:Goodbye Happiness

The song is a pop/electronic song with an arrangement consisting of piano, vocal harmonies, percussion and synths, with occasional background 8-bit sounds. The song features background vocals by four women recorded in London in August 2010, described in the documentary Hikaru Utada: Ima no Watashi, as Celtic.{{cite video |people=Hikaru Utada, Chris Peppler, Kazuya Matsumoto, Yōichi Azegami, Ryūji Toyoshima |date=January 15, 2011 |script-title=ja:宇多田ヒカル ～今のわたし～ |trans-title=Hikaru Utada: What I'm Like Now |medium=Television production |language=ja |time=37:53–39:35 |publisher=NHK |location=Tokyo, Japan}} Utada chose this singing style for its nostalgic, dream-like qualities. This is the first instance of background vocals in a Hikaru Utada song not being performed by her.

The chorus features increased string instrument-style synths and percussion. The lyrics begin by describing different scenes, a boy in a summer day who has eaten his sweets, and a sunburnt woman wearing a dirty white dress. The lyrics then describe a relationship at the "end of a dream." The song's protagonist hums love songs to herself, and has fun without thinking. She realises she cannot rebuild her relationship, and notices that "when people become alone, they realise the meaning of love." However, she believes it will be good for her to keep living how she is now.{{cite web|title=Goodbye Happiness – 宇多田ヒカル 歌詞情報 – goo 音楽 |url=http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND103881/index.html |language=ja |access-date=November 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130113119/http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND103881/index.html |archive-date=November 30, 2010 }}

Utada wrote the song while attempting to write a love song. She considers the lyrics to be a reconciliation with her former self.{{cite web | url=http://tower.jp/article/interview/72075 | title=宇多田ヒカル 『Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.2』 |publisher=Tower Records | language=ja | date=November 19, 2010 | access-date=November 20, 2010}}

The song was used in an advertising commercial campaign for Recochoku digital media store, with the commercial airing from November 10 onwards.{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/UBlog/status/29536959493 | title=Twitter / U.Blog: Looks like @UtadaHikaru's |author=U Blog | language=ja | date=November 3, 2010 | access-date=November 10, 2010}}{{Primary source inline|date=May 2020}}{{cite web |url=http://recochoku.jp/search/Srch?fkw=%89F%91%BD%93c%83q%83J%83%8B&tgt=mid&o=0&ext=&mid=0%3A20366382%2C&ftgt=akw&sort=c-%2Cr-%2Cm%2B%2Ca%2B&st= |title=宇多田ヒカル Goodbye Happiness |publisher=Recochoku |language=ja |access-date=November 22, 2010}} The music video was bundled on a special DVD that came with pre-orders of the album.

The song was performed during Utada's two date concert series Wild Life in December 2010.{{cite web | url=http://natalie.mu/music/news/41982 | title=宇多田ヒカル一時休止前ラスト公演で感涙＆Ust新記録樹立 |publisher=Natalie | language=ja | date=December 13, 2010 | access-date=December 17, 2010}}

File:Utadagoodbyevideo.jpg

The music video was directed by Hikaru Utada personally,{{cite web | url=http://www.spaceshowertv.com/search/detail.cgi?mu=0083213&ch=0 | title=宇多田ヒカル 楽曲名 Goodbye Happiness|work=Space Shower | language=ja |access-date=November 10, 2010}} the first time Utada has worked as a music video director. As a director, Utada used her birth name in kanji ({{Nihongo2|宇多田光}}), as opposed to her stage name. Originally Utada planned to have a director other than herself for the music video, however, during meetings with the director, she realised that she was the only person who could express things in the way that she wanted, and decided to film it herself.{{cite video |people=Hikaru Utada, Chris Peppler, Kazuya Matsumoto, Yōichi Azegami, Ryūji Toyoshima |date=January 15, 2011 |script-title=ja:宇多田ヒカル ～今のわたし～ |trans-title=Hikaru Utada: What I'm Like Now |medium=Television production |language=ja |time=34:51–36:01 |publisher=NHK |location=Tokyo, Japan}}

The video has a concept of Utada as a presenter, and attempted to incorporate entertaining aspects. Utada felt the video had a feeling of looking back on her past self.{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/utadahikaru/status/2000038100209665 | title=Twitter / 宇多田ヒカル: Goodbye HappinessのPV、観てくれて |author=Hikaru Utada | language=ja | date=November 9, 2010 | access-date=November 10, 2010}}{{Primary source inline|date=May 2020}} The video was recorded in a single take, and is shot from a static camera. In the video, Utada sits down at a desk in a bedroom and mimes to the song. She wears headphones, similar to her video for "Heart Station". Hand-puppets mime parts of the song, two worn by Utada, and others held by people off-screen. During the chorus, Utada pushes aside her desk chair and dances in the room. During the second chorus, the room darkens and Utada dances on a yellow chair, similar to that of her video for "Automatic".{{cite web | url=http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0028241 | title=宇多田ヒカルが監督デビュー！「Automatic」をほうふつさせるその内容！ | publisher=Cinema Today | language=ja | date=November 9, 2010 | access-date=November 10, 2010}} During the bridge, she stands in front of a blackboard with mathematical formulas on it. During the instrumental section of the song, the room darkens and a disco ball lowers. Utada then dons the head piece of her kigurumi Kuma-Chang outfit, similar to her ad campaign for Recochoku in 2008.{{citation needed|date=November 2010}} The video ends with Utada dancing with a flag and a hat like her video for "Traveling". A pizza delivery man arrives, with a pizza box full of doves.

The video was shot in a set, not Utada's personal bedroom, although many of the items in the room are owned by her.{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/utadahikaru/status/2041157487955968 | title=Twitter / 宇多田ヒカル: PVのあの部屋はセットなんだけど、自分の部屋から色々... |author=Hikaru Utada | language=ja | date=November 10, 2010 | access-date=November 20, 2010}}{{Primary source inline|date=May 2020}}

The video has references to video sharing site YouTube. At the start of the video, the YouTube loading symbol appears. In the bottom left corner of the screen, a fake logo reading "UTube" can be seen, and at the end of the video, false suggestions to view Utada's other videos are shown, in the manner that YouTube suggests related videos at the end of viewing something. The suggested videos are all the ones previously referenced.

The video was uploaded onto YouTube on November 9, 2010, as the first video on Utada's newly established official YouTube channel.{{cite web | url=http://www.terrafor.net/news_caBEKwjWtK.html | title=宇多田ヒカルさんが『Utada Hikaru Official YouTube Channel』を展開。PVフルコーラスで大盤振る舞い | work=Terrrafor | language=ja | date=November 10, 2010 | access-date=November 10, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115033352/http://www.terrafor.net/news_caBEKwjWtK.html | archive-date=November 15, 2010 | url-status=dead }}

{{reflist|2}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUhhPZtYl7Y "Goodbye Happiness" music video at YouTube]

{{Hikaru Utada songs}}

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Category:2010 singles

Category:2010 songs

Category:Hikaru Utada songs

Category:Songs in Japanese

Category:Billboard Japan Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Songs used as jingles

Category:Songs written by Hikaru Utada

Category:EMI Music Japan singles