Left me so sad...First time hearing TERRY JACKS - SEASONS IN THE SUN

[@kimruddy441]

Terry Jack's is alive and well. He stated in an interview he wrote this song after the death of a good friend from leukemia and he wanted to put himself in the perspective of his friend.

[@cindiaker5778]

It was actually written by the writer Rod McKuen, and is supposed to be a man dying from an incurable disease saying goodbye to his loved ones.

[@kimruddy441]

@@cindiaker5778 thank you for clarifying!

[@DarkenedAuras]

@@cindiaker5778 Thanks for clarifying that, that's the impression I always got from it

[@KelmeT20smpmh]

@ Kim Ruddy thanks for explaing. I always felt the singer ,Terry Jack's referring to has terminal illness. So sad.

[@amethystjones1038]

No. It’s a rewrite of a French song. His friend was part of the rewrite, but it’s based on a French song.

[@kdgrab]

When I was nine years old my 17 year old brother passed away from a heart condition he was born with. He would listen to this song. Every time I hear it. I see him and know this was how he felt somehow knowing he had little time on this earth. I cried.

[@kevingood4644]

Sending hugs from England ))

[@blakesliberator3197]

SO sorry!

[@keywestconch8]

Hugs and love, so sorry for your loss

[@markponn9622]

My condolences to you and your family. I can't imagine the heartache you have for your brother. You'll see him again by Faith in Heaven. Peace to you, my friend. 😘

[@dfd659]

So sorry for your loss ❤

[@xalm8761]

The song was a semi translation and a homage to an old French song that was about a man on his death bed reminiscing on life while praying that his friends and family has the strength to not let his passing affect them in too negative of a way that it destroys them in their grieving process.

[@dorothyhowie1042]

I love this song Love you too Terry Jacks

[@jackdanereacts4527]

Dear friends and fans of Terry: I am posting this message on Terry’s behalf, with him talking to me as I type. After his stroke back in March, he was doing really well with the recovery. However, a few weeks ago he endured another stroke that sent him back to the hospital. He is having a really difficult time adjusting to it. He would like to reach out to everyone and know that your prayers for his healing and health would be greatly appreciated and well received as he is having a really difficult time dealing with everything right now. Please pray for Terry and send lots of Love and well wishes his way.

[@doreenorr6435]

I'm not religious so prayers would be hypocritical but I wish him all the best and it's always been a favorite song, so thanks for that terry

[@jamietuggnut3312]

@@doreenorr6435 Obviously, you don't believe in manners either. You shouldn't have bothered leaving a comment at all with that snarky attitude.

[@doreenorr6435]

@@jamietuggnut3312 how do I not have manners? Would you rather I just lied to the guy? All I did was state what I feel with no animosity whatsoever? I don't understand your reaction in the slightest? Please explain where I was rude, sarky or ill mannered?

[@jamietuggnut3312]

@@doreenorr6435 If you went to Japan and were invited to a person's home and asked to remove your shoes before entering, would you say, "No thanks. I'm not Japanese and I think that tradition is silly" and then walk right into their house? That's basically what are saying when you tell a Christian "I'm not religious so prayers would be hypocritical." How about if you said nothing at all and then, that way, you wouldn't have to "lie to the guy." Instead you told a person who's in rough shape and having a "difficult time" that basically you wouldn't be sending prayers because you don't believe in that nonsense and you think it's silly. Next time, how about just keeping your yapper shut and just move along....

[@soupdragonuk]

@@doreenorr6435 Well said. I'm an atheist as well. I'll always send best wishes and thoughts to people. But, I'll never pray for them as that would make me a massive hypocrit. I hope Terry gets well, as this song has resonated with me for...lets just say decades. And I thank him for recording it, it's a beautiful and yet terribly heartbreaking song.

[@Jane-AnimalFriend]

I don't view this song as a downer like many do. I view as a terminally ill man who has accepted his fate and is ok with it. He had his time and it was filled with joy and fun.

