| Sad Songs (Say So Much) | |
| Cover: | Sad Songs (Say So Much).jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Elton John |
| 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) |
| Producer: | Chris Thomas |
| Prev Title: | Too Low for Zero |
| Prev Year: | 1984 |
| Next Title: | Passengers |
| Next Year: | 1984 |
"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 .
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.
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]
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]
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] [6] | 4 |
| Canadian Top Singles[7] | 4 |
| Canadian Adult Contemporary[8] | 1 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[9] | 18 |
| Italy (Musica e Dischi)[10] | 22 |
| South Africa (RISA)[11] | 5 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] | 3 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[13] | 2 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[14] | 10 |
| Zimbabwe Singles (ZIMA)[15] | 6 |
| Chart (1984) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 30 | |
| Canada[16] | 36 | |
| UK[17] | 78 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[18] | 54 | |
| U.S. Cash Box[19] | 69 |
.
