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LISTEN: Michelle Branch and Maren Morris Reimagine “Goodbye to You”
Two Grammy-winning artists from two different corners of the music world have joined forces on a song that helped define a generation. (listen and watch above)
Michelle Branch and Maren Morris have released a newly reimagined version of Branch’s “Goodbye to You,” out now via BMG. The collaboration arrives with an official music video starring Branch, Morris and Kristin Cavallari, bringing the song full circle with a heavy dose of early-2000s nostalgia.
Rather than simply recreating the original, Branch and Morris turn “Goodbye to You” into a true duet. Their voices trade lines throughout the track, giving Branch’s familiar song a fresh perspective while holding onto the emotion that made it a standout when it was first released.
“Beyond thrilled to be joining Maren on her beautiful rendition of Goodbye to You,” Branch says. “Singing with her was a dream. Call me crazy but I prefer her version to the original.”
Morris was equally excited to put her own stamp on the song. “Michelle was really encouraging to let me make it my own,” Morris says. “I certainly wanted my own spin on it but to still honor the brilliance of her original recording. Her songwriting has always been ahead of its time.”
The collaboration first came to life on one of Nashville’s most iconic stages. Last month, Branch made a surprise appearance at the Ryman Auditorium during Morris’ 10th anniversary celebration of Hero. The two performed “Goodbye to You” together, giving fans their first taste of the new recording and revealing Morris as a featured guest on Branch’s upcoming EP, Everywhere and Back Again.
Originally released in 2001 on Branch’s breakthrough debut album, The Spirit Room, “Goodbye to You” became one of the defining songs of her early career. The album also produced the hits “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted” and went on to sell three million copies worldwide.
Now, 25 years into her career, Branch is looking back at the music that started it all—but she’s doing it with some new friends.
For Morris, the song also carries a personal connection. Branch’s music arrived as Morris was growing up and developing as a songwriter, making the new collaboration something of a full-circle moment for both artists.
The nostalgia continues in the official video, which brings Branch, Morris and Cavallari together to revisit the world of Laguna Beach. The MTV series helped introduce “Goodbye to You” to an entirely new audience in the early 2000s, featuring the song during its first season and famously having members of the cast sing along inside a limo following the final school dance.
“‘Goodbye to You’ is one of those songs that immediately takes me back to a very specific time in my life,” Cavallari says. “There’s something really fun about revisiting a song that was such a meaningful part of my younger years and seeing it brought to life for a new generation.”
The video leans heavily into the early-2000s aesthetic, with a Mojito! lime-green Jeep Wrangler serving as a nod to the original Laguna Beach era. Redken also helped create the period-inspired beauty looks.
“Goodbye to You” is the latest release from Branch’s forthcoming Everywhere and Back Again EP, arriving November 6 via BMG.
The eight-song project celebrates 25 years of Branch’s career by revisiting some of the songs and moments that helped shape her legacy, this time with newly reimagined recordings and special guests from across the musical spectrum.
The EP began with “The Game of Love” by New Radicals and Michelle Branch, produced by New Radicals frontman and original songwriter Gregg Alexander. The release marked the first collaboration between Branch and Alexander since the original recording in 2002.
Look for Branch at the Ryman Auditorium on February 27 and 28, 2027.
Everywhere and Back Again EP Tracklist
- “The Game of Love” — New Radicals and Michelle Branch
- “Everywhere”
- “Breathe”
- “Goodbye to You” — with Maren Morris
- “You Get Me”
- “All You Wanted”
- “Are You Happy Now?”
- “The Game of Love Remix”
Branch will take the project on the road beginning September 27 at The Showbox in Seattle. Her nearly 20-date fall tour sold out nationwide within a week, leading to the addition of a 17-date second leg in 2027.
The fall run includes stops in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston, New York, Chicago and more before wrapping November 13 in Lexington, Kentucky.
Branch has also partnered with PLUS1, with $1 from every ticket going to The ALS Association and its work supporting people living with ALS and seeking a cure.
For a song that first arrived 25 years ago, “Goodbye to You” has found a pretty great way to say hello again.
