# “A very ‘Goodbye David’ song”: How Joni Mitchell made sure David Crosby got the message in 1966

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/a-very-goodbye-david-song-how-joni-mitchell-made-sure-david-crosby-got-the-message-in-1966/
- Published: 2026-11-13T20:19:34+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T21:51:17+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/joni-mitchell-david-crosby-1966-song-cheated-her/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Mitchell sang Crosby a pointed new song at a party.
- ‘That Song About the Midway’ alluded to his cheating.
- She performed it twice before they broke up.

## Summary

Joni Mitchell confronted David Crosby over his relationship with another woman by performing a new song directly to him at a party. The episode shows how Mitchell drew on her own experiences for her songwriting, and how a song could deliver a personal rebuke while still conveying affection.

The song was ‘That Song About the Midway’, which Crosby later described as a “very ‘Goodbye David’ song”. Its lyrics alluded to his high harmonies and repeated cheating, according to a passage in David Browne’s book about Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Mitchell sang it while looking at Crosby, then performed it a second time to make sure he understood the message; the pair broke up soon afterwards.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.