The Hollies are a well-respected British beat and pop band that formed in t… Read Full Bio ↴The Hollies are a well-respected British beat and pop band that formed in the early 60s. Initially they had a squeaky-clean image and were famous for their rich vocal harmonies, rivaling those of The Beach Boys. Between 1964 and 1969, only two Hollies songs failed to reach the UK Top 10. Their most famous member was Graham Nash, who left in 1968 to form the folk supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. Two of the core members, drummer Bobby Elliott and lead guitarist Tony Hicks, still perform with The Hollies into the new millennium.

Frequent releases during the mid-60s included many cover versions of popular songs, as well as a few group-penned hits and many songs written especially for them by professional songwriters.

The Hollies were formed in 1962 in Lancashire, England. By 1965,the group had been established as one of Britain's pre-eminent singles bands. As part of the British Invasion, they enjoyed huge chart success in many countries in the mid-Sixties, releasing a string of classic harmony-pop hits including Bus Stop I'm Alive, a UK No. 1, I Can't Let Go, Stop Stop Stop, Carrie Anne, On A Carousel, Look Through Any Window, and Jennifer Eccles.

In 1972, the hit Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress reached #2 in the US. Their last mega hit was He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, hitting #1 in the UK in 1988 (albeit 19 years after its first release).

The band are noted for their longevity, with their 2006 tour chalking up 45 years. Despite numerous changes in line-up, Tony Hicks & Bobby Elliott have been with the band almost from its inception.

Lead singer Allan Clarke left The Hollies in 1971, though he rejoined the band at later times. He was eventually replaced by Carl Wayne, ex lead singer of The Move, who passed away in 2004. Wayne was replaced by Peter Howarth. The 2007 line up is, Ian Parker on keyboards, Ray Stiles (Ex Mud, remember 'Tiger Feet') on bass guitar and Alan Coates on guitar and vocals by Steve Lauri.

Original bass player Eric Haydock died in January 2018.

The Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2010.

Allan Clarke (vocals, 1962-71, 1973-99), Graham Nash (guitar, vocals, 1962-68, 1983), Eric Haydock (bass, 1962-66), Vick Farrell (guitar, 1962), Don Rathbone (drums, 1962-63), Tony Hicks (guitar, banjo, mandolin, electric sitar, vocals, 1963-present), Bobby Elliott (drums, percussion, 1963-present), Bernie Calvert (bass, 1966-81), Terry Sylvester (guitar, vocals, 1969-81), Mikael Rickfors (vocals, 1971-73), Denis Haines (bass, 1981-86), Alan Coates (guitar, 1981-2004), Ray Stiles (bass, vocals, 1986-present), Ian Parker (keyboards, vocals, 1991-present), Carl Wayne (vocals, 2000-04), Peter Howarth (vocals, acoustic guitar, 2004-present), Steve Lauri (guitar, vocals, 2004-present)

Goodbye Tomorrow
The Hollies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now I see you and you laugh, my friend
"Didn`t I tell you so," you say
I just want to be alone, my friend
Will you please just go away

Today goes on like any other day
It doesn`t know, it doesn`t care
Never knew what loneliness could mean,

having love and then despair

[Chorus]
Goodbye tomorrow, I`m leaving you today
Goodbye tomorrow,
Don`t you be grieving `cause I`m leaving
It won`t matter to you anyway

Now it`s over What am I to do
Will I find the love of you
Can I be sure she`ll know what loving means
Can someone else love like you

[Chorus]

Goodbye tomorrow, I`m leaving you today

Overall Meaning

At the beginning of the song "Goodbye Tomorrow," the singer seems to be experiencing a difficult time and is trying to escape from the world around him. When his friend approaches him with positivity and laughter, the singer becomes even more frustrated, pushing his friend away and desiring to be alone. The second verse expresses the pain and confusion of the singer, who is struggling with loneliness after having experienced love and now plunging into despair. The chorus comes in with the singer expressing his goodbye to the future and deciding to leave behind everything to find a new path.

The final verse has the singer wondering what will come next after leaving everything behind. Will he find someone who loves him like the person he left behind? Will he find someone who knows the true meaning of love? The song "Goodbye Tomorrow" is thus an encouragement to the listener to look beyond the present and imagine a future filled with love and hope. Despite the challenges that the singer faces and the uncertainty of the future, the song ends on a message of hope for a happily ever after.

Line by Line Meaning

Now I see you and you laugh, my friend
Seeing you happy after what you did feels hurtful

"Didn't I tell you so," you say
You were warned about this happening

I just want to be alone, my friend
Please leave me alone with my thoughts

Will you please just go away
I need space to deal with this

Today goes on like any other day
The world keeps turning even though my heart is broken

It doesn't know, it doesn't care
The world is oblivious to my pain

Never knew what loneliness could mean,
Having had someone, it's worse being alone

having love and then despair
Going from the extreme of love to despair is heartbreaking

Goodbye tomorrow, I'm leaving you today
I'm choosing to leave the future behind and focus on the present

Goodbye tomorrow,
I'm saying goodbye to the future

Don't you be grieving 'cause I'm leaving
The future won't miss me