Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Encyclopedia
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song
written by Elton John
and Bernie Taupin
. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves
album. It was his second single on Rocket Records
. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart. It was also one of the rare instances where Elton John himself wrote much of the lyric. Whereas most of the John-Taupin songs began with Taupin's lyrics, this one began with John's melody, with some lyrics included. Taupin simply finished them. The song is in the key
of G melodic minor.
The song was a UK/US Top 20 hit, reaching number 11 in the UK and number 6 in the US. In addition, the song went to number one on the Easy Listening chart. In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 1/25/1977 by the R.I.A.A.
The song also appeared the following year on Greatest Hits Volume II, though for copyright reasons it no longer appears on the current version of that album. It now appears on Greatest Hits 1976-1986, The Very Best of Elton John
and in Greatest Hits 1970-2002
, as well as a number of other compilations.
The song is also featured prominently in the 1977 movie Slap Shot
.
to R&B
. It has been recorded as a duet, in Spanish, and has even featured Elton John himself on a couple of versions.
In 1994, country singers Suzy Bogguss
and Chet Atkins
covered the song on their 1994 Simpatico
. It was released as a single but failed to chart. A year later, Argentine singer/songwriter, Pedro Aznar
, covered the song in Spanish with the translated title, "Ya no hay forma de pedir perdón", for the album David y Goliath.
In 1997, the song was featured on Steven Houghton
's self titled album.
In 1998, Jimmy Scott
covered the song on his "Holding Back The Years" album (the back cover lists the song as "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest").
In 2002, the boy band Blue recorded the song with Elton John (who received a featured artist credit). This version was produced by multi-platinum producer Ray Ruffin and was a hit throughout Europe and went to number one in the UK, where it received a Silver sales certification and sold 315,000 copies.
Joe Cocker
covered the song on the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album
, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
in 1991. In 2004, three more versions were released. First, Ray Charles
and Elton John recorded this song as a "duet" in Charles's 2004 posthumous release Genius Loves Company
. According to the album's liner notes, the song's recording marked the last session of the "Genius" project and one of the last (if not the very last) recorded vocal performance by the music legend. Then, Mary J. Blige
covered the song for the soundtrack to the film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
. Finally, Kenny G
recorded it with Richard Marx
for his covers/duets album, At Last...The Duets Album
.
In 2006, former American Idol
contestant Clay Aiken
covered the song on his album, A Thousand Different Ways
, and X Factor
winner Leona Lewis
's recording of the song was a B-side
to her number-one debut single, "A Moment Like This".
In 2006, saxophonist Michael Lington
covered the song from his renditions album "A Song for You."
Tose Proeski
covered the song during his concerts and on his 2011 album so Ljubav Ot Tose.
Sarah Darling
covered the song in 2011 for her second studio album Angels & Devils
, released by Black River Music Group
.
Blue. The song was recorded as a collaboration with Elton John
, and was the second single from their second album, One Love
. The song peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Charts.
UK CD2
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves
Blue Moves
Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1976. It was also his second double album , and his first album released by his own Rocket Records Ltd...
album. It was his second single on Rocket Records
Rocket Records
The Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon and Steve Brown among others, in 1972. The name is from the hit, "Rocket Man"...
. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart. It was also one of the rare instances where Elton John himself wrote much of the lyric. Whereas most of the John-Taupin songs began with Taupin's lyrics, this one began with John's melody, with some lyrics included. Taupin simply finished them. The song is in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of G melodic minor.
The song was a UK/US Top 20 hit, reaching number 11 in the UK and number 6 in the US. In addition, the song went to number one on the Easy Listening chart. In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 1/25/1977 by the R.I.A.A.
The song also appeared the following year on Greatest Hits Volume II, though for copyright reasons it no longer appears on the current version of that album. It now appears on Greatest Hits 1976-1986, The Very Best of Elton John
The Very Best of Elton John
CD 2N.B. : Please note that Track N°25 is different on European version of Elton John's very best of. "Whispers" from ""Sleeping with the Past" takes "Passengers" place.-Side one:# "Your Song" – 4:02...
and in Greatest Hits 1970-2002
Greatest Hits 1970-2002
Greatest Hits 1970–2002 is a career-spanning collection of Elton John's biggest hits up to 2002. It was released in an alternate 3-CD version and slightly different versions in the United States and the United Kingdom....
, as well as a number of other compilations.
The song is also featured prominently in the 1977 movie Slap Shot
Slap Shot (film)
Slap Shot is a 1977 film comedy starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean directed by George Roy Hill. It depicts a minor league hockey team that resorts to violent play to gain popularity in a declining factory town.- Plot :...
.
Other versions
"Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" has been covered by a wide variety of artists from countryCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
to R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
. It has been recorded as a duet, in Spanish, and has even featured Elton John himself on a couple of versions.
In 1994, country singers Suzy Bogguss
Suzy Bogguss
Susan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.After...
and Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
covered the song on their 1994 Simpatico
Simpatico (Suzy Bogguss and Chet Atkins album)
- History :Atkins and Bogguss were nominated for the 1996 Grammy award for Best Country & Western Vocal Collaboration but did not win.-Track listing:...