[@susanharrah3462]

I did too

[@christinegelabert1651]

@Jane As a person who has a terminal brain disease, I see it the same way. I didn't always see it the same way from when it first came out. Originally to me it was a little depressing but still very sweet. But now that things have changed in the last year or so. It's taking on a deeper meaning for me as I've been making my final plans. Either way, from early in my youth all the way into my MID 50s this song has always been one of my true favorites. I've been making a compilation for CD to be given out to several of my closest friends. It'll be made up of certain songs that holds a special meaning between us. When they hear it~they'll know which song on my CD was picked out for them specifically and why. I'm not sure yet if this is going to be one of the songs on it but probably it will be. 🤟❤️🎵

[@Jane-AnimalFriend]

@@christinegelabert1651 oh my goodness. I am so sorry you have to go through this. My niece is currently dealing with a terminal cancer but hasn't seemed to accepted it yet. I am glad that you have found some peace. I hope your remaining time continues to be filled with joy.

[@bladerunner752]

@@christinegelabert1651 I'm sorry to hear of your illness. The cd is a very sweet gesture and I am sure your loved ones will enjoy it very much and remember the good times nothing bad. I pray for you and may the lord bless you and welcome you home with open arms. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@timw6690]

I hope I can be like you. I'm 55 healthy. But at times I think of my ow mortality. As I get older. I hope I have peace and accept

[@charlesbunch8383]

A real tear jerker. I'm glad there were no more verses, I would have lost it. I've heard this song a million times, and it still gets to me.

[@mzphillips53]

I don't know if you ever heard of Rod McQuen but he did a version of this where he simply spoke the words. It did pretty well in America. But these people didn't write it. It was written by a Frenchman. I've noticed that most people who do reaction videos usually assume the performer wrote the song but that's not the case.

[@kathy1013]

@@mzphillips53 I love Rod McKuen and was thinking Harry might enjoy listening to some of his stuff too.

[@sherribrock2726]

Terry Jacks is still with us. He is 78 years old! The meaning is not suicidal. It is from a dying man who just wants to say goodbye to family and friends. He was 29-30 years old when his version was released.

[@dianeorr8937]

Awesome to learn!

[@RobinMcPherson-k3m]

It makes me cry like a baby every time I hear it.

[@kimberlydavis7514]

This song always reminds me of my Uncle Gerald. He passed away at the age of 32 in 1976 from lung cancer. He had been in the Vietnam War as a jungle rat. Was coated daily in agent orange. To me this is what the song represents. Dying before you have experienced all of life. RIP Uncle Gerald

[@behringerm]

Please Listen to Dan Fogelburg: “Leader of the Band”; “Another Auld Lang Syne”; “Rhythm of the Falling Rain”

[@thomashernandez7596]

It's about a young man who is dying and is blessed to have the opportunity to say goodbye to his loved ones. Telling them he loves them and has enjoyed them being in his life..😢

[@theresareynolds3133]

I understand this song totally and completely, when I was 11, I got sick, my parents never took me to the dr, finally my dad took me and the Dr told him if he had waited another 6 hours, I'd have been dead, walking pneumonia had turned to double pneumonia, both lungs had collapsed, my organs were shutting down, I was in ICU for 4 days, my Dr told my dad he didn't think I was going to make it, modern medicine had done everything it could for me, it was up to God and myself, dad was at the hospital everyday along with m y grandparents, mom never went. Imagine being 11 and knowing your dying, luckily I slowly got better, and i'm still here, so yes, I understand this song

[@marynorris8800]

What a sad but happy time in your life! So glad for everyone in the family. Such a gift to be given your future back❤

[@davepeterschmidt5818]

What strikes me most about this song is the stark contrast between him dying while the birds are singing so happily and spring is in the air. It has always made me view the good things in life from a fresh perspective. When you see those things from the perspective of a dying person they seem so incredibly precious. It's a reminder to not waste your life taking the beauty of the world for granted. Soak it in while you're able.

[@sharonchaput9705]

I think of it as song from a person with a terminal illness who is dying.

