Alie58 - Gloomy Sunday
Alie58
May 16, 2026 09:49am
<p>A Journey Of Better Times rd 1<span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> Memories</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">I learned the song sung by Peter Wolf .. the last verse was not added to the song... ( I spoke the words ;-) )</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">... ofcourse through my brother Rik ( he died in 2005) who taught me so much about music...</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">In 2001 my brother Jan committed suicide...( no..not while listening to this song.. )</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">I am not sad because I have so many memories of them...they often make me smile...</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">"</span><strong style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">Gloomy Sunday</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">" also known as the "</span><strong style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">Hungarian Suicide Song</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">", is a </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_song" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">popular song</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> composed by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hungarian</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> pianist and composer </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rezs%C5%91_Seress" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rezső Seress</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> and published in 1933.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">The original lyrics were titled “Vége a világnak” (</span><em style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">The world is ending</em><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">) and were about despair caused by war, ending in a quiet prayer about people's sins.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">Poet </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_J%C3%A1vor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">László Jávor</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> wrote his own lyrics to the song, titled </span><em style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">Szomorú vasárnap</em><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> (</span><em style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">Sad Sunday</em><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">), in which the protagonist wants to commit suicide following his lover's death.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">The latter lyrics ended up becoming more popular while the former were essentially forgotten.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">The song was first recorded in </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_language" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hungarian</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A1l_Kalm%C3%A1r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pál Kalmár</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> in 1935.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">"Gloomy Sunday" was first recorded in English by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Kemp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hal Kemp</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> in 1936, with lyrics by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_M._Lewis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam M. Lewis</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">, and was recorded the same year by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paul Robeson</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">, with lyrics by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Carter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Desmond Carter</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">It became well known throughout much of the </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">English</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">-speaking world after the release of a version by </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billie Holiday</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> in 1941. Lewis's lyrics referred to </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suicide</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);">, and the record label described it as the "Hungarian Suicide Song". There is a recurring </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_legend" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">urban legend</a></u><span style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(78, 78, 78);"> which claims that many people have committed suicide while listening to this song.</span></p><p><br></p>