Video: Father John Misty “Goodbye, Mr Blue”

With gorgeously delicate finger-picking guitar and a wistfully warm, conversational vocal, Father John Misty, AKA Josh Tillman, delivers the beautiful ‘Goodbye Mr. Blue’.  The song brings to mind the 1970s country singer-songwriter sound and, indeed, ‘Goodbye Mr. Blue’ is so carefully crafted and smoothly performed that it stands comfortably alongside songs from the likes of Harry Nilsson and John Denver.  Lyrically powerful, the song uses the death of a couple’s cat, Mr. Blue, to symbolise the unravelling of their relationship.  Tillman’s repetition of, “This may be the last time,” throughout the song is particularly effective, especially when followed up at the end with the final, “If only then I knew // That last time was our last time // Would have told you // That the last time comes too soon.”  The song is taken from the brand new album, ‘Chloë and The Next 20th Century’, which is already and album-of-the-year contender.  On the new material, Tillman has collaborated, once again, with multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson and the result is a rich, layered sound.

Here, we share the official video and an excellent performance of the song from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.  Both versions are exquisite.  The Noel Paul-directed cinematic video, produced by Nadya Tabutoba and Georgi Abrashev, is a piece of art in itself.  Filmed on location in Bulgaria, it contains wonderful symbols and images that reinforce the song’s themes, from the gorgeous European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) that has made its home in a landscape scarred by human machinery to the use of bolt-cutters at the end.  It’s cleverly and artfully shot and remains with you alongside the tuneful beauty of the song.  Enjoy.

About Andrew Frolish 1403 Articles
From up north but now hiding in rural Suffolk. An insomniac music-lover. Love discovering new music to get lost in - country, singer-songwriters, Americana, rock...whatever. Currently enjoying Nils Lofgren, Ferris & Sylvester, Tommy Prine, Jarrod Dickenson, William Prince, Frank Turner, Our Man in the Field...
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alasdair lambie

Brilliant, everything. The song, the video the review, all briliant. Thanks.