[@Steve-1951]

"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 song "Le Moribond" by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen, portraying a dying man's farewell to his loved ones. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks . Listen to McKuen if you want a tearjerker.

[@lorirobinson7882]

I love Rod McKuen’s version.

[@vonnyb9052]

"Seasons in the Sun" is the story of a dying man, bidding farewell to loved ones who have shared his life. Shortly before Terry's recording came out, Jacques Brel retired, at the peak of his popularity. Fans around the world were stunned, but the composer would give no reason. Finally, the truth was revealed: after a quiet, six-year battle against cancer, Brel succumbed to the disease and died on October 9, 1978.

[@scotties.3414]

❤❤❤

[@bjspeck4337]

Love this one. Always have, always will.

[@cirrus1976]

Terry Jacks was also in The Poppy Family, They did a Song, Which way You going Billy, I think You would like it 😊

[@breckrichardson390]

Yes, very good song.

[@Fonoyb]

I never once thought of this as about suicide. And I've loved this song for 50 years

[@hempelchamp]

Terry Jacks Is Still Alive!

[@2003garyb]

It's a rewrite of a song called something like Le Moribund. It's about a dying person saying his goodbyes to the meaningful people in his life. Rod McKuen reworked it in the early 60s, and Terry Jacks made the most recognized recording of it.

[@donthomasdunigan7004]

McKuen rewrote this from the French original by Jacques Brel, a prolific songwriter. Peace.

[@chrismaloney5213]

I am an ex soldier and now 57 I cry everything I hear this

[@henriklorenzen7516]

I heard that song as a kid in the 70s, and loved it. When I am Danish, and later in my life began to learn English, the song became much more emotional for me, as you could interpret it now in many situations. Where as an older person, you have known many people who have gone away, and i am misses today, and wish they were here today. It does not change that the song, the melody is good .. yes maybe even has a greater meaning emotionally .. I still love the song, although it can make me sad, as life is not only full of joys, but also sorrows, so I can easily get acquainted with your differences of impression, and expression of the song ..!

[@julierahayel]

Because its the best song ever😢it's ❤

[@diskeywick]

I feel ya brother, the 70's had a magic of there own!

[@paulschirf9259]

The original French version is very different, with an old man blaming his cheating wife for him having a sad life. The Terry Jacks version, to me, is from the perspective of a young man dying of an incurable disease.

[@noracola5285]

Just curious, who sang that version?

[@paulschirf9259]

@@noracola5285 Jacques Brel - a real lyrical poet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHvPXoVog82In6s

[@phillharms2954]

That's the way I understood it when I first heard in 1974

[@jessileerichy]

Say whaaa???what????

[@RaduRadonys]

@@noracola5285 Jacques Brel - Le Moribond

[@John_Locke_108]

First heard this song when I was around 20. The lyrics spoke to me completely. Such a terrific song.

[@stephenulmer3781]

Played this at my moms memorial service in 2016. She always loved it 😢 Listen to it whenever im contemplating whether to stay around or not( i get that way sometimes)

[@diedoncealready6989]

Get that way myself from time to time. Had a friend named Ken Ulmer, sadly he has passed. Keep your chin up friend.

[@jerickson725]

Just remember those feelings come and go, and please find someone you are comfortable with to talk to 🙏❤.

[@gigih.hammer306]

Stephen Ulmer! You have company. Special lately I'm contemplating the same thing. Every time I have to see my doctor, I get nothing but bad news about my health. Its slowly going down the drain. At times I feel I can't take more and it throws me into a deep depression. Its not my right to ended, God gave me life and he is the only one that decides when my time comes. My husband was taking from me after 33 years of marriage. That was 13 years ago, but I still can't get over loosing him. I'm hoping to see him again in our afterlife. I truly believe that that exist. Please stay strong and try not to have those thoughts again. I wish you well.

