Originally entitled
Szomorú vasárnap. Written in 1935 by
Rezsô Seress, the pianist who never learned to the play the piano (also referred to as "
The Whistling Musician"). Since he wrote it,
Gloomy Sunday has been nicknamed "The Suicide Song", because of the many
suicides that have been accredited to it. The composer himself leapt from the window of his apartment in
Budapest, in 1968.
Originally it was written as a duet, Many artists have performed this song, Billie Holliday's performance being one of the most remembered. Other artists include Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Elvis Costello, just to name a few.