I heard Billie Holiday's version of 'Gloomy Sunday' for the first time less than twenty hours ago. On my way home earlier this evening I was humming the song, gazed at the setting sun and the sky and it felt as if I had known of the song for years and years. It was a nice feeling. That is one of the songs -and singers- I want to be played at my funeral.
5 kommenttia
millikan
21.4.2009 12:23
You might have heard some other version before though, there are several...but I too love the song and especially Billie's version.
Splenetic
21.4.2009 12:35
Not that I recall, no. The lyrics are such that I would remember them even if they were sung by Britney Spears. There was Sarah MacLachlan's (possibly spellt that way...) version in YouTube and them some I don't remeber anymore but it was Billie Holiday's version that really hit (regardless of the additional verse).
millikan
21.4.2009 15:28
Yeah, MacLachlan has a version as do at least Lydia Lunch, Sinead O'Connor and Bjork, and Diamanda Galas also does a version but with her own translation of the original Hungarian...
And in Finnish I know at least Harri Marstio's version Surullinen sunnuntai (kind of odd that in English this is sung mainly by women, yet in Finnish I doubt any female singer has given it a shot).
Splenetic
22.4.2009 10:37
Had to listen to the Björk version since the combinationa sounded a bit odd (I'm used to her as a non-traditional singer, as even her English pronunciation sounds a bit English and a bit some Icelandic elvish). I have to admit that in my opinion her voice does fit the song.
Harri Marstio's version was... not what the lyrics require. No electric guitar... except maybe A.W. Yrjänä's since his lyrics follow this gloomy atmosphere. A question of association, I should think. But: Eila Pellinen had recorded her own version in 1959, before Marstio. That was a whole lot better. See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqh-h_Qi8jc. But No. 2: Reino Helismaa has erased the whole suicide aspect of the song! I mean, come on, the song is widely known as "the Hungarian suicide song" and then he takes off the suicidal references! Hmmm... perhaps the cultural environment at the time required that in order for the song to be published... Well, I'll just stick with Billie Holiday and look up the newer version just for fun.
Splenetic
22.4.2009 10:44
A rather dramatic beginning, I should say...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qaa4GDBr0k. From the linguistic point of view I had a not-so-subliminal message: subliminal messages require knowledge of a language they are said to be there. So unless I unconsciously know Hungarian, I won't want to kill myself in ..two minutes.
Nope. Sorry, lads, but I'm feeling better today than I've felt in a while. And besides this "hidden messages" thinking is stupid. Just look at the Judas Priest law suit. All the said messages are random. To quote Rob Halford: "To do what? Drink a cup of tea?" The only real "hidden" message I know in a heavy metal song is in a Cradle of Filth song "Dinner at Deviant's Palace", and that indeed is the voice of the true Satan. ;)