[@djmattese]

I know how you feel Stephen. I’ve felt it a lot when I have my own thoughts of leaving my own way, reflecting on people I’ve known, I’ve loved, and I’ve hurt. But you have to hang in there, wherever your lovely Mom is spiritually, she lives still in the present, in your heart, in your mind, in your words. She’s still here, while your here. And she raised an amazing child. And when you see her again, let it be after having lived many seasons in the sun, as her son😊….Which you know she must wish for you, that melancholic feeling might just be from the pain she feels knowing her boy is suffering on the other side, thinking he’s alone…when in truth he never has been, and never will be😊

[@brendancasey866]

I was ten when this came out, and like a handful of other songs it hit hard, as kids we didn't know the back story, but I think most people realised it had a kind of gravitas, it wasn't just another song on the radio, and while it might not be one of those songs that transports you back to the time and place you first heard it,,its one you never forget

[@vandergrad]

I read an interview once where Terry said he had a friend tell him he just found out he had six months to live, and sure enough his friend passed away a few months later. Terry then decided to rewrite the old song others have mentioned here, about an old man dying. He was a music producer and meant to have an established group perform it, but no one wanted it. So he did it himself, and it made him a fortune.

[@dsusan17]

Harri, you have such a good heart.

[@cathyortiz1280]

Wow! Haven't hear this forever. Takes me back. I always thought maybe he had a terminal illness like cancer or something - in the song. Not the actual singer. Maybe he knew someone that was going to die??

[@clemdane]

When you said, "What makes a man write a song like this?" I burst out laughing. It's kind of like "Alone Again Naturally."

[@lix7698]

Lol I actually listen to those 2 songs together

[@sophistichistory4645]

@@lix7698 SERIOUSLY??......and you didn't blow your brains out??? Oh, wait......you need Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" as a chaser. "We had joy. We had fun. We had seasons in the sun. But, now I'm depressed, Let my gun lead me to rest."

[@lix7698]

@@sophistichistory4645 lol I’m kind of morose so it works for me lol

[@RandomParrot]

The story behind d this song, is a very long tail. Terry didn't write it, goes waaaay back. His best friend took his girlfriend. The end of the song is basically telling his friend to take care of her. It's really a long story. Professor of Rock covers it very well.

[@petersutton2182]

My Girlfriend at the time gave me this for my 15th Birthday. At 15 there is no way we had thoughts about exactly what this song meant, it was just a beautiful song. I'm now 62 :-)

[@dortheyc5276]

I love this song!! Terry Jacks had an awesome voice. I heard him say once that he had a big fear of singing in front of people. He sang in the 60's with The Poppy Family. But he was really faced with that fear even more with the success of "Seasons In The Sun." I'd love to see a reaction to "Which Way You Goin' Billy" by The Poppy Family.

[@heartgal54]

I was about 18 when this song was a hit, and I never heard it as a suicide song, I always thought of it as a young man dying in Vietnam and reaching out to his loved ones one last time in his thoughts... The other side of the coin is how this song hits me now --- when my husband died suddenly at age 56, one of the feelings I will never forget is how I stood by his bed and the brilliant spring sunshine filling the room seemed so wrong, it made me angry in a way... it would have been easier to let him go in the dark of night or a rainstorm, but not with that beautiful sunshine laughing at us... it IS hard to die, and to let go, "when all the birds are singing in the sky" .... RIP hon...

[@infomax4572]

I was deeply touched by your words. May your husband RIP . He was blessed to have a caring wife in you

[@susanharrah3462]

I'm so sorry to hear this we lost my husband dad so I know what you mean. couldn't imagine losing my husband yet .I'll keep you in my prayers.

[@stellaandes9622]

I'm so sorry your husband passed away so young. My husband died at 1:00 AM in hospice, with all of us standing by his bedside.

[@hyacinth4368]

Also thought it was about Vietnam.

[@markponn9622]

My condolences to you and your family. Life isn't fair, I know but we are to enjoy life given to us by God. Death is part of life, but that doesn't make it any easier. Peace to you, my friend.😘

[@francesshelley5522]

I too am facing a terrible illness and remember listening to this song when I was a teenager. Now 60 years young I listen to the lyrics and hear such joy and peace. I accept what has happened to me and I know when I go I am not coming back, and right now that is a good thing.

