From Adam And The Ants, David Bowie and Amy Winehouse to The Smiths, The Beat and Yazoo, we explore 20 of the finest farewell singles
Whether a career was ended by a messy breakup, an amicable split, or – whisper it – death, some acts’ final singles were often up there with their very best work… Here’s Classic Pop’s Top 20 Swansong Singles
Words by Barry Page
Ending a musical career on a high note isn’t a common phenomenon, with many acts releasing a number of lacklustre singles in the last knockings, but there are plenty of exceptions in our latest countdown.
Certainly fate often played a leading role in the final chapter of a career, but many artists were able to dictate the terms of their exit. To qualify, each act had to be well established and have released at least two studio albums.
Our list doesn’t include posthumous or opportunistic releases; nor does it feature singles by bands who split and then subsequently permanently reformed, even if the track itself was actually intended as a swansong.
20 The Housemartins – There Is Always Something There To Remind Me (1988)
Following two studio albums and a series of hit singles – including the chart-topper Caravan Of Love – Hull’s finest decided to call it a day, amicably signing off with this fab final 45, a rumination on Paul Heaton’s school years cut during their last John Peel session. Meanwhile, a roundup of singles, rarities and deep cuts – amusingly titled Now That’s What I Call Quite Good – neatly bookended a career that shows no sign of being restarted.
19 R.E.M. – We All Go Back To Where We Belong (2011
Having fulfilled their contractual obligation to Warners, R.E.M. almost immediately started work on a new album, but it proved to be a false dawn as they instead announced their amicable split. A holdover from the sessions for 15th studio LP, Collapse Into Now, this dreamy ballad was included on 2CD retrospective Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011, and its accompanying video featured Kirsten Dunst approximating an Andy Warhol screen test.
18 The Stone Roses – Beautiful Thing (2016)
With guitarist John Squire once declaring that he’d rather remove his liver with a teaspoon than reform The Stone Roses, it came as a major shock when the legendary band announced a series of reunion concerts. Despite cutting singles All For One (No.17) and Beautiful Thing (No.21) – the latter an extended groove-laden jam The Daily Telegraph neatly described as “seven minutes of splendid shuffling psychedelic monster acid rock funk” – a third studio album was sadly beyond them.
17 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Watching The Wildlife (1987)
A song about the mundanity of everyday living, with frontman Holly Johnson its ostensibly paranoid narrator, Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s underperforming final single saw the band going out with a whimper, rather than a bang. Still, ZTT’s marketeers had some fun, issuing promotional packets of Red Stripe condoms. While a full-scale reunion seems unlikely, they did briefly reunite for the opening ceremony of Eurovision in Liverpool in 2023.
16 Prince – Free Urself (2015)
Free Urself was regularly played on the Piano & A Microphone Tour in 2016, prior to Prince’s untimely death that year. Speculated to be the precursor to another LP from the Purple One – whose prolificacy had attained new heights – it sadly proved to be the final single released during his lifetime. Another empowering song of emancipation and fulfilment, some of the lyrics – “Life is what you make it/ Be the best that you can be” for example – were lent added poignancy following his passing.
15 Michael Jackson – One More Chance (2003)
Given he passed away in 2009, just weeks before a residency at London’s O2 Arena, it seems incredible that the last single released in Michael Jackson’s lifetime was actually in 2003, but the sad fact is the superstar was then spending more time in the tabloids than the studio. Written by the now disgraced R. Kelly, who’d also penned the chart-topper You Are Not Alone, the original video for this heartfelt ballad didn’t appear until 2010 as production had halted in the wake of a Neverland police raid.
14 The Clash – This Is England (1985)
An astute commentary on Thatcher’s Britain, which touched on white supremacist violence, police brutality, the decline of British industry and the Falklands War, this potent state-of-the-nation address would be the final single by The Clash. Having already fired key members Mick Jones and Topper Headon, the newly formed five-piece incarnation lasted for just one album – the disappointing Cut The Crap – before singer Joe Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon reversed plans to continue as a duo.
13 Bee Gees – This Is Where I Came In (2001)
With a stripped-back sound that harkened back to the simplicity of the Bee Gees’ earliest recordings, the title cut of the Brothers Gibb’s 22nd studio album was a full circle affair. Both the LP sleeve and video featured a still of the brothers in front of the VW Kombi that they used to drive around Australia in, and the single’s lyrics were imbued with a similarly nostalgic vibe. Following the premature death of Maurice two years later, it proved to be a poignant farewell.
12 Japan – Nightporter (1982)
Japan arguably boasted one of the most confusing back catalogues of their era, with the labels Virgin and Hansa releasing numerous anachronistic singles, some of which were remixed to maximise commercial potential. Dating from 1980, Nightporter’s threadbare beauty was tailor-made for fans whose entry point was Ghosts. Timed to coincide with a residency at Hammersmith Odeon, it became Japan’s swansong, although they would later reform as Rain Tree Crow for one eponymous album.
11 The Communards – There’s More To Love (1988)
The Communards aligned their left-wing politics with a strong pop sensibility, scoring a number of hits in the process. Their final single celebrated same-sex relationships that came with an implied criticism of impending government legislation that forbade the discussion of homosexuality in schools. Despite their success, Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles parted ways, the pianist later telling Classic Pop: “It was obvious we had nothing left to give each other.”
