Seasons in the Sun

"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the song Le Moribond by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics by American singer-poet Rod McKuen.^[1] It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks and became a Christmas Number 1 in 1999 for Westlife. The Jacks version is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.

The song is a dying protagonist's farewell to relatives and friends.

History

Original French version

The original French-language song included sarcasm and references to his wife's infidelity - but these are not present in the English-language adaptation. Jacks' recording was released in Canada and the United States early in the year, and rose to number one in America by March 2. Earlier recordings had been released by The Kingston Trio with the first cover version of McKuen's translation in 1963, the British band The Fortunes in 1968, John & Anne Ryder on their LP I Still Believe In Tomorrow^[2] released in 1969, and by Pearls Before Swine in 1970/71.

Terry Jacks version

The song was recorded in Vancouver, B.C. in 1973. Susan and Terry Jacks, of Poppy Family fame, made the decision to record the song when the Beach Boys, who were considering recording a version with Terry Jacks producing, decided to abandon their recording. The Jacks recorded it instead and Terry Jacks later released it on his own label. It immediately topped the record charts in the U.S. (where it was released on Bell Records), Canada, and the UK, selling over 14 million copies worldwide.

Jacks' 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 No. 1 atop the Hot 100, and remained in the top 40 until almost Memorial Day weekend. Jacks' version also spent one week on the Easy Listening charts.^[3] Although he released several other singles that were moderately successful in Canada, "Seasons in the Sun" would become Jacks' only major solo hit in the United States.^[4]

Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio would later rank Jacks' version of the song at #63 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, stating that a new T-shirt slogan should be: "He had joy, he had fun, he had seasons in the sun, and all we got was this lousy song."^[5]

Version comparison

This is an English translation of the original final verse by Jacques Brel:

Good-bye, my wife, I loved you well

Good-bye, my wife, I loved you well, you know,

But I'm taking the train for the Good Lord,

I'm taking the train before yours

But you take whatever train you can;

Goodbye, my wife, I'm going to die,

It's hard to die in springtime, you know,

But I'm leaving for the flowers with my eyes closed, my wife,

Because I closed them so often,

I know you will take care of my soul.

("eyes closed" refers to closing his eyes to her infidelity, following on from the preceding verse in which he bids goodbye to his wife's lover Antoine).

The Kingston Trio's 1963 recording was the first cover of McKuen's English-language version. The last verse in McKuen's three verse freehand rendering retains Brel's reference to the wife's infidelity but with a different sensibility:

Adieu, Francoise, my trusted wife, without you I'd have had a lonely life.

You cheated lots of times but then, I forgave you in the end though your lover was my friend.

Adieu, Francoise, it's hard to die when all the birds are singing in the sky. Now that spring is in the air

With your lovers ev'rywhere; just be careful, I'll be there.

Terry Jacks' lyrics omit the original third and fourth verses and adds this verse, which could refer to either a daughter or a young girlfriend:

Goodbye, Michelle, my little one,

You gave me love and helped me find the sun,

And every time that I was down

You would always come around

And get my feet back on the ground;

Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die

When all the birds are singing in the sky,

Now that the spring is in the air,

With the flowers everywhere,

I wish that we could both be there!

Other versions

Apart from the versions noted above, there have been numerous cover versions of the song. Generally, these use the same translation as the Terry Jacks version, and thus inherit that version's less harsh interpretation of the song's storyline.

The Westlife version has been their fourth limited edition single from their self-titled debut album Westlife and has sold over 650 000 copies in UK so far.^[6]

Swedish dansband Vikingarna covered the song in Swedish in 1974, as "Sommar varje dag". The song has also been covered by Spell, The Beach Boys, The Fortunes, Bad Religion, Too Much Joy, the Squirrels, Black Box Recorder, Nirvana, Indochine, Karel Gott (Czech version), Klaus Hoffmann (in Germain), Pearls Before Swine, Alcazar, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Westlife, Second Run, Nana Mouskouri, Television Personalities, and Gob featuring Blink 182.

In 1993, Nirvana recorded an informal version of the song which was never intended for release, but was eventually included on the DVD portion of their 2004 box-set With the Lights Out. Nirvana's lead singer, Kurt Cobain, would often reference the song in interviews, mentioning the fact that it made him cry as a child.

Another cover version, by Bobby Wright (son of Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells), reached the Top 40 of the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in 1974.

The Manchester-based Coachmen's version was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in July 1966 and released on Columbia DB8057 in November 1966.

The song was used by Shabba Ranks and Crystal in their big reggae hit "Twice My Age", with the words in the chorus (sung by Crystal) changed to:

I'm in love with a man, nearly twice my age,

Don't know what it is, but its a hit from me youthful days,

As I go my way, I don't care what people say,

I'm in love with a man, nearly twice my age!

Spanish versions are entitled 'Epocas de Sol, Estaciones en el Sol, or Etapas de mi Vida.

There is a German version called Adieu Emile by Klaus Hoffmann published in 1975. The translated lyrics are very close to the French ones but the melody is slightly altered and the whole song has a 3/4 beat.^[7]

Italian singer/songwriter Roberto Vecchioni recorded an Italian version called "Stagioni nel sole" for his 2005 acoustic, jazz-influenced live album Il Contastorie. The title of his version is a literal translation of "Seasons in the Sun", but both the lyrics (rewritten by Vecchioni himself) and the musical structure of Vecchioni's version are much closer to Jacques Brel's original (including a vague allusion to the protagonist's wife being unfaithful) than to the Jacks/McKuen version. The accompaniment of this rendition, played on acoustic guitar, piano and double bass (with no drums) is march-like, similar to Brel's, and pointedly un-romantic.

The band Beirut has covered "Le Moribond" live on a number of occasions. A version performed for KEXP was recorded along with "My Family's Role in the World Revolution" for the third track on the Elephant Gun EP. Beirut performs a cover that is quite faithful to the original Jacques Brel version, maintaining the French lyrics and the marching up-beat tempo.

The Finnish schlager singer Arto Sotavalta have recorded a Finnish version of the song called Päivät kuin unta (Eng. Days like dreams). The Finnish translation is very similar to the English text.

The Vietnamese version, called "Những mùa nắng đẹp" was translated by musician Pham Duy. The translated lyrics are quite similar to the English ones. A number of overseas Vietnamese singers have covered this version.

A spoof version was recorded in 2006 by Dundee United fan under the alias 'Terry Jack'. This version mocks the possible demise of Dundee United's arch rivals, Dundee FC who were suffering severe financial difficulties at the time.^[8] This version contains swearing and adult themes.

References

External links

• Seasons in the Sun at Super Seventies.
• "Goodbye, Papa, It's Hard to Die: The enduring appeal of an abominable pop song" (Slate.com, March 16, 2005)
• Rod McKuen on the song's origins
• "Seasons In The Sun" - Westlife Official Music video on YouTube