You’re out there playing your high class games of sorrow…
The folks at
In the first instalment they have listed ten covers
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46. ?Sorrow,? David Bowie (The McCoys, The Merseys)
This track from Bowie?s 1973 Pinups covers album foreshadowed the crooner style Bowie would often adopt on the albums that followed. Sporting a less sprite arrangement than The Merseys? 1966 hit upon which it was based (The McCoys, of ?Hang on Sloopy? fame, had actually first recorded the song), Bowie?s version was power by watery keyboards and a sax-fueled bridge. His performance of ?Sorrow? on the legendary 1980 Floor Show was a highlight of that TV spectacle. ? Russell Hall
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The Merseys‘ 1966 single reached #4 in the UK chart, while Bowie’s version released seven years later managed to scrape in one place higher at #3 on the same chart.
Though the UK chart position was more than respectable, the Bowie cover made it to #2 in Ireland and it reached the top spot in both New Zealand and Australia.
This success Down Under was reflected in the issuing of sheet music (bottom left in above montage) which wasn’t common for that territory.
The blue sheet music next to it above, was one of three versions released in the UK..the other colours being red and green.
Finally, the big bonus for fans was the appearance on the B-side of a non-album cover version, the Mort Shuman adaptation of Jacques Brel‘s Amsterdam, aka, Port Of Amstrerdam.
At the time, I reckon I played this as frequently as the A-side, such was the strength of Bowie’s emotional and slowly-building, brilliant and breathless performance.
In fact, the French picture cover made it look as though the A and B sides had indeed been flipped, see top left in above montage, but this wasn’t the case.