[@cls6055]

Oh yea, big big hit! 70's..

[@janesawyer3495]

I had this 45, I played it over and over again. Great song.

[@Someonelser1]

I have always loved this song!

[@billaccord717]

Terry Jack is alive @ 80 years old. Recently Terry Jacks was invited to Russia to perform this song because Seasons In The Sun is popular there.

[@mikehastings1531]

I'm a loyal watcher but have never commented on here BUT when you stopped it and said "what makes a guy right a song like this" I almost died laughing !!!! ... good stuff bro, rock on .....

[@RatCityprincess]

I was a small child when this song was popular. Ive always got the impression that from the singers point of view he was terminally ill or mortality wounded. It seemed to me that dying wasn't by his choice. Suicide wasn't the impression I got. I do know the singer lived for many years because he still performed the song into his old age.

[@thecrye6798]

Heard this song as a kid on an old K-Tel collection album. Never got over it.

[@mickeymayfield4192]

This is on several oldies compilation albums I've worn out over the years.i love it

[@kittyseas1092]

I always thought the song was about a man full of the love of the beauty of life who was dying and saying farewell to the world and his loved ones.

[@sapphoculloden5215]

Oh, another song I absolutely adore.

[@trendydelquendy]

This was on the radio all the time when I was little. I'm still haunted by it.

[@MrMike4017]

This song always makes me cry. Even when I was 5 yrs old when it came out. Great song

[@grouchyoleguy]

This song is someone who is dieing saying his final goodbye to those that matter ....When I was about ten my aunt passed from a terminal illness after years of fighting it , this song was played at her memorial service at her request

[@behringerm]

I love having someone so far outside my experience (as a middle aged, upper class white woman) listen to and react to songs I have been listening to my entire life. Your fresh perspective is beautiful and mind opening

[@teresalau86]

Oldies but goodies !!!

[@StevenWWII]

I am not sure why i play this song and i tear up every time. Now that my 44 year old wife of 20 years is dying of end stage motor neuron disease i find my self playing this song to my self. I think it stands for making the most of the time you have with your loved one and remember the good times. When my wife is gone I maybe alone but i will always have the seasons in the sun..

[@peaceseeker392]

Finally someone is reaction to this song as I did when I heard it the first time

[@Jaseph2]

I am old enough to remember this song. I always understood it as a man was dying maybe from cancer or something like that and he is saying goodbye to these people in his life. It is indeed a sad song but it’s also a reminder that each of us only have a limited number of season in the sun and so we shouldn’t waste them and in the end only the people in our lives are what mattered. I am a person of faith so I include our relationship with God among those things that are important. We are here to love God and one another. All else is peripheral.

[@carmeloruiz6021]

He worte this song about a friend who was very ill..i think it is a real tribute in life of a friends who nearly will leave this life behind. The things he describe it's so beautiful. He put in his friend's shoes to write this details. It's sad but it's also a relief accepting the end but has so many good memories to take with in the last journey. Life is short and we have to love at most. There's a versus that really shocked me when he recognized his mistakes when he said he was the black sheep of the family. But there's a clue when he said to Michelle: "i hope that we could both be there", talking about picking flowers. This is an excellent lyrics as good as Alone again naturally.

[@joseclarkstonmichigan2573]

Carmeloruiz6021 - The original song was about a man speaking to his family as he died. Even to his wife who was cheating on him and he talks to the womans lover. Le moribond - Jacques Brel - 1961 - Live with English Subtitles kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZWof3xtqtejh9E ================================================== History of the song How A ONE HIT WONDER French Song About Death Became a Global #1 HIT in the 70s | Professor of Rock kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppCWaqOImpxpgpo =================================================

[@garybauer9494]

Harri, Seasons In The Sun is a true story about a very special person in Terry's life. His little sister Michelle. She passed away after a bout with cancer but before she passed every time he felt down and depressed she'd always be there for him and help him get his feet back on the ground.

