Has anyone ever heard of this Billie Holiday song?
I watched QI on Friday night (with Stephen Fry) and I was amazed!
There's a good chance British people haven't heard this song, it was banned by the BBC until 2002.
Banned? A song that's so old? Why?
Yeah. Exactly...what's so special about this song...
Well...it has the highest number of suicides connected to it. So much so, it's called the Hungarian suicide song. So eat your heart out Judas Priest, Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson (who's gonna record the song)...this song is PROVEN to be a killer...
How cool is that? And if you're gonna listen to Holiday, listen to "Strange fruit" while you're at it...
From: http://www.phespirit.info/gloomysunday/
Gloomy Sunday - the notorious 'Hungarian Suicide Song' - was written in 1933. Its melody and original lyrics were the creation of Rezső Seress, a self-taught pianist and composer born in Hungary in 1899.
The crushing hopelessness and bitter despair which characterised the two stanza penned by Seress were superseded by the more mournful, melancholic verses of Hungarian poet László Jávor.
When the song came to public attention it quickly earned its reputation as a 'suicide song'. Reports from Hungary alleged individuals had taken their lives after listening to the haunting melody, or that the lyrics had been left with their last letters.
The lyricists Sam M. Lewis and Desmond Carter each penned an English translatation of the song. It was Lewis's version, first recorded by Hal Kemp and his Orchestra, with Bob Allen on vocals (1936), that was to become the most widely covered.
The popularity of Gloomy Sunday increased greatly through its interpretation by Billie Holiday (1941). In an attempt to alleviate the pessemistic tone a third stanza was added to this version, giving the song a dreamy twist, yet still the suicide reputation remained. Gloomy Sunday was banned from the playlists of major radio broadcasters around the world. The B.B.C. deemed it too depressing for the airwaves.
Despite all such bans, Gloomy Sunday continued to be recorded and sold.
People continued to buy the recordings; some committed suicide.
Rezső Seress jumped to his death from his flat in 1968.
For another perspective: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloomy_Sunday
# Holiday's version was featured in the Simpsons episode “Treehouse of Horror XVII”.
# There is a Swedish "doom metal" band from Gothenburg called Gloomy Sunday; and many of their lyrics deal with depression and suicide.
# The song inspired the Spanish movie The Kovak Box (2006). A writer is trapped on an island where everybody seems to commit suicide. The song plays during the movie, sung by the actress Lucía Jiménez. A music video from the cover was released as part of the movie promotion.
# Poppy Z. Brite refers to this song in her novel Exquisite Corpse.
# The song is featured at the start of the film Schindlers List
Sunday is gloomy,
My hours are slumberless
Dearest the shadows
I live with are numberless
Little white flowers
Will never awaken you
Not where the black coaches
Sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thoughts
Of ever returning you
Wouldnt they be angry
If I thought of joining you?
Gloomy sunday
Gloomy is sunday,
With shadows I spend it all
My heart and i
Have decided to end it all
Soon therell be candles
And prayers that are said I know
But let them not weep
Let them know that Im glad to go
Death is no dream
For in death Im caressin you
With the last breath of my soul
Ill be blessin you
Gloomy sunday
Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I wake and I find you asleep
In the deep of my heart here
Darling I hope
That my dream never haunted you
My heart is tellin you
How much I wanted you
Gloomy sunday
Originally posted by Officer DibbleWow, Sunday morning music fest in the comfort of your own home! 🙂
there's a big band playing "on the sunny side of the street" in the park across the road from my house. i guess it's something to do with the london marathon, whose route comes along the road.
now they're playing "in the mood".
i don't think they'll play "gloomy sunday".
