tonyh29 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 by terry Jacks Just heard it on the radio after not hearing it for years ... kinda hate it but also think it's kind of a classic , great melody and kind of sad lyrics , i seem to recall it was originally in some film where a boy was dying of cancer so what do people think A classic or utter trash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I know quite a bit about this record...... In the early 70's jacks sent a demo of this tune to The Beach Boys. Carl Wilson liked it, and the band did a demo with him singing lead (I have it on various bootlegs). Someone else in the band (reportedly Mike Love) didnt like the subject matter and got the rest of the group to scrap recording it proper. Three years later, Jacks released it and had a worldwide smash. Which goes to prove Mike Love was a bit of a clearing in the woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 Can't imagine it with a beach boys sound .. does it sound good or a bit weird ? something about the tune \ melody of this song that just sort of gives it a sort of Wow factor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Its based on a song by Jacques Brel Seasons in the Sun" was a worldwide hit song for Terry Jacks in 1974. It was first released in the United States and Canada early in the year, and rose to number one in America by March 2. An earlier recording appeared on The Kingston Trio's 1963 album, Time to Think. The song had also been done by English band The Fortunes in 1968, and by Pearls Before Swine in 1970/71. The song was based on "Le Moribond" (engl.: "The Dying Man"), written by Jacques Brel in 1961 and released on his fifth album titled 5. Brel's song was translated into English by poet Rod McKuen and this version was first recorded by Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio, but it did not sell. The Beach Boys also recorded the song but it was never released.[1] Terry Jacks, who had participated in the Beach Boys recording, and who had in fact introduced the song to the group,[1] rewrote part of the lyrics to "lighten them up." Jacks' revisions tended to add a bit of ambiguity as to the nature of the storyteller's demise, allowing listeners the option to choose whether the death is from suicide over a failed life - quite possibly to escape drug addiction - or someone accepting death from natural causes, or cancer. References to a cheating wife were also removed. A comparison is given below. Jacks' recording included a recurring, reverb-drenched guitar riff that many sources attribute to Link Wray. The resulting version became an international hit and made Jacks a star, albeit considered today as a "one-hit wonder" (although he did in fact have a second Top 10 hit in the UK). It is #30 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders. According to a posting on McKuen's website [2] the royalties from "Seasons in the Sun" "helped pay for a new roof on my house." In 1973, the master tape of "Seasons in the Sun" sat on a shelf in his basement for more than a year. A newspaper delivery boy heard Jacks playing it and asked if he could bring some friends by to listen to it. Their enthusiasm convinced Jacks to release it on his own label and it soon topped the record charts in the U.S.(where it was released on Bell Records), Canada and the UK and sold over six million copies worldwide. It has been cited as an example of the overuse of a type of modulation known as "gear-shift", involving a change to a higher key to play on the listener's emotions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alf_stewart Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I can't stand the Jacks version, it offends me on so many levels... would be interested to hear The Beach Boys angle on it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Can't imagine it with a beach boys sound .. does it sound good or a bit weird ? I like the Boys' version, but then I'm biased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 14, 2008 VT Supporter Share Posted March 14, 2008 Which goes to prove Mike Love was a bit of a clearing in the woods.Pope "a Catholic" shocker. It's a "guilty pleasure" type song, I reckon. I sort of hate it, but it has a certain cheesy something, rather like Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" or Lobo's "Dog Named Boo" - I HATED them at the time, but now they are imbued with nostalgia. The joy did not last, 'cause the bastards ran too fast.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I can't stand the Jacks version, it offends me on so many levels... would be interested to hear The Beach Boys angle on it though. Beach Boys demo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 A classic, but only because we used to sing these lyrics when we were about 8 years old: we had joy we had fun flicking bogies at the sun when then sun gets to hot then the bogies turn to snot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted March 20, 2008 Moderator Share Posted March 20, 2008 No one's mentioned We had Joy, we had fun, We had City on the run, but the fun didn't last, 'cus the b*st*rds ran too fast Usually sung by people who never "ran" anyone. Oh, weren't the 70's grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 No one's mentioned We had Joy, we had fun, We had City on the run, but the fun didn't last, 'cus the b*st*rds ran too fast Usually sung by people who never "ran" anyone. Oh, weren't the 70's grand. I love that Heather Mills anthem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelle Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 I like it. Always have, always will. But then again, I'm seen as kind of a freak on here. Musically, that is. Must find another forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hycus-flange Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 werent the beach boys shit, no wonder they didnt release it, if they had it would be a long forgotten song now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 werent the beach boys shit No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villab0y Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Westlifes version was better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 werent the beach boys shit, A faux pas on this site if there ever was one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regular_john Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Anyone heard the Nirvana cover? There's something so tragic about hearing Kurt sing this, knowing that months later he would redecorate his garage using...well...himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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