Your heart is not open, so I must go
The spell has been broken, I loved you so
Freedom comes when you learn to let go
Creation comes when you learn to say no
[Verse 2]
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress you had to burn
Pain is a warning that something's wrong
I pray to God that it won't be long
Do you wanna go higher?
[Chorus]
There's nothing left to try
There's no place left to hide
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye
[Verse 3]
Your heart is not open, so I must go
The spell has been broken, I loved you so
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress
[Chorus]
There's nothing left to lose
There's no more heart to bruise
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye
Learn to say good-bye
I yearn to say good-bye
[Chorus]
There's nothing left to try
There's no more places to hide
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye
There's nothing left to lose
There's no more heart to bruise
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye
About
“The Power of Good-Bye” is an electronic-pop ballad by Madonna from her seventh studio album Ray of Light. It was written by Madonna and Rick Nowels, and was produced by Madonna, William Orbit and Patrick Leonard. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in 1998. The song is about finding strength and solace in the aftermath of a relationship ending.
American songwriter Rick Nowels, co-writer of the song, talked about the experience of working with Madonna:
It was a career-changing experience for me. Before that I had always done my co-writing with friends. But working with Madonna […] it was the first time I had ever written one-on-one with a great artist/writer. After that I changed gears a little, and now I mostly collaborate directly with artists.
“The Power of Good-Bye” received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a worldwide success, although it failed to match the massive heights of her previous singles from the album, “Frozen” and “Ray of Light.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Co-writer Rick Nowels discussed his collaboration with Madonna with Idolator:
Madonna and I wrote nine songs together over a two week period in late April 1997. Madonna would show up at 3 p.m. and we would start from scratch. She would leave at 7:00 and we would have a finished song and demo with all her lead and background vocals recorded.
She is a brilliant pop melodist and lyricist. I was knocked out by the quality of the writing. The lyrics to ‘The Power Of Good-Bye’ are stunning. I love Madonna as an artist and a songwriter… I know she grew up on Joni Mitchell and Motown, and to my ears she embodies the best of both worlds. She is a wonderful confessional songwriter, as well as being a superb hit chorus pop writer… She doesn’t get the credit she deserves as a writer.
- 2.Swim
- 3.Ray of Light
- 5.Skin
- 9.Frozen
- 10.The Power of Good-Bye
- 12.Little Star
- 13.Mer Girl
