"Goodbye to You," Scandal (1982)

How can a song rock this hard yet sound so effortless?

Peak: #5 on the rock chart (#65 on the Hot 100)
Streams: 9.8 million

In some ways, the Lost Songs Project is a chronicle of my realization that half the happy songs in the world are actually sad as hell. That’s the case with Dolly Parton’s“Heartbreak Express”, and it’s certainly true of Scandal’s “Goodbye To You.” When it comes to 80s songs that make me want to bounce around, this one is right up there with “Walking On Sunshine.” It’s the type of tune that was made for Emilio Estevez’s kick dance from that one scene in The Breakfast Club.

But lyrically? It’s a dark night of the soul. Patty Smyth, Scandal’s lead singer, talks about giving up, at long last, on a love that will never make her happy. She says the last few weeks of holding onto this relationship have wrecked her, and she figures it’s time say “goodbye to you.” That’s not a victorious kiss-off, no matter how peppy the tempo. It’s a last, devastated look at the lover you’re about to leave forever.

This contradiction is contained in Patty Smyth’s vocal…