10 best farewell songs from huge artists
It’s impossible for any artist to foresee the last song they would ever make. Any album is usually a reflection of what someone was feeling at the time, and even if they know that their time is short, it’s hard to call your shot in song before you shuffle off this mortal coil. Sometimes, the stars do align, though, and artists like David Bowie have made beautiful final songs to leave their audiences off on.
Then again, not every farewell song is meant to be a pick-me-up. Every singer on this list knew that their time was running low, and many of them took the opportunity to do a bit of soul-searching and see what they could have done differently if they had more time to sort themselves out.
But it doesn’t have to be all bad towards the end. Across many tunes, many people are grateful to have had the time given to them and encourage their fans to take what they’ve done and move on. Their world might be crumbling down around them, but the least they could do was make something that could make someone else’s world a better place.
None of the songs came without a fight, either. Some of these artists were near death when putting them together, and they did everything within their power to squeeze out that last note or find the right harmony to put on top of everything before their bodies finally gave out on them. They always intended their music to last longer than they did, and this would be the next step in their reaching musical immortality.
The 10 best farewell songs from huge artists:
10. ‘Died’ – Alice in Chains
For all intents and purposes, Alice in Chains was pretty much done by the late 1990s. Everyone was still together to work on projects, but it was becoming clear that Layne Staley was going to lose his battle with heroin addiction, and no one could help him. They did scrape together enough material for a best-of collection, though, but once Staley opened his mouth, it was like hearing a ghost from the past.
Before the band got to work on ‘Died’, everyone thought Staley looked like a walking zombie whenever he moved, with all his teeth on the verge of falling out. While they tried their best to cover up his lisp on the final version of the tune, ‘Died’ is one of the most morbid songs from a band known for dealing with death, especially considering that Staley would be found only a few years later dead in his apartment of a drug overdose.
Compared to the other songs about mortality, this is like watching Staley sing from beyond the grave to give one last salvo to his group. Even though most grunge rock was shrouded in darkness, this is about as pitch black as anyone could get without having to do with musical witchcraft.
9. ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ – Nirvana
Nirvana always seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with their level of fame. As much as people liked Kurt Cobain’s songs and felt that he stood for everything alt-rock should be, Cobain’s state of mind was slowly collapsing by the time they finished In Utero. While no one could have predicted that Cobain would have taken his own life when he did, hearing ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ as one of the final songs fans heard was haunting to revisit.
While no one knew that Cobain had been working on the song ‘You Know You’re Right’ around the same time, the band’s take on the traditional Leadbelly song was one of the most powerful moments of their concert for MTV Unplugged. After going through a night of covers and originals, Cobain leaves nothing to the imagination on this tune, building to that final climax about shivering the whole night through at the top of his range.
But really, the most important part is in that split second before he sings the last words of the song, with the cameras pushing in on his face and seeing him open his eyes for the last time before the song plays out. In that one gaze, you get a look at a man scared of his place in the world who had no other choice but to shout out that pain into a microphone.
8. ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ – Janis Joplin
Half of rock and roll is about feeling indestructible. Even though people have become casualties throughout history, there’s usually one side of someone’s brain that’s determined not to have any of the chemicals beat them. Although Janis Joplin had a rock-solid presence that could have left any man dead in their tracks, it wasn’t until she passed on that we got to hear the tender side of her on ‘Me and Bobby McGee’.
While most of her material all centred around having the huskiest blues voice imaginable, Kris Kristofferson’s take on an old folk ballad was the exact thing she needed to show off her range. Her voice does still have that rasp in there, but hearing her sing about the one that got away and her days singing along with him in a taxi going to God knows where is one of the most vulnerable moments in her discography.
And given how much had been thrown her way, this may have been the first and only time most of us saw the real Joplin. Onstage, no one could touch her, but once she settled down into her standard register, people got to see the girl who could be equally as heartbreaking as any other soul balladeer could be.
7. ‘You Want It Darker’ – Leonard Cohen
Every one of Leonard Cohen‘s best works tends to feel like reading a finely crafted novel. Even if not every song resonates on the same level, it’s hard not to picture him sitting in the room with you as he talks about the many romantic flings that have fallen by the wayside or the romantic words of wisdom he had received over the years. When his time was running low, though, Cohen relied on spirituality to guide him to the other side.
Despite having ties to various religions throughout his life, hearing him call out to his higher power during various parts of the tune is like watching him perform a spiritual blessing upon himself. Cohen still had some demons left to fight, but his tone of voice told everyone listening that it was nothing that he couldn’t fix.
Whereas most people would be scared about what was on the other side, I don’t listen to Cohen’s voice and hear a lot of doubt. He knows where he will be going once his time has come, and here’s hoping that his Lord accepted him into his arms once he finally reached that bridge to Paradise.
6. ‘No Expectations’ – The Rolling Stones
There’s a good chance that The Rolling Stones will keep playing until the sun burns out of the sky. Even if it’s only down to Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood as original members, they will probably still be playing when the Rapture takes place 100 years from now. Not everyone in the band was meant to go the distance, and while the story behind Brian Jones is unbelievably sad, ‘No Expectations’ is one of the most appropriate ways for him to bow out.
By the end of his time in The Stones, Jones had officially collapsed. It was clear that no one in the band was taking his advice anymore, and the most that he could do was lie on the couch throughout the sessions and contribute the odd guitar part to a song. While he did get to play his signature slide on Beggars Banquet for ‘No Expectations’, Jagger’s lines about not passing through here again would be all the more prophetic when Jones was found dead in his swimming pool after leaving the group.
