«Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was John’s second single released by The Rocket Record Company. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart.
| «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Elton John | |||
| from the album Blue Moves | |||
| B-side | «Shoulder Holster» | ||
| Released | 1 November 1976 | ||
| Recorded | 22 March 1976 | ||
| Studio | Eastern Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Length | 3:48 | ||
| Label | Rocket (UK) MCA (US) |
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | ||
| Elton John singles chronology | |||
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| Music video | |||
| «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» on YouTube |
The song also appeared the following year on Greatest Hits Volume II, though for copyright reasons it no longer appears on the current version of that album. It now appears on Greatest Hits 1976–1986, The Very Best of Elton John and in Greatest Hits 1970–2002, as well as a number of other compilations.
Background and compositionEdit
«Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship that is falling apart. Bernie Taupin said: «It’s a pretty simple idea, but one that I think everyone can relate to at one point or another in their life. That whole idealistic feeling people get when they want to save something from dying when they basically know deep down inside that it’s already dead. It’s that heartbreaking, sickening part of love that you wouldn’t wish on anyone if you didn’t know that it’s inevitable that they’re going to experience it one day.»[1]
Elton John began writing the song in 1975 in Los Angeles. Whilst many of his songs involved Taupin writing lyrics first, then John writing the music later, John wrote the melody and most of the lyrics for «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word», and Taupin completed it afterwards. John explained: «I was sitting there and out it came, ‘What have I got to do to make you love me.'»
Taupin later said: «I don’t think he was intending on writing a song, but we were sitting around an apartment in Los Angeles, and he was playing around on the piano and he came up with this melody line, and I said, ‘Hey, that’s really nice.’ For some reason this lyrical line, ‘Sorry seems to be the hardest word’ ran through my head, and it fit perfectly with what he was playing. So I said, ‘Don’t do anything more to that, let me go write something,’ so I wrote it out in a few minutes and we had the song.» Taupin added: «[The i]nteresting thing about ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ is that it’s one of the rare occasions when Elton played me a melody line that inspired a lyric, as opposed to our routine of the lyrics always coming first. He was messing around on the piano one day and was playing something and asked me what did I think. It was actually pretty immediate, the title and the first couple of lines came into my head in a way that I guess I felt they were already there and just needed a little prompting.»[1]
ReceptionEdit
Billboard praised John’s vocal performance, calling it «almost painfully sincere and believable» and also commented on the complexity of the backing vocals.[2] Cash Box called it «a tender love song about breaking up.»[3] Record World called it «Elton’s most emotional and moving ballad performance since ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight.'»[4]
PersonnelEdit
- Elton John – piano, vocals
- Ray Cooper – vibraphone
- Carl Fortina – accordion[2]
- James Newton Howard – electric piano, strings arrangement
- Kenny Passarelli – bass
Commercial performance and certificationsEdit
The song was a Top 20 hit, reaching No. 11 in the United Kingdom, No. 6 in the United States and No. 3 in Canada.[5] In addition, the song went to No. 1 on the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts.[6][7] In the US, it was certified Gold on 25 January 1977 by the RIAA.[8]
Chart historyEdit
Blue versionEdit
| «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Blue featuring Elton John | |||
| from the album One Love | |||
| B-side | «Sweet Thing» | ||
| Released | 9 December 2002 | ||
| Length |
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| Label | Virgin, Innocent | ||
| Composer(s) | Elton John | ||
| Lyricist(s) | Bernie Taupin | ||
| Producer(s) | StarGate | ||
| Blue singles chronology | |||
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| Elton John singles chronology | |||
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| Music video | |||
| Blue featuring Elton John – «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» on YouTube |
«Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» was covered in 2002 by English boy band Blue for their second studio album, One Love (2002). The song was recorded as a collaboration with Elton John and was the second single from the album. It peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 15 December 2002, giving Blue their third number-one single and John his fifth. It also reached number one in Hungary and the Netherlands, and peaked within the top 10 in an additional 16 countries.