[@CardiacCat]

Wow... I have heard this so many times over the years and always thought it was a Vietnam reference to a soldier dying and remembering everyone as he was dying. That's what I guess it meant to me or the way my mind reacted to it.

[@dianeorr8937]

My first favorite song in life! You're the first for me to see you react! This was 1972 for me. I seen floods of soldiers on the streets and on the TV we had 3 channels and continuous coverage of caskets with American Flag carried off planes. Then all the news with microphones and people of Watergate. I was 6yrs old. I thought the caskets were packages bringing items from overseas. I watched the suited men and kept waiting for the WATER GATE to open. My gmpa passed away in 1969 and perhaps thats why I love this song as it allowed me to grieve. HMMMMM Your Reaction brings me back to those days!

[@thomaswest7746]

Could be a childhood buddy that passed around that time and reflecting of their times they had together

[@stevesm4]

Although it's a cover of a translation of a Jacques Brel number, a story did the rounds at the time that Terry Jacks really did have a terminal illness. I never heard this at the time but several women around my age say they remember hearing and believing it. Maybe it just did the rounds amongst the girls.

[@kevindavis7620]

I remember this song from my youth. I always liked it but didn’t realize how sad it was until you pointed it out.

[@tonydelapa1911]

Thanks for carrying on even though it left you so sad, Harri. It was an important song in our culture in the early 70s. I had to learn it in French in 9th grade but no longer remember any of it.

[@jamessceeles4397]

My mom had this 45 and would play it relentlessly until we took to hiding the 45; beautiful memories whenever I hear it. Thanks for making my day on this one!❤️‼️🌞

[@michaelpape3793]

Ha ha. When I was laid up in the school infirmary, I heard this song once every 3 or so songs on an AM radio station. Poisoned for life to this song.

[@Vialli100.]

One of my fav songs from my childhood.. I am a heavy metal fan, but still love this song among others..

[@lfandrey7249]

Our generation was the best ❤❤❤❤

[@juliapernicka2698]

I have always loved this song. To me it is someone that knows he is dying and saying goodbye to his loved ones and remembering all the happy moments and the people that made his life special. Being older now it makes me think of special friends and family that have passed away And thinking about what a special part they played my life.

[@jeffjones6221]

Great tune. Profound lyrics

[@jeffreiland7463]

Harri --- You made a good point when you asked why such a young man would write a song such as that and be confronting the concept of death at such a young age. I was relieved to read in the comments that he didn't actually write it. He came upon the song one way or the other, liked it, and recorded it. That actually made me feel better.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

The backing vocals are beautiful. I remember when this came out.

[@3SeveredHeads]

It made me cry as a child of about 6...i still find it sad and have put off listening to it...beautiful but hearing it again it still touches me...i thought it was about someone ill & dying wen young...🙏❣

[@henryb1872]

Thanks for your reactions. I’ve heard this song when I was young in the early 70’s. My impression of the song was someone who had a terminal disease who Is torn between the regrets from wasting time living dangerously and then the irony of him seeing the beauty of the present moment however yet not understanding that he is still living but he is not in the moment.

[@dianeorr8937]

Seasons in the Sun and Heart of Gold soothed my soul thru the 70s.

[@darkomtobia]

If this isn't gut-wrenching enough: Red Sovine "Teddy Bear" (no, not the same as the Elvis song)

[@lynnetrathen4587]

Oh I love the Teddy Bear song it would have to be most awesome song I’ve heard

[@markbritt7477]

I love your break down of the song you eminate peace by just your presence thank you

[@tjtampa214]

Great song. We all cried, then and now - every time. 💜

[@rogerlewis6488]

The memories he is singing about are like a nostalgia for what is in the past and can never be regained, and we all have memories like that with those feelings when we remember them. When you let them go one at a time each one is like a small death. In the song it is like the final looking back, giving thanks for the joys in his life and coming to terms with what is happening. When the time comes I hope I go with that much grace.

