Ok I read a story once about a song called "Gloomy Sunday" supposedly the writer commited suicide after writing it and alot of people who recorded it Died by thier own hand also.

I just happened to think of it when I found it on one of my Sarah Brightman cd's.

Just wondering if anyone knew more about it.

Gloomy Sunday. Composed by Rezso Seress, the famous Hungarian pianist who was unable to play the piano. His song, Gloomy Sunday, was blamed for causing several deaths. It was often called "The Suicides' Anthem"...

Here are the lyrics...

Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless.
Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless.
Little white flowers will never awaken you,
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you.
Angels have no thought of ever returning you.
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
Gloomy Sunday.

Gloomy is Sunday; with shadows I spend it all.
My heart and I have decided to end it all.
Soon there'll be candles and prayers that are sad, I know.
Death is no dream, for in death I'm caressing you.
With the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you.
Gloomy Sunday.

The original Hungarian version

Ôsz van és peregnek a sárgult levelek,
Meghalt a földön az emberi szeretet.
Bánatos könnyekkel zokog az öszi szél,
Szívem már új tavaszt nem vár és nem remél.
Hiába sírok és hiába szenvedek,
Szívtelen rosszak és kapzsik az emberek...

Meghalt a szeretet!

Vége a világnak, vége a reménynek
Városok pusztulnak, srapnelek zenélnek
Emberek vérétôl piros a tarka rét,
Halottak fekszenek az úton szerteszét.
Még egyszer elmondom csendben az imámat:
Uram, az emberek gyarlók és hibáznak...

Vége a világnak!

ok I found the book I read this in. It is called "the Unexplained" and it is by Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker....it also says that Gloomy Sunday had incited such a high level of public alarm that the Hungarian Government discouraged public performances, and the bbc considered banning it, many stations in the US did ban it.

Supposedly the song amplifies greif and/or stress to a certain degreethat the person becomes suicidal.

Interesting, I've listened to my Sarah Brightman rendition and have not felt suicidal...... yet....

I have heard of this, but have never known anything about it, so thank you for posting about it otter.

I thought that gloomy sunday was a book.

I heard about the [urban] legand of Gloomy Sunday a few years back. At the time I downloaded various versions of it. Billie Holiday, Bjork and Heather Nova are the artists I have.

As usual, Snopes gives more info on the matter.

Hey snopes is awesome...Although I tend not to agree with some of their ideas they do a great job. Oh and Althalus your welcome.

They part that bothers me is that this song has supposedly done so much damage. I wonder if somethings are just cursed that way?

I have also heard of this song and its supposed "powers". While no one can deny that many people did commit suicide afte listening to it, I think you have to consider the fact that it is more likely that that these people were suffering from severe depression and listening to such a depressing song tipped them over the edge as it were. In other words, the song itself is not cursed but for those already in a suicidal state of mind it has a very powerful negative effect and makes them feel even worse than they did before.

I've been listening to this song some more and have noticed even though I am in a good mood it does affect me somehow. I can only listen to it twice before some mildly depressing stuff enters my head.

I do believe it amplifies those fellings somewhat. If the suicide rumores are true and you have someone who has just lost something or had something tragic happen recently I can see how it contributed to the suicide.

I HATE TO POINT OUT SOMETHING...

MONDAY MORNING BLUES...WE'VE ALL HEARD OF IT..AND FELT IT...

BUT LOADS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED FROM THE OTHER DAY...MYSELF INCLUDED..EVEN BEFORE IT WAS REGONISED...SUNDAY NIGHT BLUES..OR A SIMILIAR NAME...YOU SUFFER FROM DEPPRESION ON THE SUNDAY NIGHT BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT MONDAY BROUGHT.....AND YES I CAN SEE WHY THERE WAS A SUICIDE INCREASE..FECK ALL TO DO WITH ANY SONG.. IN PARTICULAR.....ANY SONG ABOUT SUFFERING AND KNOW ONE WILLING TO LISTEN AND AKNOWLEDGE HOW YOU FEEL WILL DO..AND IT'S STILL ONGOING...ANYONE READING THIS WHO EITHER FEELS OR SUFFERS FROM THIS SHOULD SEEK HELP

^ was he yelling? And I was just theorizing yes depression has some to do with it but don't you think it odd that one song has (supposedly) so many suicides tied to it?

I've heard it and although it was a sad song I never felt the urge to end it all. I think that if people have committed suicide this may have been the thing to push them over the edge - however they probably already had suicidal tendancies to begin with.

I got it playing right now...I dont know whats so bad about it...I kinda like it.

Yeah I like it too......................................................................................................................................BANG! THUMP!

Hmmm yea it is very odd that a song has caused so many suicides.
But yup I think that a person would have to have a serious depression to begin with in order to kill themselves over a song. The song just triggers what the person was feeling strongly in the first place.

Just like when people blame vidoegames for violence. Mostly all people- including me and everyone I know- whol play videogames never feel any need for violence. if you have sick thought in your head about murder, etc. then maybe playing a violent game will enhance it. But playing a game won't make a sane person want to be violent.
I would assume the same for this song....

Well you cant generalise and say video games flat-out dont cause violence...

In all the cases when GTA gets blamed, the kids usually SAY they were acting out the game.

But then...usually the kids are like...10, 12...y'know, too young to even THINK about owning a copy of the game.

Yea thats why games have ratings now
But a sane, mature adult who plays a game wouldnt be effected by video game violence.
An 11-year old kid is either way too young to be playing the game OR wanted to do something bad in the first place and figures that blaming a game is a good way out of getting in trouble too... the game'll get the blame rather than him.

i agree moonfox

saying i did it because i played some game is crap....these people be it kids or adults..are obviously prone to do these things....anyone in their right mind knows it's wrong to kill another human being

exclusions such as war are ok...before the do gooders put it their tuppence/penny/cent/yen/franc worth...