BackgroundEdit
When Blue’s second studio album, One Love, was being put together, executive producer Hugh Goldsmith said that a cover version should be included on the final tracklist.[18] Band member Lee Ryan suggested «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» as it was his favourite song of all time.[19] Despite reservations from the rest of the group,[18] who were sceptical that Elton John would allow them to record the track, John’s management gave permission.[20] John accompanied the band in the recording studio and was originally only going to play the piano,[21] but he later said he was willing sing as well, and the song became a duet.[22]
Track listingsEdit
UK CD1[23]
- «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» (radio edit) – 3:31
- «Lonely This Christmas» – 2:08
- «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» (Ruffin Ready Soul Mix) – 3:51
- Video interactive element – 3:30
UK CD2[24]
- «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» (radio edit) – 3:31
- «Album Medley» – 5:44
- «Sweet Thing» – 3:38
- Video interactive element – 3:30
UK cassette single[25]
- «Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» (radio edit) – 3:31
- «Album Medley» – 5:44
- «Sweet Thing» – 3:38
PersonnelEdit
Personnel are taken from the UK CD1 liner notes.[23]
- Elton John – music, featured vocals
- Bernie Taupin – lyrics
- Blue – vocals
- StarGate – production
- Max Dodson – photography
ChartsEdit
CertificationsEdit
Release historyEdit
Other versionsEdit
The song was covered by Joe Cocker in 1991 for the Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin tribute album. Cocker is quoted in the album liner notes:
Way back in ’68 I met Elton in the office of the publisher Dick James. I was given a tape of ‘Border Song’ which for some obscure reason I turned down. I hope I’ve made up for it with this rendition of ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ that shows the deeper side of Reg and Bernie’s writing.
In 1993, Argentinian singer Pedro Aznar covered and translated the lyrics in Spanish called «Ya no hay forma de pedir perdón», which made the single popular and a favourite among Argentinians.[citation needed]
Mary J. Blige also covered this song.[citation needed]
In 2004, Elton John and Ray Charles performed the song on Charles’ duet album, Genius Loves Company. It would turn out to be the last recording Charles ever did before his death that June.[77] The duet was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. It was also performed by smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G on the soprano saxophone featuring Richard Marx on his 2004 album At Last…The Duets Album later that year.[citation needed]
The single was the lead single for the eight-track remix compilation Good Morning to the Night in collaboration with Australian remixer Pnau, which came out on 16 July 2012. In 2015, the song was covered by Diana Krall. This version was included on her Wallflower album.[citation needed]
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (2 October 2018). «The Story of… ‘Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word’ by Elton John». Smooth Radio. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ a b «Top Single Picks» (PDF). Billboard. 6 November 1976. p. 74. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ «CashBox Singles Reviews» (PDF). Cash Box. 6 November 1976. p. 21. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ «Hits of the Week» (PDF). Record World. 6 November 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b «Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada». Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 8 January 1977. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
- ^ a b «Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada». Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 25 December 1976. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 128.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b «The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word». Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ «Cash Box Top 100 1/01/77». Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ «australian-charts.com – Forum – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)». Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ «Top 200 Singles of ’77 – Volume 28, No. 14, December 31 1977». RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ «Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977». Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ «Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word». Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ «American single certifications – John, Elton – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word». Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b «The Big Reunion – series 1 episode 7». 4 July 2013 – via YouTube.
- ^ «Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Elton John». Songfacts. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2010). 1,000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
- ^ Irwin, Corey (26 August 2022). «Listen to Elton John and Britney Spears’ ‘Hold Me Closer’«. Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Clark, Conor (20 June 2022). «Exclusive: Duncan James says he was «blessed» to have support of Blue after coming out». Gay Times. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ a b Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (UK CD1 liner notes). Blue. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 2002. SINDX43, 7243 5 46914 0 9.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (UK CD2 liner notes). Blue. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 2002. SINCD 43, 7243 5 46913 0 0.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (UK cassette single sleeve). Blue. Virgin Records, Innocent Records. 2002. SINC43, 7243 5 46913 4 8.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word». ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)». Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ «Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija». Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 10 February 2003. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ «Hitlisten.NU – Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Hits of the World – Eurochart Hot 100». Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 5 April 2003. p. 49. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ «Top 50 Singles Εβδομάδα 29/03 – 04/04» (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 14 April 2003. Retrieved 29 June 2020. See Best column.
