Sorrow (The McCoys song)

"Sorrow" is a song first recorded by the McCoys in 1965 and released as the B-side to their cover of "Fever". It became a big hit in the United Kingdom in a version by the Merseys, reaching number 4 on the UK chart on 28 April 1966. A version by David Bowie charted worldwide in 1973.

A line from the song – "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue" – is used in the Beatles song "It's All Too Much" 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's drumming, it features a powerful horn arrangement. 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.

David Bowie version
David Bowie's remake of "Sorrow", recorded in July 1973 at Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, was the only single released in the UK from his Pin Ups covers album, reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, 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”, was a cover of a Jacques Brel 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 or in late 1971 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 film War, Inc. In 2017 Paul Shaffer and Jenny Lewis released a cover version based mainly on Bowie's version.

Track listing

 * 1) "Sorrow" (Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer) – 2:53
 * 2) "Amsterdam" (Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman) – 2:39

The Spanish release of the single had "Lady Grinning Soul" as the B-side.

Personnel
According to Chris O'Leary:


 * David Bowie – lead and backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, tenor saxophone
 * Mick Ronson – lead guitar, backing vocal, string arrangement
 * Trevor Bolder – bass guitar
 * Aynsley Dunbar – drums
 * Mike Garson – piano
 * Ken Fordham – baritone saxophone
 * G. A. MacCormack – backing vocals
 * Unknown musicians – violins, violas, celli

Technical
 * David Bowie – producer
 * Ken Scott – producer
 * Dennis MacKay – engineer

Other releases

 * The song appeared on the following Bowie compilations:
 * Chameleon (Australia/New Zealand 1979)
 * The Best of Bowie (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 (2014)
 * Bowie Legacy (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)