Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

The song Say Hello, Wave Goodbye by Soft Cell, originally released in January 1982, immerses us in an atmosphere charged with melancholy and farewell.

Composed by Marc Almond and David Ball, this track was recorded in 1981, exploring the textures of synth-pop and electropop. Its original runtime is around five and a half minutes, and it was part of the album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, released by the Some Bizzare label. Production was handled by Mike Thorne, with mixing by Harvey Goldberg, and Don Wershba serving as recording engineer. At the beginning of the extended version, the participation of Dave Tofani on clarinet can be heard.

This piece had an interesting later life. In 1991, Julian Mendelsohn remixed it, releasing it as Say Hello, Wave Goodbye '91 to promote the compilation Memorabilia – The Singles. For this new version, Marc Almond re-recorded the vocals.

The song has been recognized in major lists, appearing at position 65 of the 100 best songs of 1982 according to Rolling Stone magazine, and at number 12 of the 40 best synth-pop songs by Classic Pop magazine. The promotional music video featured British actress Eileen Daly and is set in a fictional club called Pink Flamingo, inspired by a real venue on Brewer Street, Soho. The lyrics' lines "Take your hands off me / I don't belong to you" were used by the Brazilian band Legião Urbana in their song Será, from their 1985 debut album.

Later, in 1998, British artist David Gray included a cover of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye on his successful album White Ladder, reaching number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. Gray's interpretation incorporated fragments from Van Morrison's songs, Madame George and Into the Mystic.