- ^ «Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ» (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
- ^ «Blue – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word». Top Digital Download. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Nederlandse Top 40 – week 6, 2003» (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word». Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word». VG-lista. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Top National Sellers» (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 6. 1 February 2003. p. 13. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ «Arhiva romanian top 100: Editia 12, saptamina 31.03–6.04, 2003» (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 18 February 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ «Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100». Official Charts Company.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word» Canciones Top 50.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word». Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word». Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ «40 haramiler zirve yarışı». Radyo ODTÜ. 7 February 2003. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ «Blue: Artist Chart History». Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ «Top 100 Songs of 2002». Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ «The Official UK Singles Chart 2002» (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Jahreshitparade Singles 2003». austriancharts.at. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Jaaroverzichten 2003» (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Rapports Annuels 2003» (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Billboard European Top 100 Singles 2003 p.65 (Retrieved September 11, 2022)
- ^ «Tops de L’année | Top Singles 2003» (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ «Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2003» (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Top 100 Songs of 2003». Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2003. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ «Top of the Music – Mix e Singoli» (PDF) (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ «Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2003». Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Jaaroverzichten – Single 2003» (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «End of Year Charts 2003». Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ «Topul anului 2003» (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ «Årslista Singlar, 2003» (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003» (in German). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «The Official UK Singles Chart 2003» (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ «Decennium Charts – Singles 2000–2009» (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ «Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2003». Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ «French single certifications – Blue – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word» (in French). Syndicat National de l’Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ «Dutch single certifications – Blue – Sorry Seems to Be the Harderst Word» (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 7 February 2021. Enter Sorry Seems to Be the Harderst Word in the «Artiest of titel» box. Select 2003 in the drop-down menu saying «Alle statussen»
- ^ «The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Blue feat. Elton John; ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word‘)». IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ «British single certifications – Blue ft Elton John – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word». British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ «New Releases: For Week Starting 9 December 2002: Singles» (PDF). Music Week. 7 December 2002. p. 20. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ «New Releases Singles Week 50, 11 December 2002». Ultratop. Archived from the original on 5 February 2003.
- ^ «The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 5th May 2003» (PDF). ARIA. 5 May 2003. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (10 February 2005). «Road to the Grammys: The Making of Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company«. MTV News.
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Heronwater
Одаривает
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Лизогуб
Девочка Уэнсдей
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Сергей Лазарев
Не пытайся повторить
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Егор Крид and Hammali & Navai
Засыпаешь, но не со мной
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Миша Марвин и Ханна
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Xxxmanera
Скажи мне кто ты
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Heuss L’enfoire and Jul
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Jisoo
Flower
Sorry seems to be the hardest word
«Прости» — самое трудное слово
What have I got to do to make you love me
What have I got to do to make you care
What do I do when lightning strikes me
And I wake to find that you’re not there
What do I do to make you want me
What have I got to do to be heard
What do I say when it’s all over
And sorry seems to be the hardest word
It’s sad, so sad
It’s a sad, sad situation
And it’s getting more and more absurd
It’s sad, so sad
Why can’t we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
What do I do to make you love me
What have I got to do to be heard
What do I do when lightning strikes me
What have I got to do
What have I got to do
When sorry seems to be the hardest word
Что мне сделать, чтобы ты меня любила?
Что мне сделать, чтобы ты испытывала чувства?
Что мне делать, когда в меня ударяет молния
И я просыпаюсь, но тебя нет рядом?
Что мне сделать, чтобы ты меня хотела?
Что мне сделать, чтобы быть услышанным?
Что я могу сказать, когда все кончено
И «прости», кажется, самое трудное слово?
Это грустная, такая грустная,
Это грустная, грустная ситуация
И она становится все более и более абсурдной.
Это грустно, очень грустно
Почему мы не можем договориться?
О, мне кажется,
Что «прости» — самое трудное слово
Что мне сделать, чтобы ты меня любила?
Что мне сделать, чтобы быть услышанным?
Что мне делать, когда в меня ударяет молния?
Что мне делать,
Что мне делать,
Когда «прости» кажется самым трудным словом?
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Перевод песни Sorry seems to be the hardest word — Elton John
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[Verse 1]
What have I gotta do to make you love me?
What have I gotta do to make you care?
What do I do when lightning strikes me
And I wake to find that you’re not there?
[Verse 2]
What do I do to make you want me?
What have I gotta do to be heard?
What do I say when it’s all over?
And sorry seems to be the hardest word
[Chorus]
It’s sad (So sad), so sad
It’s a sad, sad situation
And it’s getting more and more absurd
It’s sad (So sad), so sad
Why can’t we talk it over?
Oh, it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
It’s sad (So sad), so sad
It’s a sad, sad situation
And it’s getting more and more absurd
It’s sad (So sad), so sad
Why can’t we talk it over?
Oh, it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
[Verse 3]
What do I do to make you love me?
Oh, what have I gotta do to be heard?
What do I do when lightning strikes me?
What have I gotta do?
What have I gotta do
When sorry seems to be the hardest word?