Gloomy Sunday

A friend of mine introduced me to this very mysterious name in Hungary, born on 1932, Reszo Seress dreamed of becoming a popular song writer, and at the same time writing songs was his only form of living. Unfortunately, he failed to empress the public. His fiancee, on the other hand forced him to get a full time job, but he was uncompromising and continued his passion in writing songs, which ended their relationship.

Depressed and sad of what happened, he sat on his piano in his apartment and played a very mysterious piece of which he titled "GLOOMY SUNDAY" it was a sunday evening, playing the song while the rain was falling heavily. thirty minutes later, he finshed the song and sent it to publishers and was rejected until it was finally acceted by another publisher. He was overwhelmed with happeness then.

After the song was published and exposed in the public, many strange occurencess occured. A boy in Berlin requested for the song to be played, and after listening to the song, he went home and shot himself dead. The relatives complained that the boy became depressed since he listened to the song. After a week, in the same city, a saleswoman was found hanging herself with a rope and found a copy of the song. Two days after a young secretary in New York killed herself  and found her suicide note requesting that the songs should be played during her funeral. Weeks later another New yorker jumped from his window of his seven-story apartment after playing the song. Another teenager in Rome also jumped of a bridge after the first time she heard the song. A woman overdosed herself with barbiturates, while the song was still palying.

Because of the deaths, the song was banned from being played in the public.What's even shocking was that after Seress wrote to his fiancee a letter of reconcillation, she poisoned herself and by her side was a copy of the song "Gloomy Sunday."

His song, however, was forgotten during Hitler's time.

After a long period time of oblivion, many versions of the song suddenly burst out to the public, such as Billy Holiday's version. Sarah Brigthman also sang the song, and another version of the song is included in the original sound track of the movie Blair Witch.

Personally, when i heard Billy Holiday's version, I can say that it is really sad beacuse of its lyrics, but it is also a very beautiful song. Reports say that the original version was way too sad, melancholy, death-wish-driven song, and extremely different to the several versions that burst today.

Lyrics:

Gloomy Sunday

by: Reszo Serres

"Sunday is gloomy

My hours are slumberless

Dearest the shadows I live with

Are numberless

Little white flower

Will never awaken you

Not where the black coach

Or sorrow has taken you

Angels have no thought

Of ever returning you

Would they be angry

If I thought of joining you

Gloomy Sunday

Sunday is gloomy

With shadows I spend it all

My heart and I have decided

To end it all

Soon there'll be flowers and prayers

That are said I know

But let them not weep

Let them know

That I'm glad to go

Death is no dream

For death I'm caressing you

With the last breath of my soul

I'll be blessing you

Gloomy Sunday!"

My purpose of posting this paranormal phenomenon is not to scare the readers but only to expose such forgotten story of the man that sould have been part of history. This man is a legend to me even though he lived a simple life, armed with the desire to stand up for his passion and pursue his dreams.

Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday version