Sad Songs (Say So Much)

Not to be confused with Sad Song (The Cars song).

"Sad Songs (Say So Much)"
Single by Elton John
from the album Breaking Hearts
B-side	"A Simple Man"
Released	18 May 1984[1]
Recorded	December 1983
Genre	Soft rock
Length	4:07 (7") 4:55 (album version)
Label	Geffen (U.S.) Rocket (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)	Chris Thomas
Elton John singles chronology
"Too Low for Zero" (1984) "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (1984) "Passengers" (1984)
Music video
"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" on YouTube

"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is the closing track on English musician Elton John's 18th studio album Breaking Hearts, written by John and Bernie Taupin, released in 1984 as the lead single of the album. 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 it sometimes helps for someone who is feeling sad, or who has lost a partner, to listen to old radio blues classics.

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."^[2]

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[5][6] 4 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 4 Canadian Top Singles[8] 4 Canadian Adult Contemporary[9] 1 Germany (Media Control AG)[10] 18 Ireland (IRMA)[11] 2 Italy (Musica e Dischi)[12] 22 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 8 South Africa (RISA)[14] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[16] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[17] 5 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[18] 2 US Cash Box Top 100[19] 10 Zimbabwe Singles (ZIMA)[20] 6

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[5][6] 30 Canada[21] 36 UK[22] 78 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[23] 54 U.S. Cash Box[24] 69

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 14.
2. "Elton John in Video For Sasson Apparel". The New York Times. 14 August 1984. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
3. "Sad Songs (Say So Much) by Elton John song statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
4. "Sir Elton John wins first Brits Icon award". BBC News. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
5. "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
6. "australian-charts.com – Forum – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com.
7. "Elton John – Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "100 Singles". RPM. Vol. 40, no. 25. 25 August 1984. p. 6. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
9. "Adult Contemporary". RPM. Vol. 41, no. 1. 8 September 1984. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
10. "Chartverfolgung / JOHN, ELTON / Single" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sad Songs (Say So Much)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
12. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Sad song".
13. "Elton John – Sad Songs (Say So Much)". Top 40 Singles.
14. ""Sad Songs (Say So Much)" on the South African Singles Chart". Springbok Radio. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
15. "Elton John – Sad Songs (Say So Much) – Hitparade.ch". Singles Top 75. Hung Medien.
16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
17. "Elton John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
18. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 123.
19. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending July 28, 1984". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2018.. Cash Box magazine.
20. * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
21. "Top 100 Singles of 1984 – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
22. "Top 100 Singles 1984" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
23. "Top 100 Hits of 1984/Top 100 Songs of 1984". musicoutfitters.com.
24. "Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 31 December 1984. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2017.