Medley met his singing partner Bobby Hatfield while attending California State University, Long Beach. The pair began singing as a duo in 1962. Their first single was "Little Latin Lupe Lu"; their first hit was "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", produced by Phil Spector in 1964. Follow-up hits included "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" and "Unchained Melody".
The duo broke up in 1968, but returned with another hit in 1974, "Rock And Roll Heaven", and they continued to appear together until Hatfield's death in November 2003. The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003 by one of their biggest fans, Billy Joel.
Medley also had a moderately successful solo career. In 1987 his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", was included on the Dirty Dancing motion picture soundtrack album and the single reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also won a 1988 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
California Goodbye
Bill Medley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And write the note, but it wasn't you
And every single word was wrong
But every word you wrote you knew was true
And as you stepped into the night
You wondered how this ever got so damned confused
And again you cry in the darkness all alone
You watch the desert fall away to mountains
And to forest green and rivers blue
An you glance down at your watch and wonder
What he's thinking now that it's already noon
And then you think you'll chance the radio again
Though the last time every song just made you cry
Wo, wo, yes, it did
And as you touch the dial
Another tear falls for the California goodbye
There are dreams that we can keep
And there are stars that shine through space
Though it's cold and deep, dreams that we can keep
Oceans rise and fall and desert winds don't sleep
Tomorrow you'll be home again
A thousand memories down the road from yesterday
And if you're not too late
You might see, baby, brother pack his things and walk away
But somewhere deep inside
You know an aching heart can never run and hide
Ah, then you, you wanna die
As the sun sets fire to the desert sky
A curtain falls on the California goodbye, goodbye
The lyrics to "California Goodbye" by Bill Medley express the bittersweet feelings of leaving behind a place and person that once felt like home. The opening lines paint a picture of the singer watching themselves write a note, acknowledging that the words they put down don't quite capture the true depth of their emotions. Despite this, they know that what they're leaving behind is something they'll truly miss. The chorus describes the bitter taste left in the singer's mouth by the situation, likening it to a farewell that feels incomplete or poorly executed.
As the singer makes their journey away from California, they observe the scenery around them changing, finally observing the beauty of the natural world around them. However, they're still consumed by thoughts of the person they're leaving behind, wondering what they might be thinking and feeling at the moment. The chorus repeats once again, as the singer is reminded of the inadequacy of the goodbye they've just experienced. The final stanza captures the melancholy feeling of moving on, acknowledging that the past can never quite be left behind, but that there's still the possibility of holding onto cherished memories.
Overall, "California Goodbye" is a poignant and evocative song that speaks to the pain of leaving what we know and love behind.
Line by Line Meaning
You watched your hand hold the pen
You watched as your hand wrote the letter
And write the note, but it wasn't you
You wrote the note, but you didn't recognize the words that came out
And every single word was wrong
Every word you wrote was incorrect
But every word you wrote you knew was true
Despite being incorrect, you knew every word you wrote was honest
And as you stepped into the night
As you stepped outside into darkness
You wondered how this ever got so damned confused
You were bewildered as to how everything got so messed up
And again you cry in the darkness all alone
Once again, you cry by yourself in the dark
The bitter taste of the California goodbye
You feel bitter towards leaving California
You watch the desert fall away to mountains
You observe the desert disappearing and the mountains appearing
And to forest green and rivers blue
As you keep driving, you see forests of green and blue rivers
An you glance down at your watch and wonder
You look at your watch and think about what's going on
What he's thinking now that it's already noon
You wonder what someone is thinking now that it's already noon
And then you think you'll chance the radio again
You decide to try listening to the radio again
Though the last time every song just made you cry
You remember how the last time you listened to the radio, every song made you cry
Wo, wo, yes, it did
It's confirmed that every song from last time did make you cry
And as you touch the dial
As you go to change the radio station
Another tear falls for the California goodbye
You shed another tear for saying goodbye to California
There are dreams that we can keep
There are dreams that we can hold on to
And there are stars that shine through space
There are stars that can be seen from far away
Though it's cold and deep, dreams that we can keep
Even though things may be difficult, we can still hold on to our dreams
Oceans rise and fall and desert winds don't sleep
The oceans will always have waves and the desert winds never stop blowing
Tomorrow you'll be home again
You'll be back home again tomorrow
A thousand memories down the road from yesterday
You have so many memories from your past
And if you're not too late
If you're not delayed too much
You might see, baby, brother pack his things and walk away
You might see your brother packing his things and leaving
But somewhere deep inside
Deep down inside of you
You know an aching heart can never run and hide
You know that a broken heart can never be avoided or hidden
Ah, then you, you wanna die
Sometimes you feel like you want to die
As the sun sets fire to the desert sky
As the sun sets, it sets the sky on fire
A curtain falls on the California goodbye, goodbye
The end comes for the California goodbye
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT SHAYNE FAIR, STEPHEN HARTLEY DORFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind