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" ("The Dying Man"), written by Jacques Brel in 1961. 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.
Terry Jacks, who had participated in the Beach Boys recording, and who had in fact introduced the song to the group, 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.
Version comparison ... "FROM Wikipedia..."
This is an English translation of the original final verse by Jacques Brel:
- Good-bye, my wife, I loved you well
- Good-bye, my wife, I loved you well, you know,
- But I'm taking the train for the Good Lord,
- I'm taking the train before yours
- But you take whatever train you can;
- Goodbye, my wife, I'm going to die,
- It's hard to die in springtime, you know,
- But I'm leaving for the flowers with my eyes closed, my wife,
- Because I closed them so often,
- I know you will take care of my soul.
-
- ("eyes closed" refers to closing his eyes to her infidelity, following on from the preceding verse in which he bids goodbye to his wife's lover Antoine).
The Kingston Trio's 1963 recording was the first cover of McKuen's English-language version. The last verse in McKuen's three verse freehand rendering retains Brel's reference to the wife's infidelity but with a different sensibility:
- Adieu, Francoise, my trusted wife;
- Without you I'd have had a lonely life.
- You cheated lots of times but then,
- I forgave you in the end
- Though your lover was my friend.
- I forgave you in the end
- Adieu, Francoise, it's hard to die
- When all the birds are singing in the sky.
- Now that spring is in the air
- With your lovers ev'rywhere,
- Just be careful; I'll be there.
- With your lovers ev'rywhere,
Terry Jacks' lyrics omit the original third and fourth verses and adds this verse, which could refer to either a daughter or a young girlfriend:
- Goodbye, Michelle, my little one;
- You gave me love and helped me find the sun,
- And every time that I was down
- You would always come around
- And get my feet back on the ground.
- You would always come around
- Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
- When all the birds are singing in the sky;
- Now that the spring is in the air,
- With the flowers everywhere,
- I wish that we could both be there!
- With the flowers everywhere,