10 George Michael – Let Her Down Easy (2014)
This beautiful Sananda Maitreya ballad – released under his previous incarnation as Terence Trent D’Arby – was masterfully interpreted by George Michael in concert, and a Phil Ramone-produced take was later included on the part-live, part-studio album, Symphonica. Selected for a single release that sadly turned out to be Michael’s last, Maitreya gave it a ringing endorsement, telling Dutch journalist Godfried Nevels: “I was deeply moved by his tribute. I am proud of my own version but I loved his version even more.”
09 Adam And The Ants – Ant Rap (1981)
Certainly no contravention of the Trades Descriptions Act, Ant Rap stood and delivered exactly that, securing its status as one of the earliest pop/rap crossover hits. It gave Stuart Goddard and co. another huge success, but the pressures of writing, recording, and performing were beginning to take their toll on the dandy highwaymen. After the group disbanded in March 1982, the frontman stripped away the Ant personnel – and his nasal stripe – to launch a successful solo career.
Read More: Adam Ant Albums – The Complete Guide
08 Fun Boy Three – Our Lips Are Sealed (1983)
The origins of this David Byrne-produced single stretched back to the summer of 1980 when LA pop-punks The Go-Go’s joined The Specials on a UK tour of seaside venues. Its lyrics evolving from a fleeting dalliance between Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall, the finished song gave the US new wave act a hit on their home turf, while FB3’s considerably less chirpy interpretation hit the UK Top 10. Sadly, it proved to be the trio’s final single, as they suddenly split while on the cusp of similar Stateside success.
07 Yazoo – Nobody’s Diary (1983)
Vince Clarke never envisioned Yazoo as a long-term project, and his creative relationship with Alison Moyet had broken down by the time tellingly-titled second album You And Me Both was released. Their swansong was a track Alf had written when she was 16. “It was about projection, not experience – the tortured loneliness of someone who had yet to connect with people,” she said. New material never materialised, but the mismatched duo did temporarily reunite for acclaimed live dates in 2008.
06 Amy Winehouse – Love Is A Losing Game (2007)
Amy Winehouse’s personal struggles often overshadowed her immense talent, as evidenced by this ballad that The Guardian described as “sounding like a standard rather than being freshly written by a 23-year-old.” In a 2007 episode of Desert Island Discs, George Michael selected the track, calling her the best female vocalist he’d heard in his entire career and one of the best writers, while Prince invited her to perform it with him at one of his legendary aftershow concerts.
05 David Bowie – Lazarus (2015)
The signs were there, both in the lyrics of Lazarus (“Look up here, I’m in heaven/ I’ve got scars that can’t be seen”) and the haunting video depicting an emaciated David Bowie on a hospital deathbed, while the title of his final album alluded to impending mortality (as Elvis once sang, “When a man sees his black star, he knows his time has come”). This was his carefully calculated farewell: a poignant parting gift to the world. “His death was no different from his life – a work of art,” wrote Tony Visconti on Facebook.
04 Wham! – The Edge Of Heaven (1986)
Wham! announced they were breaking up in March 1986, but in reality the decision was made months prior. As Andrew Ridgeley told the LA Times, they knew their shelf life was limited: “As we achieved our goals, we came to understand that Wham! was about the exuberance and vitality of youth, and it couldn’t really develop into adulthood.” They bowed out in style with this joyful No.1, a hits album and a final show at Wembley Stadium, attended by special guests Elton John, Simon Le Bon and 72,000 heartbroken fans.
03 The Smiths – Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (1987)
Morrissey later cited managerial problems and poor business decisions for The Smiths’ split, while Johnny Marr claimed the final straw was the singer’s insistence on covering an old Cilla Black song. This heart-wrenching single was an apt swansong… “I thought we’d reached a level of emotion that was as good as we ever needed to be,” Marr wrote in his autobiography. “The song epitomised everything that was unique about the band. It sounded like the drama of our lives.”
02 Queen – The Show Must Go On (1991)
The closing single to be lifted from the album Innuendo and a precursor to Queen’s second Greatest Hits compilation, this prophetic classic was largely penned by Brian May, who took inspiration from Freddie Mercury’s private battle with HIV/AIDS. Although the odds were stacked against him, after downing a couple of vodkas, the brave frontman was still able to belt out vocals of exceptional quality. An enduring anthem of strength and resilience in the face of major adversity, it is a fitting epitaph for an extraordinary talent.
01 The Jam – Beat Surrender (1982)
The bitterest pill bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler ever had to swallow was when frontman Paul Weller decided that, after six studio albums and a string of hit singles, The Jam were going to break up.
“I feel we have achieved all we can together as a group,” the Modfather wrote in a statement. “…I want all we have achieved to count for something and most of all I’d hate us to end up old and embarrassing like so many other groups do.”
Unlike many of their contemporaries, the red-hot trio bowed out at the very top of their game.
Final single Beat Surrender went straight in at No.1, fending off stiff competition from The Human League, while a farewell tour included five sold-out shows at Wembley Arena. However, none of this appeased Messrs Foxton and Buckler, and they didn’t speak to Weller – whose career continued to thrive as both a member of The Style Council and as a solo artist – for several years.
Buckler’s recent, sad passing has put paid to any notions of The Jam reforming, but entering the nostalgia circuit was never an option for Weller. He told The Guardian in 2015 that there was “not enough money in the world to do that,” adding, “I don’t want to spend my time trying to recapture something that can’t be recaptured.”
Read More: Classic Album – The Gift by The Jam
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