B-side "A Simple Man" Recorded December 1983 Length 4:07 (7")4:47 (12") | Released May 1984 | |
Format Vinyl record (7" and 12") | ||
"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is a song by Elton John and is the closing track on the 1984 album Breaking Hearts. It reached the No 5 on the U.S. chart. The lyrics describe how it sometimes helps for someone who is feeling sad, or who has lost a partner, to listen to old radio blues classics. In the years since its issue, radio airplay has been modest compared with some of John's other 80s singles.
The music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy and shot on a street in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, featured John without his familiar trademark glasses in some scenes. The single sleeve likewise featured John with no glasses.
John performed the song on One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden with Canadian rock star Bryan Adams. In 2013, John was joined by Rod Stewart in a special performance of the song at the London Palladium after being presented with first Brits Icon award in recognition of his "lasting impact" on UK culture.
The song and the music video were both utilized in an early 1980s TV advertisement for Sasson Designer Jeans, altering the lyrics of the song to "Sasson says so much."