[@markbritt7477]

It's a song that will make you cry no matter how many times you listen to it

[@jappperon7012]

this song always brings back how much of my childhood i enjoyed and probally wont get to share with my cubs.

[@jenniferewing4504]

Make you smile after seasons in the sun.

[@lisal.4498]

Growing up in the 70’s this song played all summer long. At the time my best friend was named Michelle and years later when she passed away I immediately heard this song in my mind ❤

[@kurthealey6936]

Non pro tip here Heri, this is the exact version I and all those who first heard this back in the mid seventies heard it. Sure you can find a better quality recording. Yet this is the authentic version. It is up to you... Great, heart felt reaction as always! Keep digging!

[@cynthiachatterton1465]

love

[@rodb9275]

It is a song that definitely invokes some melancholy, while at the same time sounding sort of "up beat". It is definitely beautiful and a classic. Awesome reaction. I hope you'll do several of the other suggestions in these comments. Enjoying you very much.

[@avantgardenovelist]

found you tonight via yt algorithm and after watching ten of your videos you're already my favorite of all react channels on youtube because you're a PHILOSOPHER. I appreciate the time you take to think things out rather than doing somersaults to entertain the crowd for its own sake. glad I found you, man, thanks.

[@trudyjoejenkins9357]

I totally have always felt it was him saying goodbye to those that were dying. Not that he was dying. I really think that’s what hits about I’ve always loved it and have cried many times hearing it. I choose to hear it this way

[@camrenwick]

Back in 1972 my school friend, John Hughes, died aged 14. I never forget him.

[@leesmith4028]

Brillant song

[@ellengraham4677]

Thank you for playing this ,i've loved it since it was first relised, so many memories

[@craigblack7076]

This song was written by Jacque Brel in French and adapted into English by Rod McKuen. It's about a man who is dying and he has gathered his best friend, father & wife around him to say goodbye.

[@joseclarkstonmichigan2573]

craigblack7076 - thank you for pointing this out. I too was going to comment about it - The original song was about a man speaking to his family as he died. Even to his wife who was cheating on him and he talks to the womans lover. Le moribond - Jacques Brel - 1961 - Live with English Subtitles kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZWof3xtqtejh9E ================================================== History of the song How A ONE HIT WONDER French Song About Death Became a Global #1 HIT in the 70s | Professor of Rock kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppCWaqOImpxpgpo =================================================

[@markbryant4932]

This is rather long but I enjoy your reviews immensely. I regularly research backstories of favorite songs and post them on Facebook. This one has quite a history. “Seasons in the Sun” was originally a song written in 1961 by Belgian actor, producer, and singer Jacques Brel (1929-1978) who sold over 25 million records worldwide. Titled back then as “Le Moribund” - his creation had an up-tempo marching beat and tells the tale of a man saying his last farewells to a priest, his best friend, and his wife named Francoise, who cheated on him. In 1963, American poet-singer Rod McKuen translated the French lyrics into English. A year later, The Kingston Trio became the first act in America to record it. Included on their album “Time to Think” it was never released as a single. The Fortunes did a cover in 1966 - but it failed to chart as a single. In 1969, Winnipeg-born Terry Jacks had scored another global hit titled “Which Way You Going Billy?” as a member of the group ‘The Poppy Family.” Well, it was actually just a duo - Terry and his wife Susan. The sound of the song caught the ears of The Beach Boys, who then asked Terry if he would be interested in helping produce their album due to come out in 1972. They all became fast friends because of their similar musical interests. Well, one of the last tunes cut from inclusion on the album was “Seasons in the Sun.” A demo was created (which still exists and can be viewed on KZbin) but that’s as far as it went. Terry kept secretly hoping they would drop it as he felt he could record and put it out himself. When they did, he set about reworking and rewriting some lyrics, using for his inspiration a close buddy who told Jacks he was suffering from acute leukemia - and who died from it four months later. Terry had been pals with this person since childhood and began remembering all the things they did. Somewhat similar to Brel’s original, Terry’s rendition tells the tale of a dying man giving his last words to his loved ones. In the first verse, he gives final words to his friend, whom he had known since they were young. He reminisces the many 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, niece or just a good female friend from childhood, and stating how she lifted his spirit in times of despair when he got older. Jacks released his version as a single in December of 1973 on his own label, Goldfish Records. A month later, it cracked the Billboard Hot 100. Then, on March 2, 1974 it began a 3-week run atop the charts and stayed in the Hot 100 until just before Memorial Day. Billboard ended up ranking “Seasons in the Sun” as the #2 song for the entire year of 1974 - topped only by Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” It also peaked at #1 in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, and New Zealand. To date, “Seasons in the Sun” has sold over 14 million copies. SOURCES: Wikipedia, Songfacts, Billboard, World Socialist Web, All Music, AZ Lyrics, Top Adult Contemporary, CNN, Bob Borst, Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Hits (book)

