"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is a song by British musicianElton John and lyricistBernie Taupin. It is the closing track on his eighteenth studio albumBreaking Hearts, and was released in 1984 as the lead single. It reached No. 7 on the UK chart and No. 5 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart. The song reached the Top 10 of many countries except in Germany and Italy where it reached the Top 20. The single version of this song appeared on the 1990 box setTo Be Continued... and various versions of the 2007 compilationRocket Man: The Definitive Hits.
The lyrics describe how listening to oldblues songs on the radio can help someone who is hurting to feel better. "When all hope is gone, sad songs say so much."
The music video, directed byRussell Mulcahy and shot on a street inRushcutters Bay,Sydney, featured John without his familiar trademark glasses in some scenes. The single sleeve likewise featured John with no glasses. The song and the music video were both used in an early 1980s US TV advertisement forSasson Jeans, altering the lyrics to "Sasson says so much."[2]
John played this song on his concerts from 1984 to 1993 and then again in 2000 to present on rotation after he performed the song onOne Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden in October 2000 with Canadian rock starBryan Adams.[3] In 2013, John was joined byRod Stewart in a special performance of the song at theLondon Palladium after being presented with the first Brits Icon award in recognition of his "lasting impact" on UK culture.[4]
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