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)
Hello Lady Goodbye
The Hollies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was he laughing at me?
I went to the basin washed the sleep out my eyes
So I could see
A note on the bed close to where my lover should be
She slipped away in the night
The writing was shaky and with tears on the sheets
So farewell sweet lover, farewell
I'm sorry we never said goodbye
So farewell sweet lover, farewell
Left with a tear in your eye
Must've been brewing for a very long time
In the wardrobe the hangers are bare
Don't know how you did it, it must've been planned
You even took your favorite chair
So goodbye my lady, goodbye
You won't find no tear in my eye
So goodbye my lady, goodbye
Going out tonight to get high
Found myself at Charlie's scene
Drinking all fashions
Sticky painted movie queen winked her eye at me
That's how it happened
Diamond shoes, satin dress
Satin ribbons, like flashin', flashin', flashin', flashin'
Woke up in the morning heard my mockingbird sing
And it was singin' for me
The lady I met last night's here by my side
She's good company
Well, hello sweet lady, hello
Good morning with a smile
Well, hello sweet lady, hello
This lady's gonna make it alright
This lady's gonna make it alright
This lady's gonna make it alright
Lady, lady
This lady's gonna make it alright
Lady, lady
This lady's gonna make it alright
Lady, lady
This lady's gonna make it alright
Lady, lady
This lady's gonna make it alright
The lyrics to The Hollies' song Hello Lady Goodbye depict the singer's realization that his lover has left him in the middle of the night after a fight. He wakes up to the sound of a mockingbird singing, wondering if it's mocking him for not noticing his lover's unhappiness. He finds a note on the bed apologizing for the fight and saying goodbye. The singer is clearly upset but tries to maintain a tough exterior, saying goodbye to his lover without shedding a tear. He then goes out to get high and ends up spending the night with a woman he meets at a bar. The next morning, he wakes up to the sound of the mockingbird singing again, but this time he has a new lady by his side who he hopes will make everything alright.
The lyrics demonstrate the emotional complexity of a break-up, with the singer oscillating between sadness, anger, and attempted detachment. The mockingbird takes on a symbolic role, representing the unfeeling natural world that continues to go on despite the singer's heartache. Similarly, the wardrobe and the hangers that are now bare represent the emptiness that the singer feels without his lover, who even took her favorite chair with her when she left.
Overall, Hello Lady Goodbye is a poignant and relatable depiction of heartbreak and its aftermath, with its nostalgic tone and clear-eyed portrayal of the various emotions that come into play.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up in the morning heard a mockingbird sing
I woke up in the morning and heard a mockingbird singing. I wondered if it was making fun of me for experiencing heartbreak.
Was he laughing at me?
I wondered if the mockingbird was mocking me since my lover had left me.
I went to the basin washed the sleep out my eyes, So I could see
I went to the basin to wash my eyes because I wanted clarity about my life and be able to see things clearly.
A note on the bed close to where my lover should be, She slipped away in the night
I found a note by the side of the empty bed where my lover used to sleep. She left in the dead of the night.
The writing was shaky and with tears on the sheets, I'm sorry we had a fight
The note was written with shaky hands and had tear stains, conveying my lover's regret over our argument.
So farewell sweet lover, farewell, I'm sorry we never said goodbye
I bid farewell to my lover, regretting that we didn't have a chance to say goodbye properly.
Left with a tear in your eye
I left the relationship with a heavy heart and sadness in my eyes.
Must've been brewing for a very long time
The issues in our relationship had been brewing for much longer than just that one argument.
In the wardrobe, the hangers are bare
My lover had taken all her clothes with her, leaving the wardrobe empty.
Don't know how you did it, it must've been planned, You even took your favorite chair
I couldn't understand how my lover could have left so easily, it seemed like she had planned it beforehand. She even took her favorite chair.
So goodbye my lady, goodbye, You won't find no tear in my eye
I said goodbye to my lover without shedding any tears, despite my heartache.
Going out tonight to get high
To numb my pain, I planned to go out and get high.
Found myself at Charlie's scene, Drinking all fashions
I ended up at Charlie's and drank to forget my heartbreak.
Sticky painted movie queen winked her eye at me, That's how it happened
A woman - a sticky painted movie queen - flirted with me, and we ended up spending the night together.
Diamond shoes, satin dress, Satin ribbons, like flashin', flashin', flashin', flashin'
The woman had on diamond shoes, wore a satin dress, and had satin ribbons that were shining and sparkling like a flash of light.
Woke up in the morning heard my mockingbird sing, And it was singin' for me
The mockingbird was singing again, but this time, it felt like it was singing for me in a positive way.
The lady I met last night's here by my side, She's good company
The woman I met last night was now beside me, and she was keeping me company and helping me forget my pain.
Well, hello sweet lady, hello, Good morning with a smile, Well, hello sweet lady, hello
I greeted my new companion in the morning with a smile, saying hello to the sweet lady who had made me feel good once again.
This lady's gonna make it alright, This lady's gonna make it alright, This lady's gonna make it alright, This lady's gonna make it alright
I felt like this lady was going to make everything alright, heal my broken heart and help me move on from my past relationship.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAN CLARKE, TERRY SYLVESTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Carrie Anne
A nice and catchy song by The Hollies.
Philip Kassabian
on Bus Stop
Yet another great Hollies song.
Philip Kassabian
on Stop Stop Stop
One of the best bands from the 60's no doubt.