When was this recording released?

1979, generally listed as a July release.

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Tim Rice.

Where does the number land in the show?

Early Act 1; it appears as Track 5 on the Broadway cast album.

Are there notable alternative recordings?

Yes - concept (1976), London (1978), London revival (2006), Broadway revival (2012), and the 1996 film soundtrack with Antonio Banderas and Madonna.

Goodnight and Thank You Lyrics – Evita

Goodnight and Thank You Lyrics

[Che:]
Goodnight and thank you Huevo
She is in every magazine
Been photographed, seen, she is known
We don't like to rush, but your case has been packed
If she's missed anything, you could give her a ring
But she won't always answer the phone

[Eva:]
Oh but it's sad when a love affair dies
But we have pretended enough
It's best that we both stop fooling ourselves

[Che:]
Which means ...

[Chorus:]

[Che and Eva:]
There is noone, noone at all
Never has been, and never will be a lover, male or female
Who hasn't an eye on, in fact they rely on
Tricks they can try on their partner
They're hoping their lover will help them or keep them
Support them, promote them
Don't blame them, you're the same

[Che:]
Goodnight and thank you Emilio
You've completed your task
What more can we ask of you now?

Please sign the book on the way out the door
And that will be all, if she needs you she'll call
But I don't think that's likely somehow

[Eva:]
Oh but it's sad when a love affair dies
But when we were hot, we were hot
I know you'll look back on the good times we've shared
Which means ...

[chorus, substituting "blame her" for "blame them", sung only by Che]

[Eva:]
There is no soap, no soap like Zaz
No detergent, lotion, or oil with such power in the shower
It's the mother and father of luxury lather
The talk of the bath, the great ointment
One little frolic with new Zaz carbolic
You're scented, you'll be sent

[Che:]
Goodnight and thank you Senor Jabon
We are grateful you found her a spot on the sound radio
We'll think of you every time she's on the air
We'd love you to stay but you'd be in the way
So do up your trousers and go

[Eva:]
Oh but it's sad when a love affair dies
The decline into silence and doubt
Our passion was just too intense to survive

[Che:]
Which means ...

[Lovers:]
This is a club I should never have joined
Someone has made us look fools
Argentine men call the sexual shots
Someone has altered the rules

[Eva:]
Fame on the wireless as far as it goes
Is all very well but every girl knows

[Che:]
She needs a man she can monopolize
With fingers in dozens of different pies

[Lovers:]
Oh but it's sad when a love affair dies
Last Update: October, 03rd 2025

Song Overview

Goodnight and Thank You lyrics by Original Broadway Cast of Evita — Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone spar through “Goodnight and Thank You” on the Premiere American Recording.

Review and Highlights

Scene from Goodnight and Thank You by the Original Broadway Cast of Evita — A brisk breakup carousel: Che narrates, Eva upgrades, suitors exit.

It’s one of the score’s sly machines. Over a lightly Latin pulse and clipped guitar figures, Che clocks Eva’s fast climb as a sequence of partings, each tidier than the last. The music keeps the hips moving while the text does the stabbing; those ensemble refrains - “don’t blame them” - land like a chorus of shrugged morals. The orchestration stays lean so the wit cuts through: rhythm section, trumpet stings, woodwinds, and that knowing patter line up front.

Creation History

The number appears as Track 5 on the Broadway cast album released in 1979 by MCA Records, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The album - billed as the Premiere American Recording - arrived in July 1979, capturing the Broadway company led by Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.

Highlights - quick hits

Narrative engine: Che’s MC-as-greek-chorus framing turns a love song into a case study in social mobility.
Word-music snap: Rice’s barbs sit on offbeats; Lloyd Webber’s groove keeps the exits brisk rather than bitter.
Character collage: Eva’s verse lines sound tender on the surface, while the intercut quips yank the veil off the transaction.
Refrain function: the ensemble’s maxim broadens the target beyond Eva - hypocrisy is shared property.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Original Broadway Cast performing Goodnight and Thank You exposing meaning — Public image meets private calculus - the show doesn’t pretend otherwise.

Plot

Early in Act 1, Eva trades up through media men - from singer Magaldi to radio and print fixers - while Che narrates the churn. Each goodbye is a rung. The scene’s montage design lets the audience feel the speed of the ascent without pausing the party.

Song Meaning

The piece is about terms. Desire, yes, but mostly leverage - who has it, who learns to keep it. The hook insists that everyone bargains in relationships; the twist is that a woman doing it breaks the local code. The score makes that argument with craft: bright rhythm guitars, nimble percussion, and a melodic shape that smiles while it bites.

Annotations

“You’ve completed your task.”

“Oh, but it’s sad that when a love affair dies…”

“They’re hoping their lover will help them or keep them / Support them, promote them”

“Whoever”

“Argentine men call the sexual shots / Someone has altered the rules”

Shot of Goodnight and Thank You by Original Broadway Cast — Smirks, side-eyes, and a tight backbeat - the show’s social anthropology set to dance music.

Production & instrumentation

On disc the pit keeps it taut: drum kit with Latin accents, bass in a nimble pocket, acoustic and electric guitars, punctuating brass, reeds for color. Vocally it’s a relay - Che driving the patter, Eva turning a goodbye into a PR moment, the suitors and ensemble chiming in like tabloid headers.

Key Facts

Artist: Original Broadway Cast of Evita (featuring Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone)
Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyricist: Tim Rice
Producers (album): Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice
Release Date: July 1979
Album: Evita (Original Cast Recording) - Premiere American Recording
Label: MCA Records
Track #: 5
Length: approx. 3:09
Language: English
Music style: brisk Latin-pop theatre with patter and ensemble refrains

Questions and Answers

Who produced “Goodnight and Thank You” on the Broadway cast album?: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
When was this recording released?: 1979, with release month listed as July.
Who wrote the song?: Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Tim Rice.
Where does the number land in the show?: Early Act 1, functioning as Eva’s step-by-step climb; it appears as Track 5 on the album.
Are there notable alternative recordings?: Yes - the 1976 concept album, the 1978 London cast, the 2006 London revival, the 2012 Broadway revival, and the 1996 film soundtrack with Antonio Banderas and Madonna.

Awards and Chart Positions

The Broadway production won seven Tony Awards in 1980, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, Best Actress (Patti LuPone), Best Featured Actor (Mandy Patinkin), Best Direction (Harold Prince) and Best Lighting Design.

The cast recording received the Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1981.

Additional Info

The 1996 film version tweaks some jabs: Che’s opening line becomes “Goodnight and thank you, Huevo,” a change that shifts the number’s snark and helps localize the scene for the movie’s tone.

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