Last week, Chatwoman and I got into a discussion about the worst rock songs ever, and she mentioned “Seasons In the Sun,” which is inevitably mentioned in such discussions. And yes, that 1970s thing by Terry Jacks was indeed a horrible wretched monstrous dippy song, worthy of our contempt. However, I can no longer remain silent about the calumny which that undeserving song has received.
Many years ago, I heard another version of that song performed by the great Tom Rapp and his band Pearls Before Swine, and it was very, very different. I did some research. It turns out that the song was written by Jacques Brel and, um, Rod McKuen, and, as you might guess, it had some major class. I was reminded of this, coincidentally, by an email from a reader last week.
Here, then, are the ORIGINAL lyrics. See if you can detect some significant differences between this and the Terry Jacks version, which I will not dignify by publishing here.
Goodbye Emil, my trusted friend. We've known each other since we were nine or ten. / Together we climbed hills and trees. / Learned of love and ABC's. / Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye Emil, it's hard to die. When all the birds are singing in the sky. Now that the spring is in the air. Pretty girls are everywhere. I wish we could both be there. We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. But the hills we could climb were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye Papa, please pray for me. / I was the black sheep of the family. / You tried to show me right from wrong. / But too much wine and too much song. / Wonder how I got along.
Goodbye Papa, it's hard to die. / When all the bird's are singing in the sky./ Now that the spring is in the air. / Little kids are everywhere. / Think of me and I'll be there. /We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. But the wine and the song like the seasons have all gone.
Goodbye Françoise, my trusted wife. Without you I'd had a lonely life. / You cheated lots of times with men. / But I forgave you in the end. / Though your lover was my friend.
Goodbye Françoise, it's hard to die. When all the birds are singing in the sky. Now that the spring is in the air. With your lovers everywhere. Just be careful, I'll be there. ...
The song is written and sung from the point of view of a guy who murdered his best friend who was having an affair with his wife. While waiting for his execution, he was reflecting on Emil, the friend he killed, his father, Françoise, the wife, etc.
So I hope that ends the slander.
