"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is a song by Elton John and is the closing track on the 1984 album Breaking Hearts. It reached the No 5 on the U.S. chart. 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. In the years since its issue, radio airplay has been modest compared with some of John's other 1980s singles.
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.
John performed the song on One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden with Canadian rock star Bryan Adams. In 2013, John was joined by Rod Stewart in a special performance of the song at the London Palladium after being presented with first Brits Icon award in recognition of his "lasting impact" on UK culture.[1]
The song and the music video were both utilized in an early '80s TV advertisement for Sasson Designer Jeans, altering the lyrics of the song to "Sasson says so much."[2]
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Personnel
Personnel[edit][]
- Elton John: piano, keyboards, vocals
- Davey Johnstone: acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Dee Murray: bass, backing vocals
- Nigel Olsson: drums, backing vocals
Charts[edit][]
| Chart (1984) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] | 4 |
| Canadian Top Singles[4] | 4 |
| Canadian Adult Contemporary[5] | 1 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[6] | 18 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 8 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] | 3 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] | 7 |
| US BillboardHot 100[10] | 5 |