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Sugar Skull

Are you brave enough to listen to this song?

'Gloomy Sunday' was written in 1933 by two Hungarians: Rezso Seress (music) and Laszlo Javor (lyrics). The song supposedly drew little (adverse) attention until 1936, when it began to be connected with a rash of suicides in Hungary and was allegedly banned there. American musicians and singers soon jumped at the chance to record instrumental and translated versions of the “Hungarian suicide song,” and by the end of 1936 several recordings were available to American audiences. Probably the best discussion of the song and its impact comes is Steven Stacks paper "Gloomy Sunday: did the 'Hungarian suicide song' really create a suicide epidemic?," which appeared in Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying in 2008.

I WARN YOU - LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Posted - March 7, 2017
Tags : Music Hungary suicide

Responses


  • 372
    Definitely spooky - gloomy, maudlin, mournful. Not hard to see that the highly suggestible may have a bad reaction to the song if aware beforehand its "suicide" aspect.

    Those Hungarians are a gloomy lot. I'm Irish descent and we prefer whimsy to gloomy. Banshees, not vampires. 

    I'll let you know tomorrow if I committed suicide. 


      March 7, 2017 7:42 PM MST
    2

  • 314
    Keep your spirits up, Louie!  Don't go and do anything rash tonite! 
      March 7, 2017 8:22 PM MST
    1

  • 17593
    Yes
      March 7, 2017 11:12 PM MST
    1

  • 5835
    Weird piece. Here is the antidote:

      March 8, 2017 6:36 AM MST
    0

  • 5835
    If you need more, go for this one:

      March 8, 2017 6:40 AM MST
    0

  • 739
    Billie Holiday's version is well known to me.
      March 8, 2017 6:48 AM MST
    0