| "Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe McCoys | ||||
| from the albumHang 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 | ||||
| ||||
"Sorrow" is a song first recorded bythe McCoys in 1965 and released as theB-side to their cover of "Fever". It became a big hit in the United Kingdom in a version bythe Merseys, reaching number 4 on theUK chart on 28 April 1966.[1] A version byDavid Bowie charted worldwide in 1973.
A line from the song – "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue" – is used inthe Beatles song "It's All Too Much" which was featured on their 1969 albumYellow Submarine.[2][3]
| "Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byThe 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 byClem 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.
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[4] | 7 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 4 |
| "Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDavid Bowie | ||||
| from the albumPin 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 2424 | |||
| Songwriters | Bob Feldman,Jerry Goldstein,Richard Gottehrer | |||
| Producers | Ken Scott, David Bowie | |||
| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio"Sorrow" (2015 Remaster) onYouTube | ||||
David Bowie's remake of "Sorrow", recorded in July 1973 atChâteau d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, was the only single released in the UK from hisPin Ups covers album, reaching No. 3 on theUK 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 aJacques Brel song, that had been performed live by Bowie since 1968. The song may have been recorded by Bowie in the summer 1973 sessions forPin Ups[8] or in late 1971[9] for the albumZiggy 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 2008John Cusack filmWar, Inc. In 2017Paul Shaffer andJenny Lewis released a cover version based mainly on Bowie's version.[10]
The Spanish release of the single had "Lady Grinning Soul" as the B-side.
According to Chris O'Leary:[11]
Technical
| 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 |
| 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. | ||
Pegg, Nicholas,The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000,ISBN 1-903111-14-5
