Sea of Heartbreak

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Single by Don Gibson
Released 1961
Genre Country
Label RCA Victor
Writer(s) Paul Hampton, Hal David
Don Gibson singles chronology
"What About Me"
(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.[1]

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.[2]

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.

Chart performance

Chart (1961) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 21
U.K. Singles Chart 14
Norwegian Singles Chart 10

Kenny Price version

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Single by Kenny Price
from the album Sea of Heartbreak
Released 1972
Genre Country
Label RCA Victor
Writer(s) Paul Hampton
Hal David
Kenny Price singles chronology
"You Almost Slipped My Mind"
(1972)
"Sea of Heartbreak"
(1972)
"Don't Tell Me Your Troubles"
(1973)

Kenny Price recorded the song in 1972, and peaked at number 24 on the country charts in the USA.[4] It was included on his album of the same name.

Chart performance

Chart (1972) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 24
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 13

Ronnie McDowell version

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Single by Ronnie McDowell
from the album American Music
Released 1989
Genre Country
Label Curb
Writer(s) Paul Hampton
Hal David
Ronnie McDowell singles chronology
"Never Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll"
(1988)
"Sea of Heartbreak"
(1989)
"Who'll Turn Out the Lights"
(1989)

"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.[5]

Chart performance

Chart (1989) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 39

Jimmy Buffett/George Strait version

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Song by Jimmy Buffett with George Strait from the album License to Chill
Released July 13, 2004
Genre Country
Length 4:01
Label Mailboat/RCA
Writer Paul Hampton
Hal David
Producer Mac McAnally
Michael Utley
License to Chill track listing

"Coastal Confessions"
(9)
"Sea of Heartbreak"
(10)
"Conky Tonkin'"
(11)

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.

Bob Dylan's 1962 song "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" bears a striking resemblance.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 133.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 194.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 255.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 274.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 225.
  6. "Ronnie McDowell – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Ronnie McDowell.

External links

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