Sea of Heartbreak
| "Sea of Heartbreak" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Don Gibson | ||||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Paul Hampton, Hal David | |||
| Don Gibson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Sea of Heartbreak" is a song written by Paul Hampton and Hal David and recorded by Don Gibson in 1961. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1]
The song has been covered by a number of artists, perhaps most famously by Johnny Cash. Cash's daughter, Rosanne Cash, covered the song in 2009 as a duet with Bruce Springsteen on her album, The List. British pop group The Searchers recorded a version in 1964 for their album It's The Searchers. The Everly Brothers covered the song on their 1967 album, The Hit Sound of the Everly Brothers. In 1982, Poco went to #35 in the USA on the Adult Contemporary chart with their version.[2]
Lyrics
The song describes the feelings of lost love, and compares them to being lost in a metaphorical sea of intensely sad emotion (to an, at least in the chorus and in the overall impression, surprisingly cheery tune). It contains three verses with a chorus at the beginning and ending, and in between verses. The chorus lines are:-
- Sea of heartbreak, lost love an' loneliness;
- Memories of your caress, so divine
- I wish you were mine again, my dear.
- I am on this sea of tears:
- Sea of heartbreak.
Chart performance
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] | 21 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 14 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 10 |
Kenny Price version
| "Sea of Heartbreak" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kenny Price | ||||
| from the album Sea of Heartbreak | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
Paul Hampton Hal David | |||
| Kenny Price singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Kenny Price recorded the song in 1972, and peaked at number 24 on the country charts in the USA.[5] It was included on his album of the same name.
Chart performance
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 24 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 13 |
Ronnie McDowell version
| "Sea of Heartbreak" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ronnie McDowell | ||||
| from the album American Music | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
Paul Hampton Hal David | |||
| Ronnie McDowell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Sea of Heartbreak" was also a single by the American country music artist Ronnie McDowell. Released in 1989, it was the first single from the album American Music. The song reached #39 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[7]
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 39 |
Jimmy Buffett/George Strait version
| "Sea of Heartbreak" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Jimmy Buffett with George Strait | ||||
| from the album License to Chill | ||||
| Released | July 13, 2004 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | Mailboat/RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
Paul Hampton Hal David | |||
| Producer(s) |
Mac McAnally Michael Utley | |||
| License to Chill track listing | ||||
| ||||
In 2004, Jimmy Buffett recorded a version for his License to Chill album. George Strait was featured on this rendition.
Song in popular culture
The song has been used in several movies, among them Heartbreak Ridge starring Clint Eastwood.
The song is reminiscent of Bob Dylan's 1962 song "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", although the only real similarity is in lines 2 and 4 of the verse.
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 133.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 194.
- ↑ "Don Gibson – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Don Gibson.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 255.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 274.
- ↑ "Kenny Price – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kenny Price.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 225.
- ↑ "Ronnie McDowell – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Ronnie McDowell.