Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe wrote the majority of songs for the album, and co-produced the record with Hugh Murphy.

Goodbye to the Island had the weakest sales of all albums Tyler released through RCA, only charting in Norway at number 38.

[5] Goodbye to the Island featured on the 2019 box set The RCA Years released by Cherry Pop with eight bonus tracks.

Tyler won the Grand Prix International prize at the World Popular Song Festival for her performance of "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean", which became the album's third single in November 1979.

"Goodbye to the Island" was released shortly before the album as its fourth and final single in January 1981, and it reached no.