Sorry guys, i feel like going off and commiting suicide now !



Just kidden ya!

First death contributed to Gloomy Sunday?

"But a few months after Gloomy Sunday was printed, there were a spate of strange occurrences that were allegedly sparked off by the new song. In Berlin, a young man requested a band to play Gloomy Sunday, and after the number was performed, the man went home and blasted himself in the head with a revolver after complaining to relatives that he felt severely depressed by the melody of a new song which he couldn't get out of his head. That song was Gloomy Sunday."

To Read of More Gloomy Deaths

Sorry, where can I find this song? I want to hear it but, in Google, with the keyword "Gloomy Sunday", I cannot find any site avaiilable for downloading the song.

Sarkypi---excellent link I enjoyed that very much.


GethohtX----Sarah Brightman did a version on her album La Luna. I wouldn't suggest and illeagal download given the RIAA's latest stupidity crisis (sueing 12 year olds and all) As to other performers I don't know of any but there have been many performers of it.

Does anyone remember poor Billy McKenzie (d.'97) of the Associates? They recorded a version in the 1980s.

Not wanting to add to anything here but how did Billy Mckenzie die?

23rd Jan 1997 - Died this day, Billy MacKenzie, singer with The Associates , committed suicide (o.d.), aged 39.

The Associates hit album 'Sulk' was a favourite of mine at the time, circa '83. I think one of The Cure played bass on it.

Hmmm commited suicide 17 years later...some will use this as a connection but I can't call his death one in good conviction. Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I agree. Of his contemporaries, Marc Almond and Elvis Costello are still in the land of the living.

I especially like Sarah McLaughlin's version.

and a side note for the depressed:

Consider what a miracle it is that you even are In an infinite universe, there is one bastion of life...Earth. Practically every square kilometer is covered by some life form. Of all the life forms, you are human. Of all humans, you are unique. You are a Miracle of the Universe! Life is hard...but life..especially human life...is a miracle

That was just beautiful, joc!

If you wait around for something interesting to happen it never will. You gotta get out there and shake things up yourself..
OMG, I'm turning into Tony Robbins as we speak!
In your case anyway, if depression is genetic for you then Paxel or Zoloft can usually correct the chemical imbalance in the brain that can lead to depression.
Just one 6 month course of Zoloft pretty much helped turn my attitude around considerably..

the vampire Luoie said " what if all I have is my pain? My suffering ? "


*puts on helmet and bullet proof vest*

I am now doing a research about how the lyrics of Gloomy Sunday in English version affect people's emotions. I am gonna figure out what impressions this song left on you. If you are willing to do my quesionaire about it, please contact me: florencezyq@hotmail.com. There are only 11 questions, you may simply answer yes, so-so or no. Thanks!

If you only want to tell one point of your feeling about the song, please reply me in this forum. Thanks!

florencezhou,

I've merged your post with a thread that already discusses the topic, using the 'search' function will bring up several older candidates. Cross posting the same thread isn't allowed on the forum, the other two posts have been deleted.

Magikman

I 've never heard the song, I guess I'll wait for the trance version.

All i can say is that is creepy!!! and i dont even wanna read the lyrics haha, but i can tell ya i think there r messages in lyrics that song writers are trying to tell the public, that they do not want to say straight out

Most of the modern versions aren't particularly bad in terms of soul-annihilating despair. Apparently, the original version is the really depressing one. Anyone know where I can find a copy of it? Purely for research purposes, you understand

Scary stuff? So wait - this song is said to cause suicides - maybe because it makes people feel depressed?

... I'm feeling gloomy reading it. Its amazing how a song can effect a persons feeling by how the lyrics are written, and by how it is presented.

Another sad song is "Mad World" by Gary Jules. Its presentation is more sad than the lyrics.

"Mad World" lyrics

On my "Website" I have both Gloomy Sunday, and Mad World songs. Be patient when waiting to listen.

My make-shift site.

That is kind of strange but amazing how a song can have a different effect on peoples lives and immediatley change their feelings on something.

OK, first of all, let me say that Seress certainly did not write Gloomy Sunday on the break-up of his own romance - his own lyrics are talking about the love died on the world, citied becoming desert, dead bodies everywhere, people being sinners - it's a clear description of a war. And even the original title of the song was "Vege a vilagnak" = "The world has ended". So Seress' girlfriend also couldn't have left the words "Szomoru vasarnap" ("Sad Sunday") as her suicide note, since Seress' version of the song (that was the one which drove her to commit suicide IF it did happen) was called "Vege a vilagnak" ("The world has ended") and does not contain the words "Szomoru vasarnap" ("Sad Sunday") at all.
It was Laszlo Javor who wrote the more famous version of the lyrics, the one which begins with "Szomoru vasarnap szaz feher viraggal" = "Sad Sunday with a hundred white flowers". So probably it was Javor who wrote the song on the break-up of of his own romance.

Also, I don't think the song is really depressive. I heard over 20 different versions of the song, including versions in English, Hungarian (both the Seress and Javor versions), German, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and even Japanese. And most of them around 4-6 times, the Hungarian versions even around 20 times. And heck, I even sang the song (both Hungarian versions, English version and Japanese version - and even both Italian versions translated by myself). And yet I didn't feel depressed one single time.

And no, I'm not autistic, I'm not insensitive, I'm a completely normal person. But I don't have reasons to feel depressed since, for now, everything is going well in my life, so maybe that's why I haven't been affected by the song at all.