Gloomy Sunday : The Hungarian Suicide Song That Drives People To Commit Suicide

The song Gloomy Sunday is often considered as one the most cursed songs in the history of the World.

We all love to listen to sad songs. They often soothe our hearts, when we are going through a heartbreak. Although sad songs do make us melancholic but I don’t think heard of a song that could that could actually force you to commit suicide.

 

More than 100 people have committed because of this one particular song.

Initially,  the song did not make much news but suddenly the song was banned as people felt the song is making people suicidal. In 1930’s the song became a hot topic for discussion in the press.

 

Composer Rezso Seress composed this song when he was deeply heartbroken after his girlfriend had left him

The back story of the song is also quite sad. The tune of the now famous song was given by Seress’ close friend Laszlo Javor.

Many people feel that the song was originally intended to a war song but later it changed into a love ballad. 

 

In the song, the singer is asking his dead lover to join him at his own planned funeral

In the original lyrics of Gloomy Sunday, written by lyricist and poet László Jávor, The song seems to allude to suicide, as he longs to be with his love in the afterlife.

1n 1999, Germany even made a film called Ein Lied Von Liebe Und Tod, which roughly translated into A Gloomy Sunday a song of love and death.
The film talked about a love triangle and also how the song triggered a series of suicides.

 

 The song was banned in England and the BBC described the song to be “too upsetting”

Ironically it was the suicides that made the song more popular.

Sam Lewis and Desmond Carter, made their own translations of the song in English.

The song became popular in both US and England. Although news of suicides came from both the countries, still the US never officially banned the song. Although the actual song was not allowed to be played yet the instrumental versions were allowed to be played on the radio.

 

Not only Seress, but his girlfriend, who inspired the song in the first place also committed suicide and the last words she wrote was “Gloomy Sunday”

Any of Seress’ songs could not match the success of this song. Many people consider that the song might have made him famous but in a way, it also ruined his life.

After the song became a hit, Seress wanted to reconcile with his girlfriend, he found out that She too had committed suicide.

 

In Hungary alone, at least eighteen suicides have been reported, which had close links with this song.

Several bodies were found in the Danube with their hands clutching the song’s sheet music. Once two people shot themselves It goes without saying that the song was banned in Hungary. Not just in Hungary, people have committed suicide after listening to this song all over the world.

For instance in Vienna, a girl had drowned herself with a sheet where the song was written.

In Budapest too, a person killed himself leaving a note which contained the lyrics of the same song. Then in London, a woman overdosed herself after listening to the song over and again.

 

Some people believe that the socio-political situation was also an important reason why people committed suicides after listening to the song.

The people, in general, were upset after The Great War and The Great Depression and this song somehow just acted as a catalyst to reignited their latent desire to end their own life.

Some people even believe that the song might have some satanic power that corrupts people’s mind and convinces them to commit suicide.

Whatever be the reason, it remains a fact that this song is responsible for the most number of suicides and deaths more than any song in history. Thus making its title as The Hungarian Death Song quite appropriate.

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