"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is a song by British musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin. It is the closing track on his eighteenth studio album Breaking Hearts, and was released in 1984 as the lead single. It reached No. 7 on the UK chart and No. 5 on the US Billboard 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 set To Be Continued... and various versions of the 2007 compilation Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits.
The lyrics describe how listening to old blues songs on the radio can help someone who is hurting to feel better. "When all hope is gone, sad songs say so much."
Music video The music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy and shot on a street in Rushcutters 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 for Sasson Jeans, altering the lyrics to "Sasson says so much."
Performances 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 on One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden in October 2000 with Canadian rock star Bryan Adams. In 2013, John was joined by Rod Stewart in a special performance of the song at the London Palladium after being presented with the first Brits Icon award in recognition of his "lasting impact" on UK culture.
Personnel Elton John – vocals, piano, synthesizer, clavinet Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, backing vocals Dee Murray – bass, backing vocals Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
Chart performance
Weekly charts Chart (1984)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)4Canadian Top Singles4Canadian Adult Contemporary1Germany (Media Control AG) Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.18Italy (Musica e Dischi) Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Sad song".22Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)6South Africa (RISA)5Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) Singles Top 75. Hung Medien.3US Billboard Adult Contemporary2US Cash Box Top 100. Cash Box magazine.10Zimbabwe Singles (ZIMA)* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 20006
Year-end charts Chart (1984)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)30Canada36UK78U.S. Billboard Hot 10054U.S. Cash Box69
Certifications
References