Early Translations and Recordings
The song was first recorded, in Hungarian and using Jávor's lyrics, by Pál Kalmár in 1935. His version immediately became popular in Hungary, but became associated with a high number of suicides, reportedly including that of Jávor's ex-fiancee, and several people who jumped into the Danube holding copies of the sheet music. According to some sources, the Hungarian authorities then banned public performances of the song in response.
After press reports about the "Hungarian suicide song" were published elsewhere in the world, it was quickly translated into other languages. It was recorded in 1935 by Pyotr Leschenko, in Russian, as "Мрачное воскресенье" . It was recorded on February 28, 1936, by Damia as "Sombre Dimanche", with French lyrics by Jean Marèze and François-Eugène Gonda, and was recorded in Japanese in 1936 by Noriko Awaya, as "Kurai Nichiyobi".
Several versions using English lyrics were published. In the United States, the most successful set of words was written by Sam M. Lewis, whose other lyrics included, in marked contrast, "I'm Sitting on Top of the World". Lewis's lyrics start with the line "Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless..." and, unlike earlier versions, refer specifically to suicide in the lines "Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all / My heart and I have decided to end it all." However, Lewis's song ends with the realisation that the singer's despair was all a dream. The version with Lewis's words was first recorded in March 1936, by bandleader Hal Kemp, featuring vocalist Bob Allen. The song was also recorded by Paul Whiteman in 1936. Another successful early version was by Artie Shaw, featuring singer Pauline Byrns.
An alternative set of lyrics was written in England by Desmond Carter. His version, again using Seress's tune, was recorded by Paul Robeson in 1936. Carter's lyrics start with the line "Sadly one Sunday I waited and waited..."
"Gloomy Sunday" was dubbed the "Hungarian suicide song" in the United States. It became closely associated in the English-speaking world with Billie Holiday. Her version of the song, using Lewis's lyrics, became a hit in 1941, and the description appeared on the label of Holiday's record.
Read more about this topic: Gloomy Sunday
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Other translations use “temptations.”
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