is bright and punchy. Just like Ray liked it.
“Bye Bye Love” is handled with impressive deftness. It’s short but oh so good.
Listen to “Bye Bye Love”
Songs on Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music