Peak
1
Weeks
21
Score
4,239
Chart Year
1974
The first version of the song was recorded by Brel, who reportedly wrote it in a brothel in Tangiers. Sung in a marching tempo, it tells of a man dying of a broken heart and shows him saying his last farewells to his close friend Emile, a priest friend, an acquaintance named Antoine, and his wife who has cheated on him numerous times with Antoine. Despite knowing of Antoine being his wife's lover, he wishes no ill upon him but tells him to take care of his wife. American Rod McKuen translated the lyrics into English. In 1964, the Kingston Trio first recorded an English version of "Seasons in the Sun", which was later heard by Terry Jacks and became the basis for his rendition. Jacks rewrote the lyrics, although he is uncredited for it. He justifies the rewriting by stating that he deemed the original version and its translations as "too macabre". The inspiration for the rewritten lyrics was a close friend of his who was suffering from acute leukemia and died four months later. The Terry Jacks rendition, which was later dedicated to the friend, has the dying man giving his last words to his loved ones with whom he shared his life, much like the original. However, unlike the Brel version, the man does not die broken-hearted but instead, acknowledges the rights and wrongs of his actions in life as he passes away peacefully. In the rewritten version, the man first addresses a close friend whom he had known since childhood and reminisces about the happy times they had, such as playing and studying together ("climbed hills and trees", "learned of love and ABC's") and friendships with others ("skinned our hearts and skinned our knees"). He then addresses his father, who tried to give him a good upbringing and exert a positive influence on his undisciplined life ("I was the black sheep of the family", "You tried to teach me right from wrong", "wonder how I got along") which included overindulgence, vices, and revelry ("too much wine and too much song"). The man finally addresses a "Michelle", recounting how she had lifted his spirit up in times of despair.
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend We've known each other since we were nine or ten Together we've climbed hills and trees Learned of love and ABCs Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die When all the birds are singing in the sky Now that the spring is in the air Pretty girls are everywhere Think of me and I'll be there We had joy, we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the hills that we climbed Were just seasons out of time Goodbye papa, please pray for me I was the black sheep of the family You tried to teach me right from wrong Too much wine and too much song Wonder how I got along Goodbye papa, it's hard to die When all the birds are singing in the sky Now that the spring is in the air Little children everywhere When you see them, I'll be there We had joy, we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the wine and the song Like the seasons, have all gone We had joy, we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the wine and the song Like the seasons, have all gone 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 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 We had joy, we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the stars we could reach Were just starfish on the beach We had joy, we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the stars we could reach Were just starfish on the beach We had joy, we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the wine and the song Like the seasons, have all gone All our lives we had fun We had seasons in the sun But the hills that we climbed Were just seasons out of time
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 12, 1974 | 99 | 27 |
| 2 | Jan 19, 1974 | 86 | 40 |
| 3 | Jan 26, 1974 | 72 | 54 |
| 4 | Feb 2, 1974 | 49 | 77 |
| 5 | Feb 9, 1974 | 27 | 99 |
| 6 | Feb 16, 1974 | 12 | 114 |
| 7 | Feb 23, 1974 | 2 | 124 |
| 8 | Mar 2, 1974 | 1 | 125 |
| 9 | Mar 9, 1974 | 1 | 125 |
| 10 | Mar 16, 1974 | 1 | 125 |
| 11 | Mar 23, 1974 | 2 | 124 |
| 12 | Mar 30, 1974 | 3 | 123 |
| 13 | Apr 6, 1974 | 4 | 122 |
| 14 | Apr 13, 1974 | 8 | 118 |
| 15 | Apr 20, 1974 | 14 | 112 |
| 16 | Apr 27, 1974 | 24 | 102 |
| 17 | May 4, 1974 | 28 | 98 |
| 18 | May 11, 1974 | 32 | 94 |
| 19 | May 18, 1974 | 38 | 88 |
| 20 | May 25, 1974 | 47 | 79 |