But for all of the sadness surrounding their final days, Jones’s presence on this tune led to him following in the footsteps of his heroes. All of the old bluesmen had been known as drifters, and even though Jones had boarded a different train by the time the 1960s were over, he had already given his fair share of thrills to the rock and roll world.
5. ‘Brainwashed’ – George Harrison
By the end of the 1990s, it wasn’t clear whether or not George Harrison wanted to release any new material. He had already survived an attack on his property, and now that his cancer was back, it would have been nice for people to remember him playing alongside his buddies in The Traveling Wilburys as his final hour. He did have the makings of a record, though, and when Jeff Lynne came in to salvage the project, ‘Brainwashed’ became one of the most stirring songs in a career already littered with classics.
While Harrison knew that his time was short, the title track on his last album was his way of giving one last message to the world. Since no one had wanted to hear about his spiritual musings before, hearing him make one last ditch effort to remind everyone about the power of religion is quite stirring. It’s also very ahead of the curve, with Harrison saying everyone was brainwashed by mobile phones before the iPhone was even created.
But the real magic is saved for the final few minutes, where everything fades away and we’re left with a droning tone as Harrison and his son Dhani harmonise together for one last mantra before gracefully bowing out. It’s unclear how many people were touched by Harrison’s message, but it’s nice to know that ‘The Quiet One’ was finally at peace after years in the public eye.
4. ‘Hurt’ – Johnny Cash
No other artist has ever had the massive upswing in the final years of their life that Johnny Cash had. Most people have had career renaissances over the years, but by teaming up with Rick Rubin, Cash went from a has-been of the country world to reminding everyone why he was the first dark figure in country music history. But underneath that gruff exterior was a life riddled with regret, and Cash managed to channel his pain into a song that wasn’t even his.
Although the American series of recordings features a bunch of covers, seeing Cash towards the end of his life singing Nine Inch Nails’s signature hit is one of the most raw performances in music history. With Cash barely being able to stand, his interpretation of Trent Reznor’s words is practically a prayer coming out of his mouth, as he begs for repentance from his higher power and replaces the “crown of shit” line with “crown of thorns”, echoing the biblical mythology of Jesus Christ.
And as the song builds up towards the end, Cash’s voice starts to distort slightly, as if he’s going through the sound barrier and demanding that everyone pay attention to him atoning for his sins. While Cash had done his fair share of hard living throughout his career, what he captured here was the sound of a fallen angel desperately pleading to be let back into Heaven.
3. ‘Now and Then’ – The Beatles
Most Beatles fans were content to move on after The Beatles Anthology wrapped up. It was clear that the group had done everything they could to make the most of John Lennon’s final recordings, and even if some were left on the cutting room floor, it was nice to have songs like ‘Real Love’ and ‘Free As A Bird’ as their final gifts to the world. But thanks to the power of new technology, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were finally able to make beautiful music with their mates once again.
Since Peter Jackson had been working with technology to enhance audio for Get Back, the band turned in a version of Lennon’s tune ‘Now and Then’, which was relegated to the vaults after sounding like trash in post-production. Now, with a slide solo from McCartney and rhythm guitar from George Harrison, this gave The Beatles one last final bow as they sing about how much they miss each other from two different planes of existence.
Even though Lennon may have been singing about his love for Yoko as he entered the golden years of his life, it takes on a new meaning in the band’s hands. Since there are no more tapes to give to the world of their music, this is a way of not only paying respect to each other for being in their lives but also as a thank you to the fans that they hope will still be there for them every time one of their classics comes on.
2. ‘Mother Love’ – Queen
It was clear that Freddie Mercury didn’t have much time left after the 1990s rolled around. Living with a terminal AIDs diagnosis, doctors had initially given him much longer after releasing The Miracle, but Innuendo gave him one last time around while he was alive for the song ‘The Show Must Go On’. But with him having passed, it was up to the rest of the group to carry on with the remaining tapes of the song ‘Mother Love’.
While most of Made in Heaven was assembled piecemeal through different pieces of everyone’s solo catalogue, this has all of the showstopping sounds Mercury was known for. As he begs for his mother to let him into her heart, he sounds as lively as ever, going for the high sections of the song until the moment midway through the track, where everyone can hear their hearts deflating in real-time.
Because as soon as the final section begins, Brian May takes over for Mercury since he was not well enough to finish the tune by the time he passed away. No matter how little he may have been able to contribute to ‘Mother Love’, though, the song is a tale of determination and a reminder that Mercury had more life and talent in his little finger than most lesser musicians would get in a lifetime.
1. ‘Lazarus’ – David Bowie
Looking back on David Bowie’s passing, it’s a miracle that no one managed to find out that he was in such bad shape. He had already “retired” from music in the 2000s, but by the time The Next Day rolled around, fans heard that Berlin-style production all over again. Even though no one knew it was a sprint towards the end, Blackstar brought everything into perspective when listening to ‘Lazarus’.
Though the entire record deserves a mention on this list for being Bowie’s goodbye to the world, hearing him sing about his own demise on this track is both haunting and beautiful at the same time. Instead of using the time to wallow in sadness, Bowie is talking about what’s going to happen once he appears in Heaven, looking at all of the things that he has done for the world and how he is no longer confined to the fame machine.
Because when looking at his career, Bowie had been on display his entire life, and now this was his opportunity to finally be free. And just like all Bowie records before it, ‘The Starman’ knew it was better to remind us about being brave when facing death rather than cowering in fear. Death may have taken him, but Bowie would leave as much as he could on the table for his fans.
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