"Sorrow" is a song first recorded by the McCoys in 1965 and released as the B-side to their cover of "Fever". It became a big hit in the United Kingdom with a cover version by the Merseybeats, reaching number 4 on the UK chart on 28 April 1966.[1] A version by David Bowie charted worldwide in 1973.
| "Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the McCoys | ||||
| from the album Hang On Sloopy | ||||
| A-side | "Fever" | |||
| Released | October 1965 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 2:02 | |||
| Label | Bang 511 | |||
| Songwriters | Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer | |||
| Producers | Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer | |||
| The McCoys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A line from the song – "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue" – is used in the Beatles song "It's All Too Much" which was featured on their 1969 album Yellow Submarine.[2][3]
The Merseys version
edit| "Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Merseys | ||||
| B-side | "Some Other Day" | |||
| Released | April 1966 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:12 | |||
| Label | Fontana 694 | |||
| Songwriters | Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer | |||
| Producer | Kit Lambert | |||
| The Merseys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Merseys' version is more up-tempo than the McCoys' folk-rock original. Propelled by Clem Cattini's drumming, it features a powerful horn arrangement. The horns also take the solo which, on the McCoys version, is performed on harmonica. As the number and quality of subsequent covers demonstrate, the Merseys' single was highly regarded among British musicians.
Charts
edit| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[4] | 7 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 4 |
David Bowie version
edit| "Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by David Bowie | ||||
| from the album Pin Ups | ||||
| B-side | "Amsterdam" (Brel, Shuman) | |||
| Released | 28 September 1973 | |||
| Recorded | July 1973 | |||
| Studio | Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
| |||
| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio"Sorrow" (2015 Remaster) on YouTube | ||||
David Bowie's remake of "Sorrow", recorded in July 1973 at Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, was the only single released in the UK from his Pin Ups covers album, reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and staying in the charts for 15 weeks.[6] It was also Bowie's first number one hit single in Australia, where it topped the charts for two weeks in February 1974.[7]
The B-side, "Amsterdam", was a cover of a Jacques Brel song that Bowie had been performing live since 1968. Bowie may have recorded the song in the summer 1973 sessions for Pin Ups[8] or in late 1971[9] for the album Ziggy Stardust. Never selected as an album track, it was used as the single B-side as it fitted with "Sorrow". In France, it was billed as the A-side of the single.
"Sorrow" was featured in the 2008 John Cusack film War, Inc. In 2017, Paul Shaffer and Jenny Lewis released a cover version based on Bowie's version.[10]
Track listing
edit- "Sorrow" (Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer) – 2:53
- "Amsterdam" (Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman) – 2:39
The Spanish release of the single had "Lady Grinning Soul" as the B-side.
Personnel
editAccording to Chris O'Leary:[11]
- David Bowie – lead and backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, tenor saxophone
- Mick Ronson – lead guitar, backing vocal, string arrangement
- Trevor Bolder – bass guitar
- Aynsley Dunbar – drums
- Mike Garson – piano
- Ken Fordham – baritone saxophone
- G. A. MacCormack – backing vocals
- Unknown musicians – violins, violas, celli
Technical
Charts
edit| Chart (1973–74) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set)[12] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13] | 7 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] | 77 |
| French Singles Chart[citation needed] | 7 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 2 |
| Iceland Singles Chart[16] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] | 29 |
| New Zealand (Listener Chart)[18] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[19] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[20] | 3 |
| West Germany (GfK)[21] | 39 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | Silver | 250,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ↑ The Merseys, "Sorrow" chart position Retrieved 20 June 2015
- ↑ Maginnis, Tom. "The Beatles 'It's All Too Much'". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ↑ MacDonald 2008, p. 260.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Merseys". Irish Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Merseys Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ David Bowie, "Sorrow" chart position Retrieved 20 June 2015
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ Cann 2010, p. 311.
- ↑ O'Leary 2015, p. 496.
- ↑ Cook-Wilson, Winston (6 January 2017). "New Music: Jenny Lewis and Paul Shaffer Cover David Bowie's Version of the McCoys' 'Sorrow'". Spin. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ O'Leary 2015, chap. 7.
- ↑ "Go-Set Australian charts - 23 February 1974". www.poparchives.com.au.
- ↑ "David Bowie – Sorrow" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 4944". RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – David Bowie". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ "David Bowie (search)". Morgunblaðið.
- ↑ "David Bowie – Sorrow" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ "David Bowie (search)". Flavour of New Zealand.
- ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Rock.co.za.
- ↑ "David Bowie Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – David Bowie – Sorrow". Radioscope. Retrieved 18 January 2025. Type Sorrow in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ↑ "British single certifications – David Bowie – Sorrow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 January 2025. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Sorrow David Bowie in the "Search:" field.
Sources
edit- Cann, Kevin (2010). Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974. Croydon, Surrey: Adelita. ISBN 978-0-9552017-7-6.
- MacDonald, Ian (2008). Revolution in the head: The Beatles' records and the sixties (2nd ed.). London: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-09-952679-7.
- O'Leary, Chris (2015). Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76. Winchester: Zero Books. ISBN 978-1-78099-244-0.