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Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

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"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
Single by Elton John
from the album Blue Moves
B-side"Shoulder Holster"
Released1 November 1976
RecordedEastern Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 22 March 1976
Length3:48
LabelRocket (UK)
MCA (US)
Songwriter(s)Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1976) 		"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
(1976) 		"Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)"
(1977)
Music video
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" on YouTube

"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was John's second single released by The Rocket Record Company. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart.

The song also appeared the following year on Greatest Hits Volume II, though for copyright reasons it no longer appears on the current version of that album. It now appears on Greatest Hits 1976–1986, The Very Best of Elton John and in Greatest Hits 1970–2002, as well as a number of other compilations.

Personnel

Commercial performance and certifications

The song was a Top 20 hit, reaching No. 11 in the United Kingdom, No. 6 in the United States and No. 3 in Canada.[1] In addition, the song went to No. 1 on the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts.[2][3] In the US, it was certified Gold on 25 January 1977 by the RIAA.[4]

Chart history

Blue version

"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
Single by Blue featuring Elton John
from the album One Love
B-side"Sweet Thing"
Released9 December 2002
Genre
Length3:41 (album version)
3.31 (radio edit)
LabelVirgin, Innocent
Songwriter(s)Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)Stargate
Blue singles chronology
"One Love"
(2002) 		"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
(2002) 		"U Make Me Wanna"
(2003)
Music video
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" on YouTube

The song was covered in 2002 by English boy band Blue for their second studio album, One Love (2002). The song was recorded as a collaboration with Elton John, and was the second single from the album. It peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 15 December 2002.

In many countries of the world (as well as in the UK) this version was much more popular than original version. Because of that, in many sources, it is credited to Elton John only, but it's a Blue version with Elton's collaboration. It failed to popularize in the U.S. and has much lesser chart performance in Australia, here the original version is more common.

Track listing

UK CD1
  1. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Radio Edit) – 3:31
  2. "Lonely This Christmas" – 2:08
  3. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Ruffin Ready Soul Mix) – 3:51
  4. "Recording Studio Footage" – 3:30
UK CD2
  1. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Radio Edit) – 3:31
  2. "Album Medley" – 5:44
  3. "Sweet Thing" – 3:38
  4. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Video) – 3:31
UK Cassette
  1. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Radio Edit) – 3:31
  2. "Album Medley" – 5:44
  3. "Sweet Thing" – 3:38

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[48] Gold 25,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[49] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Silver 200,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

In 2004, Elton John and Ray Charles performed the song on Charles' duet album, Genius Loves Company. It would turn out to be the last recording Charles ever did before his death that June.[51] The duet was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. It was also performed by smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G on the soprano saxophone featuring Richard Marx on his 2004 album At Last...The Duets Album later that year.

The single was the lead single for the eight-track remix compilation Good Morning to the Night in collaboration with Australian remixer Pnau, which came out on 16 July 2012.

References

  1. ^ a b "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 8 January 1977. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
  3. ^ a b "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 25 December 1976. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 128.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  7. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
  9. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 1, 1977
  10. ^ Australian-charts.com
  11. ^ "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 14, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  12. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  13. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  14. ^ "American single certifications – John, Elton – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  16. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  17. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  19. ^ "Blue Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  21. ^ "Hits of the World – Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 5 April 2003. p. 49. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  23. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  24. ^ "Blue – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  25. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 6, 2003" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  28. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". VG-lista. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  29. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 6. 1 February 2003. p. 13. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Romanian Top 100". Archived from the original on 18 February 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  32. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" Canciones Top 50.
  33. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  34. ^ "Blue feat. Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  35. ^ "Blue: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  36. ^ "2002 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  37. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2003". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  39. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  40. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  41. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2003". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  42. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2003". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  43. ^ "End of Year Charts 2003". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  44. ^ "Topul anului 2003" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  45. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  46. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  47. ^ "ChartsPlusYE2003.pdf" (PDF). UKChartsPlus.co.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  48. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2003". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  49. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  50. ^ "British single certifications – Blue ft Elton John – Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  51. ^ Kaufman, Gil. "ROAD TO THE GRAMMYS: THE MAKING OF RAY CHARLES' GENIUS LOVES COMPANY". MTV.
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