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"Gloomy Sunday", also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song", is a song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933. The original lyrics were titled ''Vége a világnak'' (''The world is ending'') and were about despair caused by war, ending in a quiet prayer about people's sins. Poet László Jávor wrote his own lyrics to the song, titled ''Szomorú vasárnap'' (''Sad Sunday''), in which the protagonist wants to commit suicide following his lover's death.〔(Sheet music ) gloomy-sunday.jpg (442×694)〕 The latter lyrics ended up becoming more popular while the former were essentially forgotten. The song was first recorded in Hungarian by Pál Kalmár in 1935. "Gloomy Sunday" was first recorded in English by Hal Kemp in 1936, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis,〔("Gloomy Sunday" - Sam Lewis lyrics ), Accessed 7 November 2011〕 and was recorded the same year by Paul Robeson, with lyrics by Desmond Carter. It became well-known throughout much of the English-speaking world after the release of a version by Billie Holiday in 1941. Lewis's lyrics referred to suicide, and the record label described it as the "Hungarian Suicide Song". There is a recurring urban legend which claims that many people have committed suicide while listening to this song.〔(''The 21st Floor'': Ash, Pryce, "It May Be Freaky Friday, But Sunday Is Gloomy", 7 August 2010 ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 == Writing and background == The song was composed by Rezső Seress while living in Paris, in an attempt to become established as a songwriter in late 1932.〔("Gloomy Sunday" at Feel The Blues With All That Jazz ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 The original musical composition was a piano melody in C-minor, with the lyrics being sung over it.〔(There Are Places I Remember: "Gloomy Sunday" ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 Seress wrote the song at the time of the Great Depression and increasing fascist influence in the writer's native Hungary, although sources differ as to the degree to whether his song was motivated by personal melancholy rather than concerns about the future of the world. The basis of Seress' lyrics is a reproach to the injustices of man, with a prayer to God to have mercy on the modern world and the people who perpetrate evil.〔("''Vége a világnak''" - Rezső Seress lyrics ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 There are some suggestions〔(Rezső Seress' Gloomy Sunday - Board ), Accessed 8 November 2011〕 that the words of "''Vége a világnak''" were in fact not written until World War II itself and not copyrighted until 1946. Seress initially had difficulty finding a publisher, mainly due to the unusually melancholy nature of the song. One potential publisher stated: The song was published as sheet music in late 1933,〔(Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State: Combining the Fact with the Folklore, "The Hungarian Suiceide Song" ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 with lyrics by poet László Jávor, who was inspired by a recent break-up with his fiancée.〔 According to most sources, Jávor rewrote the lyrics after the song's first publication, although he is sometimes described as the original writer of its words.〔(Harry Witchel, ''You Are What You Hear: how music and territory make us who we are'', Algora Publishing, 2010, p.106 ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 His lyrics contained no political sentiments, but rather were a lament for the death of a beloved and a pledge to meet with the lover again in the afterlife.〔〔("''Szomorú vasárnap''" - László Jávor lyrics ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕〔(World of Poetry: "Szomorú Vasárnap" ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 This version of the song became the best known, and most later rewritings are based around the idea of lost love.〔(Bill DeMain, "This Song’s a Killer: The Strange Tale of 'Gloomy Sunday'", ''MentalFloss'', August 16, 2011 ). Accessed 7 November 2011〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gloomy Sunday」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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