"Sorrow" is a song first recorded by

the McCoys The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Union City, Indiana, Union City, Indiana, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Their name was changed from Rick and the Raiders to The McCoys, ...

in 1965 and released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to their cover of "

Fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

". It became a big hit in the United Kingdom in a version by

the Merseys ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, reaching number 4 on the UK chart on 28 April 1966. A version by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

charted worldwide in 1973. A line from the song – "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue" – is used in the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

song "

It's All Too Much "It's All Too Much" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Yellow Submarine (album), Yellow Submarine''. Written by George Harrison in 1967, it conveys the ideological themes of that year's Summer of Love. The B ...

" which was featured on their 1969 album '' Yellow Submarine''.

The Merseys version

The Merseys' version is more up-tempo than the McCoys' folk-rock original. Propelled by

Clem Cattini Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini (born 20 August 1937) is an English rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and 60s, who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician. He is one of the most prolifi ...

's drumming it features a powerful horn arrangement (most probably the work of

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

). The horns also take the solo which, on the McCoys version, is performed on harmonica. As the number and quality of subsequent covers demonstrate, the Merseys' single was highly regarded among British musicians.

Charts

David Bowie version

David Bowie's remake of "Sorrow", recorded in July 1973 at

Château d'Hérouville The Château d'Hérouville is a French 18th century château located in the village of Hérouville, in the Val d'Oise département of France, near Paris. The château was built in 1740 by "Gaudot", an architect of the school of Rome, from the re ...

, Hérouville, France, was the only single released in the UK from his ''

Pin Ups ''Pin Ups'' (also referred to as ''Pinups'' and ''Pin-Ups'') is the seventh studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 19October 1973 through RCA Records. Devised as a "stop-gap" album to appease his record label, it is a cover ...

'' covers album, reaching No. 3 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and staying in the charts for 15 weeks. It was also Bowie's first number one hit single in Australia, where it topped the charts for two weeks in February 1974. The B-side, “

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

”, was a cover of a

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

song, that had been performed live by Bowie since 1968. The song may have been recorded by Bowie in the summer 1973 sessions for ''Pin Ups''Kevin Cann (2010). ''Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974'': p. 311 or in late 1971Chris O'Leary (2015). ''Rebel Rebel'': p.496 for the album '' Ziggy Stardust''. Never selected as an album track, it was used as the single B-side as it fitted with "Sorrow". In France, it was billed as the A-side of the single. "Sorrow" was featured in the 2008

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

film ''

War, Inc. ''War, Inc.'' is a 2008 American political action comedy film directed by Joshua Seftel and starring John Cusack and Hilary Duff. Cusack also co-wrote and produced the film. Plot The film opens in a bar in Nunavut when hitman Brand Hauser shoot ...

'' In 2017

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both '' Late ...

and

Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child a ...

released a cover version based mainly on Bowie's version."New Music: Jenny Lewis and Paul Shaffer Cover David Bowie’s Version of the McCoys’ 'Sorrow'"
''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', 6 January 2017.

Track listing

# "Sorrow" (Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein,

Richard Gottehrer Richard Gottehrer (born 1940) is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. In 1997, he co-founded the Orchard with longtime business partner Scott Cohen, an independent music distribution company. His career began as ...

) – 2:53 # "

" (

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...

) – 2:39 The Spanish release of the single had "

Lady Grinning Soul "Lady Grinning Soul" is a ballad written by English musician David Bowie, released on the album ''Aladdin Sane'' in 1973. It was a last-minute addition, replacing the "sax version" of " John, I'm Only Dancing" as the closing track. The composer's ...

" as the B-side.

Personnel

* Producers: **

Ken Scott Ken Scott (born 20 April 1947) is a British record producer and engineer known for being one of the five main engineers for the Beatles, as well as engineering Elton John, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Duran Duran, the Jef ...

and

* Musicians: **

: vocals, guitar, saxophone on "Sorrow" **

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session music ...

: guitar and string arrangement on "Sorrow" **

Trevor Bolder Trevor Bolder (9 June 1950 – 21 May 2013) was an English rock musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with the Spiders from Mars, the backing band for David Bowie, a ...

: bass on "Sorrow" **

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight and The Smashing Pumpkins. Early career Garson went to Lafayette High School in Broo ...

: piano on "Sorrow" **

Aynsley Dunbar Aynsley Thomas Dunbar (born 10 January 1946) is an English drummer. He has worked with John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Journey, Jefferson Starship, Nils Lofgren, Eric Burdon, Shuggie Otis, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Mick R ...

: drums on "Sorrow" ** G. A. MacCormack: backing vocals on "Sorrow" ** Ken Fordham: saxophone on "Sorrow"

Charts

Other releases

* The song appeared on the following Bowie compilations: ** ''Chameleon'' (Australia/New Zealand 1979) ** ''

The Best of Bowie ''The Best of Bowie'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in 1980 by K-tel. The cover was based on the 12-inch single sleeve design of Bowie's "Fashion".Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). ''Bowie: An ...

'' (1980) ** '' Sound + Vision'' box set (1989) ** '' The Singles Collection'' (1993) ** '' The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974'' (1997) ** '' Best of Bowie'' (2002) ** '' The Platinum Collection'' (2006) ** ''

Nothing Has Changed ''Nothing Has Changed'' (stylised as ''Nothing has changed.'') is a compilation album by English musician David Bowie. It was released on 18 November 2014 through Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings in ...

'' (2014) ** ''

Bowie Legacy ''Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie)'' (also known as ''Legacy'') is a greatest hits album by English musician David Bowie, released on 11 November 2016 through Sony Music Entertainment in the US and Warner Music Group in the UK and several t ...

'' (2-CD version) (2016) * It also appeared on the following Bowie live albums: ** ''Serious Moonlight (Live '83)'' (recorded September 1983, released 2019) ** ''I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)'' (recorded October 1974, released 2020)

References

Pegg, Nicholas, ''The Complete David Bowie'', Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorrow (The Mccoys Song) 1965 songs 1973 singles Songs written by Jerry Goldstein (producer) Songs written by Richard Gottehrer The McCoys songs David Bowie songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in New Zealand Fontana Records singles RCA Records singles 1966 debut singles Song recordings produced by Kit Lambert Song recordings produced by Ken Scott Songs written by Bob Feldman