We all know songs have a certain magic that affects our emotions. But can a song be so emotional that it will encourage us to kill ourselves? According to legend, there is, and it’s called “Gloomy Sunday.”
The song was composed in 1932 by a Rezső Seress. Originally, the song was about the Great Depression and increasing fascism in Hungary. It was so sad that one publisher said, “It is not that the song is sad, there is a sort of terrible compelling despair about it. I don’t think it would do anyone any good to hear a song like that.”
The following year, poet László Jávor rewrote the lyrics to reflect a breakup with his fiancée. Unlike Seress’s version, Jávor’s version was about the death of a loved one and the promise of meeting in the afterlife. This version became so popular that Seress’s version was largely forgotten.
In 1935, “Gloomy Sunday” was recorded in Hungarian by Pál Kalmár, with an English translation recorded the following year by Hal Kemp with translation by Paul Robeson. It became popular when Billie Holiday, a famous jazz musician, covered it in 1941.
Rumors of the song leading to suicide persisted as early as the 1930’s, with the media reporting as many as 19 suicides in Hungary and the USA. However, it is difficult to verify as the song came out at a time with rising poverty and famine, along with the threat of Nazi Germany in Europe. It’s worth noting that Hungary has a high suicide rate, with 16 people out of every 100,000 taking their own lives.
Curiously, 35 years after composing the song, Seress committed suicide, too. He survived when he jumped out of the window, but he choked himself to death in the hospital. His ex-girlfriend, who is also said to be the inspiration of the song, also took her own life after the song came out, with rumors going around that a note that said “Gloomy Sunday” was found near the body.
Some of the publicized cases of linked suicides is of a young girl who drowned herself while holding a piece of sheet, a man who killed himself and left the lyrics of the song as a note, and a woman who overdosed after listening to the song multiple times.
The BBC also banned playing the song, but allowed instrumental versions to be played. According to the station, it was to prevent the decrease of wartime morale.
Listen to Billie Holliday’s version below:
What do you think of the song? Share your thoughts below!
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