The Kingston Trio: Seasons in the Sun. (1963). Life version. (R. McKuen).
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
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_Seasons in the Sun_ (Le moribond) - Jacques Brel (musique & paroles) - Rod McKuen (words)
*Seasons in the Sun* is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song *Le Moribond* ("The Dying Man") by singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by singer-poet Rod McKuen, depicting a dying man's farewell to his loved ones. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for singer Terry Jacks and reached Christmas number one in the UK in 1999 for Westlife.
Background and lyrics
The first version of the song was recorded by Brel. Set to a marching rhythm, it tells the story of a man dying of a broken heart, as he bids farewell first to his close friend Emile, then to a priest, followed by an acquaintance named Antoine, and finally to his wife, who has cheated on him numerous times with Antoine. Despite being aware of Antoine's role as his wife's lover, he wishes him no ill and instead asks him to take care of her. American Rod McKuen translated the lyrics into English. In 1964, the Kingston Trio became the first to record an English version of "Seasons in the Sun," which was later heard by Terry Jacks and served as the foundation for his rendition.
Jacks altered nearly one-sixth of McKuen's lyrics, later claiming that all of the words were his own. He considered the original version and its translations to be "too macabre." The inspiration for the rewritten lyrics came from his close friend Roger, who was suffering from acute leukemia and passed away four months later. Jacks's rendition, later dedicated to his friend, features the dying man (in the spring season) delivering his last words to his loved ones with whom he shared his life, echoing the themes of the original. However, unlike Brel's version, the man does not die heartbroken; instead, he reflects on the rights and wrongs of his actions in life as he passes away peacefully.
In the rewritten version, the man first addresses a close friend he has known since childhood, reminiscing about the happy times they shared, such as playing and studying together ("climbed hills and trees," "learned of love and ABC's") and their friendships with others ("skinned our hearts and skinned our knees"). He then turns to his father, who endeavoured to provide him with 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 overindulgence, vices, and revelry ("too much wine and too much song"). Finally, the man addresses a "little one" named "Michelle," recounting how she had lifted his spirits during times of despair. At the end of each verse, he reassures all three that he is always present in spirit when they visit familiar places or encounter certain people.
Recording
According to Jacks, the Beach Boys asked him to be their producer during the sessions for the band's album Surf's Up. On 31 July 1970, they attempted a rendition of "Seasons in the Sun," but the session did not go well, and the track was never completed. Later, Mike Love told an interviewer: "We did record a version [of 'Seasons'] but it was so wimpy we had to throw it out. ... It was just the wrong song for us." The recording remained unreleased until the 2021 compilation Feel Flows.
Jacks recorded his rendition in Vancouver in 1973. The piano arpeggio parts and double bass parts in the third verse were performed by a young David Foster.
Release
Jacks released his version as a single in 1973 under his own label, Goldfish Records. The B-side featured "Put the Bone In," an original composition about burying a deceased pet dog. The single quickly topped the record charts in the US (where it was released on Bell Records), Canada, and the UK, selling over 14 million copies worldwide.
Jacks's version was released in the United States in December 1973 and entered the Billboard Hot 100 a month later. On 2 March 1974, the song began a three-week run at number one atop the Hot 100 and remained in the top 40 until nearly Memorial Day weekend. Jacks's version also spent one week on the Easy Listening charts. Billboard ranked it as the number two song for 1974. 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. In Canada, the single (Gold Fish GF 100) reached number one on the RPM magazine charts on 26 January 1974, where it remained for four weeks.
Though the song enjoyed contemporary success, some modern critics take a dimmer view, considering it overly sentimental. Jacks's version has been cited as an example of bad music, having been listed as one of the worst pop songs ever recorded and ranking number five in a similar CNN poll in 2006.
Jacks also released a German-language version in Germany with lyrics by Gerd Müller-Schwanke, titled "In den Gärten der Zeit".
