Way Back Wednesday: Terry Jacks

Ok, so today I am going waaaaay back to 1974.  I was inspired to delve deep into the Yacht Rock collection for a sweet jam for today.  There is actually a pretty nifty story behind "Seasons in the Sun." It was originally recorded in French and translated into a hit by Terry Jacks in 1974.  Terry's version left out that the wife was cheating with the French guy's friend.  That's probably why his version sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.  Other people have also covered the song, including Bad Religion, Nirvana, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and the Beach Boys.  While the song sounds upbeat, it's actually pretty dark:

Good-bye, my wife, I loved you well

Good-bye, my wife, I loved you well, you know,

But I'm taking the train for the Good Lord,

I'm taking the train before yours

But you take whatever train you can;

Goodbye, my wife, I'm going to die,

It's hard to die in springtime, you know,

But I'm leaving for the flowers with my eyes closed, my wife,

Because I closed them so often,

I know you will take care of my soul.

I'd recommend the Nirvana version as well.