McAloon used "Johnny", considering it "the most clichéd rock 'n' roll word ever used", and filled the song's verses with more unusual lyrics such as "You're still in love with Hayley Mills".

[3] McAloon describes the song's lyrics as "an older hand offering advice to a love torn boy who’s been dumped by his girlfriend".

[8] When Thomas Dolby began working with Prefab Sprout, McAloon played him a number of songs without telling him what period they belonged to.

"Goodbye Lucille #1" is one of three songs included on Steve McQueen dating to the band's initial lineup, the others being "Faron Young" and "Bonny".

[9][10] According to Ian Pye of Melody Maker, "Goodbye Lucille #1" features "a beautifully haunting vocal from Wendy Smith".

[17] In 2007, Daryl Easlea of Record Collector dubbed "Goodbye Lucille #1" the standout track of Steve McQueen.