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Seasons in the Sun

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For the 2012 book about British history, see Dominic Sandbrook.
"Le Moribond"
Song by Jacques Brel
from the album Marieke
Released 1961
Recorded February 22, 1961
Genre Chanson
Length 3:06
Label Philips
Songwriter(s) Jacques Brel

"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 song "Le Moribond" by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel[1] with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen,[2] portraying a dying man's farewell to his loved ones. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks and became a Christmas number one in the UK in 1999 for Westlife.

Song history

The first version of the song, recorded by Jacques Brel, tells of a man dying of a broken heart. It was sung in a marching tempo and shows the man saying his last farewells to a priest, his best friend, and his wife, named as Francoise, who cheated on him.

"Seasons in the Sun"
File:Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks.jpeg
Image of Germany 7" vinyl cover
Single by Terry Jacks
from the album Seasons in the Sun
B-side "Put the Bone In"
Released December 1973
Recorded 1973
Genre Pop
Length 3:24
Label Bell
Songwriter(s) Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen
Producer(s) Terry Jacks
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"Concrete Sea"
(1972)		 "Seasons in the Sun"
(1973)		 "If You Go Away"
(1974)
Music video
"Seasons in the Sun" on YouTube

Terry Jacks recording

The American poet Rod McKuen translated the lyrics to English. In 1964, The Kingston Trio first recorded an English version of Seasons in the Sun, which was later heard by Terry Jacks and became the basis for his rendition.

Jacks thought that the original version by Jacques Brel was too macabre and he rewrote the lyrics, inspired by a friend who was suffering from leukemia and died four months after the release of his version. Unlike the Jacques Brel version, Jacks' rendition instead tells of a dying man giving his last words to his loved ones. In the first verse the dying man gives his last words to his friend, whom he had known since childhood and reminisces the happy times they had such as playing together ("climbed hills and trees"), friendships with others ("skinned our hearts and skinned our knees") and studying together ("learned of love and ABC's"). The second verse has him addressing his father, who tried to give him a good upbringing and exert a positive influence on his undisciplined life ("I was the black sheep of the family", "You tried to teach me right from wrong", "wonder how I got along") which included vices and revelry ("too much wine and too much song"). The final verse shows him addressing "Michelle", possibly his daughter or niece, and stating how she lifted his spirit up in times of despair.

Jacks recorded "Seasons in the Sun" in Vancouver in 1973 with his then-wife Susan Jacks. They made the decision to record the song when The Beach Boys, who had recorded a version with Terry Jacks producing, decided to abandon their recording.

Jacks released his version as a single in 1973 on his own label, Goldfish Records. "Put the Bone In", an original composition about burying a deceased pet dog, was included as the B-side. The single soon topped the record charts in the U.S. (where it was released on Bell Records), in Canada, and the UK,[3] selling over 14 million copies worldwide.

Jacks's version was released in the United States in December 1973, and made the Billboard Hot 100 a month later. On March 2, 1974, the song began a three-week run at number one atop the Hot 100, and remained in the top 40 until almost Memorial Day weekend. Jacks's version also spent one week on the Easy Listening charts.[4] Billboard ranked it as the number two song for 1974.[5] Although he released several other singles that were moderately successful in Canada, "Seasons in the Sun" would become Jacks's only major solo hit in the United States.[6] In Canada, the single (Gold Fish GF 100) reached number one on the RPM Magazine charts January 26, 1974, and remained there four weeks.

Though the song enjoyed contemporary success, modern criticism takes a dimmer view, considering it overly sentimentalized. Jacks's version has been held up as an example of bad music, such as having been listed as one of the worst pop songs ever recorded and ranking number five in a similar CNN poll in 2006.[7]

Jacks also released a German-language version in Germany with lyrics by Gerd Müller-Schwanke, "In den Gärten der Zeit".[8]

Chart performance

Other versions

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Hits: 1955-2006, 2007.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ "In den Gärten der Zeit" at 45cat.com
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ "Musicline.de – Terry Jacks Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Seasons in the Sun". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Terry Jacks search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun". VG-lista.
  18. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun". Swiss Singles Chart.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ "Terry Jacks – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Terry Jacks.
  22. ↑ "Terry Jacks – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Terry Jacks.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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