. It was released as a single but failed to chart. A year later, Argentine singer/songwriter, Pedro Aznar
Pedro Aznar
Pedro Aznar is an Argentine musician, with a lifetime of experience in jazz, Argentinian folk music, and rock and has had a successful career as a solo artist. He is very well known for giving rock songs a jazz-oriented style, by playing the fretless bass, with a big influence from Jaco Pastorius...
, covered the song in Spanish with the translated title, "Ya no hay forma de pedir perdón", for the album David y Goliath.
In 1997, the song was featured on Steven Houghton
Steven Houghton
Steven Houghton is a British actor and singer.-Early life and career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Houghton trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. His first West End production was Children of Eden...
's self titled album.
In 1998, Jimmy Scott
Jimmy Scott
Jimmy Scott , aka "Little" Jimmy Scott, is an American jazz vocalist famous for his unusually high contralto voice which is due to Kallmann's syndrome, a very rare genetic condition. The condition stunted his growth at four feet eleven inches until, at age 37, he grew another 8 inches to the...
covered the song on his "Holding Back The Years" album (the back cover lists the song as "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest").
In 2002, the boy band Blue recorded the song with Elton John (who received a featured artist credit). This version was produced by multi-platinum producer Ray Ruffin and was a hit throughout Europe and went to number one in the UK, where it received a Silver sales certification and sold 315,000 copies.
Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
covered the song on the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a 1991 tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The title refers to the song on Elton John's album 21 at 33, "Two Rooms at the End of the World", to the duo's unusual...
in 1991. In 2004, three more versions were released. First, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Elton John recorded this song as a "duet" in Charles's 2004 posthumous release Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004 on Concord Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004...
. According to the album's liner notes, the song's recording marked the last session of the "Genius" project and one of the last (if not the very last) recorded vocal performance by the music legend. Then, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
covered the song for the soundtrack to the film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)
# Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J...
. Finally, Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
recorded it with Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
for his covers/duets album, At Last...The Duets Album
At Last...The Duets Album
At Last...The Duets Album is the second cover album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records in 2004, and reached number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, number 21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 40 on the Billboard 200....
.
In 2006, former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
covered the song on his album, A Thousand Different Ways
A Thousand Different Ways
A Thousand Different Ways is the third studio album by Clay Aiken. The album, which was executive produced by Jaymes Foster, consists of ten covers and four new songs. It was released by RCA on September 19, 2006...
, and X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
winner Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
's recording of the song was a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to her number-one debut single, "A Moment Like This".
In 2006, saxophonist Michael Lington
Michael Lington
Michael Lington is a contemporary jazz saxophonist and recording artist.Lington plays a distinctive contemporary saxophone leaning strongly towards the pop side of jazz. He reaches a younger demographic than traditional jazz listeners and is emerging as a contemporary face of jazz.Born in...
covered the song from his renditions album "A Song for You."
Tose Proeski
Toše Proeski
Todor Toše Proeski was a Macedonian multi-genre singer, songwriter and actor. He was popular across the entire Balkan area and all around Eastern Europe, and locally he was considered a top act of the Macedonian music scene...
covered the song during his concerts and on his 2011 album so Ljubav Ot Tose.
Sarah Darling
Sarah Darling
Sarah Darling is an Amercian country music singer and songwriter.Darling was discovered via her MySpace music page where producer Jimmy Nichols heard one of her songs, "Stop the Bleeding", and signed her to his label, Black River Music Group...
covered the song in 2011 for her second studio album Angels & Devils
Angels & Devils (Sarah Darling album)
-Personnel:*Chuck Ainley – mixing*Tim Akers – keyboards, piano*David Angell – violin*Monisa Angell – viola*Jeff Armstrong – keyboards, piano*Carrie Bailey – violin*Kevin Beamish – mixing*David Biondolillo – engineer, tracking*Mike Brignardello – bass...
, released by Black River Music Group
Black River Music Group
Black River Music Group is an independent record label in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in country music.- Background :Black River Music Group started in early 2007 by Nashville session player, Jimmy Nichols , Tonya Cochran Ginnetti, and billionaires Terry and Kim Pegula...
.
Blue & Elton John version
The song was covered in 2002 by English boybandBoy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Blue. The song was recorded as a collaboration with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, and was the second single from their second album, One Love
One Love (Blue album)
One Love is the second studio album by English boy band Blue, released on 4 November 2002 in the United Kingdom and on 21 October 2003 in the United States. Three singles were released from the album: "One Love", which peaked at number three, "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", featuring Elton...
. The song peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Charts.
Tracklisting
UK CD1- "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (Radio Edit) - 3:31
- "Lonely This Christmas" - 2:08
- "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (Ruffin Ready Soul Mix) - 3:51
- "Recording Studio Footage" - 3:30
UK CD2
- "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (Radio Edit) - 3:31
- "Album Medley" - 5:44
- "Sweet Thing" - 3:38
- "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (Video) - 3:31
Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
7 |
| Germany Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
3 |