Goodbye Mr A

"Goodbye Mr A"
Single by the Hoosiers
from the album The Trick to Life
Released	8 October 2007 (2007-10-08)[1]
Length	4:27
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Irwin Sparkes Alan Sharland Martin Skarendahl
Producer(s)	Toby Smith
The Hoosiers singles chronology
"Worried About Ray" (2007) "Goodbye Mr A" (2007) "Worst Case Scenario" (2008)

"Goodbye Mr A" is the second single by the English^[2][3][4] pop rock band the Hoosiers, from their debut album, The Trick to Life (2007). The song is written in the key of B major and was created in memory of frontman Irwin Sparkes' secondary school English teacher, Jonathan "Mr A" Anderton, after Sparkes heard of Anderton's death in 2006.^{[citation needed]} It has been noted for its similarities to Electric Light Orchestra's single "Mr. Blue Sky".^[5] Released on 8 October 2007, the song gave the band their second UK top-five single, entering the UK Singles Chart at No. 5 on 14 October 2007 and climbing to its peak of No. 4 the following week.

Music video

The music video to "Goodbye Mr A" is reminiscent of superhero comics and popular culture, such as the 1960s Batman television series. In the video, the Hoosiers kidnap Mr A, a comic-book character and the world's greatest superhero. They then take his place fighting crime. Despite being fired into space at the end, Mr A. survives and opens his eyes; this is a reference to the film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

UK CD single^[6]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Goodbye Mr A" (radio edit)	The Hoosiers	Toby Smith	3:48
2.	"Worried About Ray" (live on Virgin Radio)	Alan Gordon, Garry Bonner, Irwin Sparkes, Alan Sharland, Martin Skarendahl	Smith	4:29

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2007) Peak position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[7] 15 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 23 Poland (ZPAV)[9] 44 Scotland (OCC)[10] 16 UK Singles (OCC)[11] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position UK Singles (OCC)[12] 60 Chart (2008) Position UK Singles (OCC)[13] 137

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14]	Platinum	600,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Use in other media

• On 28 September 2007, the Hoosiers performed "Goodbye Mr A" on GMTV's Entertainment Today segment.
• The song is part of the soundtrack for the video game FIFA 08.^[15]
• The song was heard in series two of Gavin & Stacey. In the fourth episode, Stacey is listening to it when Pam walks in on her in the shower.
• On 12 April 2019, Abigail Thorn released a video criticizing Canadian psychologist, Jordan Peterson. At the end of the video, she sings a cover entitled "Goodbye Dr. P".^[16]

References

1. "Music Upfront: October 8". Music Week. 6 October 2007. p. 13.
2. Griffin, Joe (29 February 2024). "The Hoosiers announced as support act for sold-out Madness concert at Lincoln Castle". Lincolnshire Live. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
3. Seddon, Aimee (23 January 2024). "The Hoosiers to perform a free gig in Preston's Action Records next month". Lancashire Post. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
4. Smart, Andrew (25 September 2023). "The Hoosiers in Newcastle: Setlist, gig times and more". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
5. The Hoosiers: 'Goodbye Mr A'
6. Goodbye Mr A (UK CD single liner notes). The Hoosiers. RCA Records. 2007. 88697156892.
7. "Hits of the World – Euorocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 44. 3 November 2007. p. 69. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Goodbye Mr A". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
9. "Polish Singles Chart |". Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
12. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2007". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
13. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2008" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
14. "British single certifications – Hoosiers – Goodbye Mr A". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
15. Barker, Anthony (18 November 2007). "EA Announce FIFA 08 Track List". Console Monster. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2007.
16. "Goodbye Doctor P (The Jordan Peterson Song) [COVER]". YouTube.