Released 1961 Label RCA Victor | Genre Country | |
Writer(s) Paul Hampton, Hal David "What About Me"
(1961) "Sea of Heartbreak"
(1961) "Sea of Heartbreak"
(1961) "Lonesome Number One"
(1961) | ||
"Sea of Heartbreak" is a song written by Paul Hampton and Hal David and recorded by Don Gibson in 1961. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Contents
- Lyrics
- Kenny Price version
- Ronnie McDowell version
- Jimmy BuffettGeorge Strait version
- Song in popular culture
- References
The song has been covered by a number of artists, perhaps most famously by Johnny Cash. Cash's daughter, Rosanne Cash, covered the song in 2009 as a duet with Bruce Springsteen on her album, The List. British pop group The Searchers recorded a version in 1964 for their album It's The Searchers. The Everly Brothers covered the song on their 1967 album, The Hit Sound of the Everly Brothers. In 1982, Poco went to #35 in the USA on the Adult Contemporary chart with their version.
Lyrics
The song describes the feelings of lost love, and compares them to being lost in a metaphorical sea of intensely sad emotion (to an, at least in the chorus and in the overall impression, surprisingly cheery tune). It contains three verses with a chorus at the beginning and ending, and in between verses. The chorus lines are:-
Sea of heartbreak, lost love an' loneliness; Memories of your caress, so divine I wish you were mine again, my dear. I am on this sea of tears: Sea of heartbreak.Kenny Price version
Kenny Price recorded the song in 1972, and peaked at number 24 on the country charts in the USA. It was included on his album of the same name.
Ronnie McDowell version
"Sea of Heartbreak" was also a single by the American country music artist Ronnie McDowell. Released in 1989, it was the first single from the album American Music. The song reached #39 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Jimmy Buffett/George Strait version
In 2004, Jimmy Buffett recorded a version for his License to Chill album. George Strait was featured on this rendition.
Song in popular culture
The song has been used in several movies, among them Heartbreak Ridge starring Clint Eastwood.
The song is reminiscent of Bob Dylan's 1962 song "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", although the only real similarity is in lines 2 and 4 of the verse.