"Too Good at Goodbyes" is a song by English singer Sam Smith. It was released on September 8, 2017, by Capitol Records as the first single from their second studio album, The Thrill of It All (2017). The song reached number one on the UK charts and number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top of the charts in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. The song was in the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. It was in the top 20 in Austria, Finland, Germany, and Spain.

Background and release

On 31 August 2017, Smith announced through social media that new music was coming. On 1 September, Spotify placed billboards in New York City, Los Angeles, and London to inform people about the release date of Smith's new music. The song was released worldwide on websites where people can download and stream music on 8 September.

Composition

The song was written by Smith, James Napier, and Stargate. They produced the song with Jimmy Napes and Steve Fitzmaurice. The sheet music for "Too Good at Goodbyes" shows the key of D minor in common time with a tempo of 92 beats per minute. The chord progression is Dm–F–C–Gm 7. Smith's vocals span from F 3 to D 5. Smith explained the meaning of the song, which is dedicated to a boy from a relationship in 2016.

Critical reception

Jon Blistein from Rolling Stone described Smith's comeback song as "emotional" and wrote, "The song, led by piano, shows the singer moving away from a difficult relationship. 'But every time you hurt me, the less that I cry / And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry,' he sings. 'And every time you walk out, the less I love you / Baby, we don't stand a chance / It's sad, but it's true.' The soft and flowing chorus is supported by a choir, who sing together, 'I'm way too good at goodbyes.'" Chris Willman of Variety said, "Once again, Smith is exploring deep sadness with a voice that sounds perfect and smooth, as if it came from a place far above the world. The song has few parts that take away from the music. For the first minute, Smith's voice is joined only by simple piano notes and light finger-snapping. Later, a gentle beat begins, followed by a gospel choir, as if the choir raises Smith's sad song about love to the level of a spiritual struggle." Marc Hogan of Pitchfork was less positive and said, "'Too Good at Goodbyes' does not seem to show someone who is especially skilled at ending relationships, but instead feels confusing and overly planned."

Music video

On September 8, 2017, Smith uploaded the official audio version of the song to their YouTube and Vevo accounts. The audio was removed on September 18, 2017, when the official music video was released. The music video was filmed in Newcastle upon Tyne. On September 29, 2017, Smith performed the song "Too Good at Goodbyes" at the Round Chapel in Hackney. As of August 2019, the music video had been viewed more than 1.2 billion times.

Chart performance

"Too Good at Goodbyes" reached the top of the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 21 September 2017, with 33,000 downloads and 4.4 million streams. It replaced Taylor Swift's song "Look What You Made Me Do" as the top song and gave Smith their sixth number-one single on the chart. The song remained at the top of the UK charts for three weeks in a row, marking Smith's longest run at number one there. As of 2023, it is Smith's third most successful song, with over 1.9 million copies sold in the UK. The song also debuted at number one in Australia and New Zealand, and it is Smith's first number-one single in Australia.

In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number five on 30 September 2017, with 90,000 downloads and 20.8 million streams. It topped the Digital Songs chart and reached 35 million listeners through radio airplay. This was Smith's highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 and their second song to top the Digital Songs chart, following "Stay with Me" in 2014. After the release of the album The Thrill of It All, the song rose to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 on 25 November 2017. In November 2017, the song was certified platinum in the US for sales of one million units.

Live performances

Smith announced four live performances in September to promote the song. They also performed the song at the We Can Survive concert on October 21.

Formats and track listings

• Digital Download

• "Too Good at Goodbyes" – 3:21

• Digital Download (Acoustic Version)

• "Too Good at Goodbyes" (Acoustic Version) – 3:40

• Digital Download (Galantis-Remix)

• "Too Good at Goodbyes" (Galantis-Remix) – 3:12

• Digital Download (Snakehips-Remix)

• "Too Good at Goodbyes" (Snakehips-Remix) – 3:58

In popular culture

On February 6, 2020, former Clasher Carl Malone Montecido performed a cover of this song, and it went viral globally.