Goodbye Cruel World (James Darren song)
| "Goodbye Cruel World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by James Darren | ||||
| from the album Sings for All Sizes | ||||
| B-side | "Valerie" | |||
| Released | October 1961 | |||
| Length | 2:27 | |||
| Label | Colpix | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gloria Shayne | |||
| James Darren singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Goodbye Cruel World" is a song written by Gloria Shayne Baker and recorded by James Darren in 1961.[1][2]
Background
[edit]The song is about a man whose heart was broken by a "mean fickle woman", and his plan to join the circus as a brokenhearted clown. He does not mind being shot out of a cannon, and plans to tell the world that she "made a crying clown" out of him. According to disc jockeys at the time the song was released, the calliope-like riff used in the song based on the "Entrance of the Gladiators" theme, was a synthesized recording of a woman's voice rather than a musical instrument.[citation needed]
Chart history
[edit]Darren scored his first top ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, at number three. On the Cash Box Top 100, it spent two weeks at number two.[3] It would prove the biggest hit of his career on this chart, as well as on the UK Singles Chart (no. 28).
| Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (CHUM)[4] | 1 |
| New Zealand (Lever)[5] | 3 |
| UK (OCC) [6] | 28 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 3 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[3] | 2 |
References
[edit]- ^ Noland, Claire (2008-03-15). "Gloria Shayne Baker, 84; helped write 'Do You Hear What I Hear?'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ Fox, Margalit (2008-03-11). "Gloria Shayne Baker, Composer and Lyricist, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ a b "Cash Box Top 100 12/16/61". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "CHUM charts, December 4, 1961" (JPG). Chumtribute.com.
- ^ "Lever hit parades". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved Sep 3, 2024.
- ^ "Goodbye Cruel World : James Darren". Official Charts. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
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