George Strait – Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye (Official Music Video)

Introduction

“Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye” is a country song by George Strait that became one of his signature hits in the late 1980s. It was written by Tony Martin and Troy Martin, and produced by Jimmy Bowen alongside Strait himself.

The track was recorded on October 13, 1988, and released as the first single off Strait’s album Beyond the Blue Neon on December 26, 1988. It belongs to the neotraditional country genre, which was a style Strait was helping popularize at the time — country music that emphasized traditional instrumentation, a more restrained production style, and emotional storytelling rooted in classic country themes.

Lyrically, the song explores heartbreak and loss from the viewpoint of a man who realizes that his partner has become so accustomed to ending things, to saying goodbye, that she can now leave without tears or hesitation. The narrative hinges on the recognition that this goodbye might be final — a departure without the usual emotional display, and perhaps a sign that the relationship has so many goodbyes already, the finality has become inevitable.

“Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye” was a commercial success. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on April 1, 1989, and also topped the Canadian RPM Country Tracks. The album Beyond the Blue Neon from which it came was released in early 1989 (February 6), and itself was critically well-received and later certified platinum.

This song helped cement Strait’s reputation not only as a hit‐maker, but as a storyteller capable of expressing complex emotion with simplicity and authenticity — a hallmark that would carry through his long and prolific career.

Video

Lyrics