How Do I Say Goodbye

"How Do I Say Goodbye" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter Dean Lewis. The song was released on 2 September 2022 as the third single from Lewis's second studio album, The Hardest Love.

"How Do I Say Goodbye"
Single by Dean Lewis
from the album The Hardest Love
Released	2 September 2022[1]
Length	2:43
Label	Island Australia Universal Australia
Songwriter(s)	Dean Lewis Jon Hume
Producer(s)	Dean Lewis Jon Hume Ed Holloway Nick Atkinson
Dean Lewis singles chronology
"Lost Without You" (2022) "How Do I Say Goodbye" (2022) "Trust Me Mate" (2023)
Music video
"How Do I Say Goodbye" on YouTube

At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards, the song was nominated for Song of the Year.^[2]

At the APRA Music Awards of 2024, the song won Most Performed Australian Work and Most Performed Pop Work.^[3][4]

Background

Lewis wrote the song for his father, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Dean Lewis later said, "Although I wrote the song about my dad, my dad ended up being okay. I wrote the song assuming I was gonna have to say goodbye, and I didn't have to. My dad got a stem cell transplant and his cancer was an aggressive form of pre-leukemia, and he had a very small percentage chance of getting out of it."^[5] He has since gone into remission.

Music video

The official video was directed by Sean Loaney (Lewis's brother) and premiered on 6 September 2022. The music video features footage taken by Lewis's father during the singer's childhood.^[6]

Track listings

Digital download / streaming

No.	Title	Length
1.	"How Do I Say Goodbye"	2:43

Digital download / streaming

No.	Title	Length
1.	"How Do I Say Goodbye" (Chuksie remix)	3:13

Digital download / streaming

No.	Title	Length
1.	"How Do I Say Goodbye" (Acoustic version)	2:44

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "How Do I Say Goodbye" Chart (2022–2023) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[7] 14 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 14 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 38 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 42 Canada AC (Billboard)[12] 24 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[13] 49 Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[14] 20 Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[15] 96 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[16] 42 Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 7 Germany (GfK)[18] 24 Global 200 (Billboard)[19] 82 Ireland (IRMA)[20] 16 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 8 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 40 Norway (VG-lista)[24] 5 Portugal (AFP)[25] 88 San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50)[26] 27 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[27] 70 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 19 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 7 UK Singles (OCC)[30] 23 US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[31] 5 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[32] 23 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[33] 3

Year-end charts 2022 year-end chart performance for "How Do I Say Goodbye" Chart (2022) Position Australian Artist (ARIA)[34] 28 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[35] 111 Denmark (Tracklisten)[36] 99 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[37] 36 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 60 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 69 2023 year-end chart performance for "How Do I Say Goodbye" Chart (2023) Position Australia (ARIA)[40] 68 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[41] 27 Denmark (Tracklisten)[42] 49 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[43] 81 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 40 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 59 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[46] 43 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[47] 7 2024 year-end chart performance for "How Do I Say Goodbye" Chart (2022) Position Australian Artist (ARIA)[48] 24

Certifications

Certifications for "How Do I Say Goodbye"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[49]	4× Platinum	280,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[50]	Gold	15,000‡
Belgium (BRMA)[51]	Platinum	40,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[52]	Platinum	40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[53]	2× Platinum	160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[54]	2× Platinum	180,000‡
France (SNEP)[55]	Gold	100,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[56]	Gold	200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[57]	Gold	50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58]	Platinum	30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[59]	Gold	25,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[60]	Gold	30,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[61]	Platinum	20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[62]	Platinum	600,000‡
Streaming
Sweden (GLF)[63]	Platinum	8,000,000†
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.