"Bye Bye" is a song written by American singer Mariah Carey, Johnta Austin and Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen for Carey's eleventh studio album, E=MC². It was produced by Carey and Stargate, and was released as the second single from the album.

Song information

MTV stated that although the song appears to be about her deceased grandmother, Carey "extends this song about death to be for anybody 'who just lost somebody' they truly care about and those who lost someone they hate, you still end up either feeling guilty or missing them". Carey believed that by making "Bye Bye" more open, "everybody could kind of be healed by the song and have their own experience listening to it".

The song premiered on radio April 7, 2008 and has been played on various radio stations in the United States, according to Mediabase. The single became available to download at iTunes on April 14, 2008.

Carey first performed "Bye Bye" on T4 4Music and performed it again live on April 14, 2008, the single's digital release date, on The Oprah Winfrey Show and then again, two days later, on the result show of American Idol season 7 on April 16. Carey performed the song on Good Morning America on April 25, 2008.

The single officially went for adds on April 22, 2008 on Mainstream and Rhythm/Crossover stations.

There are currently two r'n'b remixes for "Bye Bye", the first features Jay Z, while the second is assisted by Akon and Lil Wayne. For the clubs, remixes were produced by Al B. Rich, Tony Moran & Warren Rigg, Firesigns & Dusty O.

The song was nominated for R&B Track award at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards.

In some European countries (like The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Switzerland) the song was never released, instead "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time", was sent to radio stations in July 2008 as the official 2nd single from the album.

Critical reception

In its review of the song, VH1 said that the song appears to be too basic for an artist like Carey, and that it was like "insurance — in case nothing else is a hit, here's a sure-shot". Elsewhere, the song has received a positive response from critics. For instance, Rap-Up.com stated that "Bye Bye" is "a song everyone can relate to [and] it will get some listeners teary-eyed."; it also stated that the single would "probably be Mariah's 19th #1". Similarly, Bill Lamb from About.com stated that although "nothing is ever a sure bet to be a #1 hit, ["Bye Bye"] is about as close as it gets"; he also stated that the song has "universal appeal". Bob Burke from FMQB.com stated that the single was "another gem with multi-format hit potential" and that the single was "destined to be her nineteenth #1 hit." The magazine Blues and Soul gave the single a rating of 8/10, stating that it was "an absolutely stunning track, sung in an absolutely stunning manor by an absolutely stunning diva". Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine commented that the song "seems poised to have Carey greet the top of the pops for a 19th time".