Bye Bye, Love

‘Bye Bye, Love’ is the fourth song on George Harrison’s fifth solo album Dark Horse.

It is a cover of the Everly Brothers’ 1957 hit song, and the only non-original composition on the album.

Harrison added a comma to the song’s title, and added some additional lyrics in reference to his separation from Pattie Boyd and her new relationship with Eric Clapton:

There goes our lady, with a-you-know-who
I hope she’s happy, old Clapper too
We had good rhythm, and a little slide, till she stepped in
Did me a favour, I threw them both out…

Now I’m into romance, I shy away from love
Got tired of ladies that plot and shove me
And that’s the reason we all can see so clearly
They see that our lady is out on a spree

The album’s label added the note: “Parody Lyric added by George Harrison and permission to use given for this Album only.”

Harrison plays all instruments on the recording, including electric piano and drums. It was recorded at his Friar Park home studio.

On the album’s inner sleeve Harrison credited “Pattie + Eric Clapton” for the song, alongside the words “Do yourself a favour”.

He also credits “Rhythm Ace”, which musician Tom Scott described in 1975 as being “an electronic machine that plays any rhythm – a boogaloo, a cha-cha or a rhumba. I suppose a lot of people will think it’s a person.”

Since 1963, 1964, The Beatles have been owned by the public, or Fleet Street, and we learnt to live with that. I found that it was much easier just to tell people. What’s the point in trying to hide something? It only means that they are going to be crawling around your garden, trying to get pictures of you and stuff. It’s easier just to say ‘Sure, I’m divorced’ or whatever.

So well, you know, it was public knowledge, at least with the few people I know, and so that was just a little joke.