*LE MORIBOND* written by Jacques Brel *French*
Jacques Brel avec François Rauber et son orchestre First release April 1961 First recording on February 22, 1961
Ange 1982
Pascal Danel 1996
Jon Harvison 1998
Dominique Horwitz 2000 Live
David Vos 2001
Maria Bill 2001
Mich en scène 2001
Noel Harrison 2002
Telstar 2003
Les Croquants Nov 30, 2004
Camille [IE] 2004 Live
Beirut Jun 25, 2007 Medley
Sonia Theodoridou Jan 15, 2010
*Instrumental*
Charlie & The Boys 1974
Bert Campbell Orchestra 1974
101 Strings 1974
Botticelli and His Orchestra 1974
Caravelli 1974
Charles Segal 1974
Claude Ciari 1974
Georges Jouvin, sa trompette d'or et son orchestre 1974
Floyd Cramer 1975
Juhani Aaltonen 1975
'âme des poètes Nov 1995
The Caribbean Steel Band Jul 15, 2003
Accordion Project 2005
*Seasons in the Sun* written by Rod McKuen *English*
Rod McKuen 1963 First recording in 1961
The Kingston Trio Dec 1963 First release
Alex Hassilev Dec 1964
Nick Taylor 1965
Bud Dashiell Feb 1968
The Fortunes Nov 1968
John & Anne Ryder 1970
Craig Scott 1971
Pearls Before Swine 1971
Terry Jacks Oct 1973 Sampled by Dickie Goodman Hit song Definitive version
Kai Warner 1973
Springbok Apr 1974
Top of the Pops Apr 1974
Windmill Studio Artists Apr 1974
Andy Williams May 1974
Bobby Wright Aug 26, 1974
Beatt International 1974
Bobby Vinton 1974
Country Road [US] 1974
Felicia Wong 1974
Frankie Cheah 1974
Freddie Starr 1974
Göran Zetterlund 1974
James Last 1974
Jody Wayne 1974
Kings Road 1974
Mario Cavallero son orchestre et ses chanteurs 1974
Nana Mouskouri with The King's Singers 1974
Peters and Lee 1974
Reg Guitar 1974
Stein 1974
The Air Mail - Orchester Udo Reichel 1974
The Wynners 1974
Barry Crocker with The Tony Hatch Orchestra 1975
Ray Conniff 1975
Unknown Studio Artists 1975
The Brothers Four 1976
The Eddy Starr Orchestra and Singers 1978
Detox 1985
Too Much Joy 1990
The Squirrels Aug 1992 Medley
SBhonus 1992
Spell 1993
Me First and The Gimme Gimmes July 29, 1997
Black Box Recorder 1998
Karin Hougaard Jun 1, 1999
Westlife Nov 1, 1999
Osmo's Cosmos Band 1999
The BB Band 1999
Alcazar Oct 18, 2000
Hubbas 2002
Nirvana [US] 2004
Petula Clark Jun 26, 2007
Mike Denver August 27, 2007
The Twang [DE] Mar 2010
Brendan Quinn Jan 6, 2011
Jay Ansill's Cheese Project Aug 1, 2011
Rian Ungerer Mar 14, 2014
001 Ensemble Jun 1, 2014
Fletan Power (Open Records Studio Artists) Aug 8, 2014
Damon Albarn Jun 15, 2015 Live
Jeffrey Foskett Dec 6, 2015
Key Wilde & Mr Clarke 2016
Celtic Thunder 2018
Smulders & Van Altena Sep 18, 2020
Jim Bob (Jim Bob) July 30, 2021
*Twice My Age* written by Shabba Ranks, Krystal [Reggae] *English*
Krystal / Shabba Ranks 1988 First release
*Jesus Is God's Son* written by J. John Jackson *English*
ApologetiX Mar 3, 2024 First release
*Päivät kuin unta* written by Arto Sotavalta *Finnish*
Arto Sotavalta - Olli Heikkilän orkesteri 1974 First release
Eino Grön 1974
Fredi 1974
Arto Sotavalta & Häkäpönttö 1975
Rolf Bergström & Pyhimykset 1975
*Turon isä - Jori 16 vuotta* written by [Unknown] *Finnish*
Aki & Turo - The Hepamamas 1988 First release
Kuoleva written by Kalle Isokallio *Finnish*
Åttopojat 2005 First release
*In den Gärten der Zeit* written by Gerd Müller-Schwanke *German*
Terry Jacks 1974 First release
*Wir sind jung, wir sind frei* written by Gerd Müller-Schwanke *German*
Stein Ingersen May 1974 First release
Bata Illic 1974
*Adieu Emile* written by Klaus Hoffmann *German*
Klaus Hoffmann 1975 First release
*hgwss* written by Dan Almagor, Yossi Banai *Hebrew*
Israel Gurion 1970 First release
Yossi Banai) 1970
*Fényben fürdött minden év* written by Iván Bradányi *Hungarian*
Korda György 1977 First release
*Testamento all'italiana* written by Herbert Pagani *Italian*
Herbert Pagani Nov 17, 1965 First release
