The song was written by guitarist Rick Nielsen, lead vocalist Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson, and was produced by Cheap Trick and Ian Taylor.

In the US, Red Ant began promoting the song to a number of different radio formats, including commercial alternative and triple-A, from March 24, 1997.

[4][5] On its release, Larry Flick of Billboard described "Say Goodbye" as "gloriously melodious" and "one of Cheap Trick's best ever bits of Beatlemania", adding "that's saying something, considering the[ir] past achievements in that area".

He added that the song had "warmth and personality" and felt its "distillation of power pop verities makes it an obvious add for both modern and mainstream rock outlets".

[6] In a review of the single, Doug Stone of AllMusic described the song and its B-side as "two first-class tunes" from the band's "artistically-pleasing but ultimately ill-fated revival".