Elton John, Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 64^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” by Elton John.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 64^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”, performed by Elton John.

“What have I gotta do to make you love me? / What have I gotta do to make you care?” Elton John inquires in his classic, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”. He continues singing in the first verse, “What do I do when lightning strikes me / And I wake to find that you’re not there?” That’s heavy, Elton. “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” appears as the ninth track (first track of the second disc) on his 1976 album, Blue Moves. The fun thing to remember about John is his songwriting has always been collaborative. John composed the music for “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” while Bernie Taupin penned the lyrics.  Gus Dudgeon produced the record, which features a gorgeous instrumental comprised of piano and strings. Unsurprisingly, this beloved song is one of John’s 29 top-10 hits – let that sink in!  It peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Elton John may not be the lyricist, but he brings Taupin’s top-notch, emotional songwriting to life. His vocal performance is authentic, expressive, and nuanced to the nth degree.  John always excels at balladry.  The melodies are tuneful in the verses, with the second verse matching the excellence of the first. The third, which appears later, is a variation of the second, with John continuing to inquire – “What have I gotta do?” The chorus, of course, is the centerpiece:

“It’s sad (So sad), so sad

It’s a sad, sad situation

And it’s gettin’ more and more absurd

It’s sad (So sad), so sad

Why can’t we talk it over?

Oh, it seems to me

That sorry seems to be the hardest word.”

John’s falsetto is beautiful.  Also, the overlapping vocals are a selling point as well.  There is, notably, a radiant instrument break between the two choruses. Following the second chorus, the third and final verse appears. The best songs don’t require extensive analysis as their genius speaks for itself.  That is the case with  “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” – one of the best of the best in the Elton John catalog.

 Elton John // Blue Moves // Mercury // 1976

Elton John, Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 64 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Mercury; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom via  Pixabay]