[@dougnelsin1480]

Beautiful song!!

[@patriciamcelroy3581]

I remember this song from childhood. I didn’t like it then, either. Oddly, I still know the lyrics.

[@rickgibson4641]

The Kingston Trio did a cover of the French translation in 1963, and the British band the Fortunes did it again in 1968. ... In 1973 Terry Jacks got hold of the song as a producer of the Beach Boys version. The Beach Boys rejected it for release then Terry Jacks decided to record if himself an$ release it.

[@webstah2]

The year this song was released, 1973 our local radio station had a DJ lock himself in the booth with a woman and this song on repeat for over 4 hours while the police tried to defuse the situation. Hard to listen to it again after hearing it over and over again.

[@debbiedavis6990]

This song was released in 1974, by Terry Jacks. He did not write the song, it was more like a poem written a couple of years, before Terry Jacks turned it into a Song. It was my favorite song back then, I still love it, but it just goes to show how all the seasons in our lives change so much. It was the number one song for weeks in many Countries. Terry Jacks is still alive, but he is a much older Canadian man, with white hair. It’s one of those songs that makes you wonder about so many things. It really was a suiside poem, so you got that part right. I will always love this Song, because it takes me all the way back when I was very young, and I did get a sister named Michelle, because of this song.

[@markrinehart8813]

The actual meaning of Seasons In The Sun, and the meaning in Terry Jacks cover of it: Originally "Le Moribond" ("The Dying Man"), this was written and performed in French by the Belgian poet-composer Jacques Brel in 1961. The American poet Rod McKuen translated the lyrics to English, and in 1964 The Kingston Trio released the first English-language version of the song. This is the version Terry Jacks heard, which became the basis for his rendition. In a Songfacts interview with Terry Jacks, he said that after his version was released, he had dinner in Brussels with Jacques Brel, who told him about writing the song. "It was about an old man who was dying of a broken heart because his best friend was screwing his wife," Jacks said. "He wrote this in a whorehouse in Tangiers, and the words were quite different. The song originally he used to do on stage and it was in a march form, like, 'Bom ba DUM, bom ba DUM.' Quite a different thing. This old man was dying of a broken heart and he was saying goodbye to his priest and his best friend and his wife, who cheated on him. Her name was Francoise, and it went, '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.'" The original version by Jacques Brel is rather macabre, but Jacks had an earnest inspiration for his reworking of the song: his good friend developed leukemia, and was given just six months to live. "He was gone in four months," Jacks told us. "He was a very good friend of mine, one of my best friends, and he said I was the first one that he told. I remembered this song of an old man dying of a broken heart, and I liked some of the melody and there was something there. I rewrote the song about him."

[@candicebowden4123]

That's strange but very interesting. When Terry Jacks first released this song, it was said to be about someone dying in a war who didn't want to die.

[@TheDude68305]

It is a very rough song. It always make me cry. I think Terry is singing about someone who is dying from some kind of disease/cancer.

[@tomski120]

I was told to imagine this was a soldier waiting to go over the top, during the first World War . That's how I've always imagined it