Bye Bye Barbara
| "Bye Bye Barbara" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US 7-inch single | ||||
| Single by Johnny Mathis | ||||
| B-side | "A Great Night for Crying" | |||
| Released | 1964 | |||
| Recorded | July 15, 1963 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:34 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Johnny Mathis singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Bye Bye Barbara" on YouTube | ||||
"Bye Bye Barbara" is a popular song written by Jack Segal and Paul Vance that was recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1963. It charted in 1964.
Recording
Johnny Mathis recorded "Bye Bye Barbara" on July 15, 1963, with an orchestra conducted by arranger Don Costa.[1] The only production credit provided on the original 7-inch single reads, "Vocal A Global Records Production".[2] When Mathis signed with Mercury Records in 1963, Global Records was the imprint created for him to record under.[3]
Chart performance
"Bye Bye Barbara" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue of the magazine dated February 1, 1964, and peaked at number 53 five weeks later, in the March 7 issue. The song stayed on the chart for seven weeks.[4] It spent three weeks on the magazine's Easy Listening chart and got as high as number 17.[5] It reached number 55 on Cash Box magazine's best seller list[6] and number 46 on the Top 100 Pop Sales and Performance chart in Music Vendor magazine.[7]
Critical reception
In their review column, the editors of Cash Box magazine featured the single as a Pick of the Week, which was their equivalent to a letter grade of A for both "Bye Bye Barbara" and its B-side, "A Great Night for Crying". They described "Bye Bye Barbara" as "a beautiful, tear-compelling romancer with a soft, folk-like quality" and wrote, "Superb Don Costa arrangement."[8]
Charts
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Easy Listening[5] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 53 |
| US Top 100 Best Selling Tunes on Records (Cash Box)[6] | 55 |
| US Top 100 Pop Sales and Performance (Music Vendor)[7] | 46 |
References
- ^ Sony Music Entertainment (2014). The Complete Global Albums Collection (Liner notes). Johnny Mathis. Sony Music Entertainment. 88843091432.
- ^ Mercury Records (1963). Bye Bye Barbara (7-inch Single liner notes). Mercury Records. 72229.
- ^ "Mercury Gets Mathis July 1 on Long Pact" (PDF). Billboard. May 25, 1963. p. 1. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
- ^ a b "Johnny Mathis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 23, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ a b "Johnny Mathis - Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Whitburn 2014, p. 250
- ^ a b Whitburn 2012, p. 195
- ^ "Cash Box Record Reviews > Pick of the Week > "Bye Bye Barbara"/"A Great Night for Crying"" (PDF). Cash Box. New York: Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc. January 18, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved February 5, 2026.