*Stagioni fuori tempo* written by Ermanno Capelli *Italian*
Maurizio 1974 First release
Dori Ghezzi Oct 1974
*Il moribondo* written by Duilio Del Prete *Italian*
Duilio Del Prete Nov 2002 First release
*Nesek sau rožės prie kasų* written by Gintaras Zdebskis, Maironis *Lithuanian*
Andrius Rimiškis 2006 First release
*En sommerdag engang* written by Fredrik Friis *Norwegian*
Stein Ingebrigtsen 1974 First release
Kjell Vidars 1974
*Nunca más volverán* written by Gabou *Spanish*
13 de Agosto 1974 First release
*Sommar varje dag* written by Gert Lengstrand *Swedish*
Schytts 1974
*Wēnnuǎn de yángguāng* written by unknown author(s) *Chinese*
Ervinna & The Stylers 1974 First release
*Léta prázdnin* written by Zdeněk Borovec *Czech*
Karel Gott a sbor - Ladislav Štaidl se svým orchestrem 1975 First release
Pavel Vítek Sep 30, 2010
*Livets cirkel drejer* rundt written by Johnny Reimar, Thøger Olesen *Danish*
Peter Belli 1974 First release
*De stervende* written by Will Ferdy *Dutch*
Will Ferdy 1965 First release
*Aju publiek* written by Jan Fillekers *Dutch*
Ted de Braak 1971 First release Live
*Wordt 't ja - wordt 't nee* written by Jan Rot *Dutch*
Astrid Nijgh 2005 First release
*Die sterwende* written by Bernard Odendaal, Naòmi Morgan *Afrikaans*
Herman van den Berg 2007 First release
Thank you for the magnificent story about this song Henri !!!!!! warmest greetings from Henk !!!!
En dank voor deze enorme lijsten met de andere uitvoeringen !!!!!!
You can' t make a live recording by merely adding a few words (here "very good" by Nick Reynolds) taken from a live recording. The version here is the only one we know of the song. It's from the studio album "Time to think " 1963.
Thank you Pitous !!!! Greetings from Henk !!!! And have a nice weekend !!!!
My sweet Henkie, thank you for the beautiful life version of this sad song !!!!! He is waiting to be executed and is singing goodbye to everyone, he knows !!!!!!!!! One thing, I don`t like about the song - the Kingston Trio is singing it too fast !!!!! It should be a bit slower !!!!!!! Here it is grey weather and 6 degrees !!!!!! My dearest friend, I wish you all the happiness in the world !!!!!! Yours affectionately Jytte
Thank you my sweet Jytte for listening to the Kingston Trio !!!!! And you are right notthing can compare with Rod McKuen's version !!!!! Overhere it is 7 degrees buth it rains !!!!!! Nevertheless I send you my warmest greetings !!!! Yours always Henk !!!!!
I don't think "he's going to be executed". I don't think he is sentenced to death. To me he's just (!) lying on his dying bed...
Ja henk maar hij is niet komen opdagen tot nu toe
Maar het is ook een honden weer buiten . Nou en als ik hem niet zie is het ook goed. dan dek ik de tafel maar.
want in dat weer daar ga ik ook niet door Maar ik was mij Mario Lanza aan het beluisteren. Het is een heerlijke stem wat die kerel heeft
Maar als jong meisje hoorde ik hem al graag zing jij ook Henk dat wil ik nou eens graag weten
Wat jammer dat hij niet gekomen is Lies !!! Ik noem Lanza altijd SUPERMARIO ! En ik zing zo vals als een krassende kraai !!!! Hahaha !!!! Groetjes van Henk !!!!
Henk niet alles kan mee zitten maar ik ben allang tevreden dat ik het kan onthouden.
Wat je eenmaal kent Henk dat verleer je niet vlug. Ik heb het tot op heden nog niet gemist
Maar luisteren jawel maar ik laat hier ook niks meer merken En de poetshulp heb ik ook niet gezien.
ik ga de kelder in was ophangen Want stil zitten kan ik ook niet. Maar ik ben wel blij dat ik geen opstap gaan figuur ben
Henk ik ga was ophangen misschien kijk ik nog of anders ga ik slapen en dan wens ik jullie een goede nachtrust gr Lies
Dankjewel voor je verhaal Lies !!!! En pas goed op jezelf !!!! Fijne Vrijdag !!!!