Claudine Georgette Longet (born January 29, 1942 in Paris), was a popular s… Read Full Bio ↴Claudine Georgette Longet (born January 29, 1942 in Paris), was a popular singer and recording artist in the 1960s and 1970s. She was best known as the ex-wife of singer Andy Williams and later for being convicted of "misdemeanor negligent homicide" in the death of skiing star Spider Sabich.

She was a dancer at the Folies Bergere in Las Vegas. and met Andy Williams when he pulled over to aid her on a desert road. They married on Christmas Day 1961 and had three children, Noelle, Christian and Robert. In 1968, she appeared in "The Party" with Peter Sellers and sang "Nothing to Lose" by Henry Mancini. Longet recorded a series of five MOR albums for A&M Records between 1966 and 1970 and two albums for Williams's Barnaby label in 1971 and 1972. She also made frequent acting appearances in television series and appeared from time to time on Williams' variety series and specials. Williams called Longet a beautiful, sleek brunette with large doe eyes, "my favorite French singer". She and Williams separated in 1969 but did not divorce until 6 years later.

Longet has never performed again after the criminal trial, and the Sabich family initiated civil proceedings to sue Longet. The case was eventually settled out of court for a large monetary settlement, with the proviso that Longet never tell or write about her story. They also demanded that Claudine withdraw from public circulation her recording of "Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down."

It's Hard to Say Goodbye
Claudine Longet Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

To turn away
With no regrets
No regrets or tears
And no goodbyes to say
Life just never seems
To work that way
And it's hard to say
Goodbye...

To walk away
And not look back
Knowing love has gone
With no sad games to play
Life just never seems
To work that way
And it's hard to say
Goodbye...

You came along to me
The love you gave was right
The time was wrong for me
Can't you see

And so goodbye
Goodbye to love
Nothing more to say
But I'll remember you
I'll remember how you looked today
Yes, it's hard to say
Goodbye...
Goodbye...
Goodbye...

Goodbye...
Goodbye...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Claudine Longet's song "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" are about the difficulty of ending a relationship. The song describes the struggle of walking away with no regrets or tears, leaving no goodbyes to say. But life just never seems to work that way, and it's hard to say goodbye. The idea of not looking back knowing that love has gone is expressed in the second verse. The lyrics make it clear that love was once present, but for one reason or another, the time was wrong for the singer. The chorus repeats a few times, emphasizing the difficulty of saying goodbye.

The lyrics showcase the theme of missed opportunities and untimely endings in relationships. The singer seems to acknowledge the love that was given, but ultimately has to say goodbye, leaving behind memories of better times. Longet's light, airy voice adds to the bittersweet quality of the lyrics, almost as if she is resigned to the fact that sometimes it just doesn't work out.

Overall, Claudine Longet's "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" is a poignant, melancholy song about the difficult art of letting go of love. It highlights the emotions involved in parting ways and moving on from the past.

Line by Line Meaning

To turn away
To leave without hesitation

With no regrets
Without feeling any sorrow or guilt

No regrets or tears
No sadness or remorse

And no goodbyes to say
Leaving without feeling the need to say farewell

Life just never seems
A general statement that things don't always go the way one wants

To work that way
To occur as intended or desired

And it's hard to say
One will find it difficult to vocalize their feelings

Goodbye...
A farewell message

To walk away
To leave behind

And not look back
Without having second thoughts

Knowing love has gone
Being aware that love has ended