Let's start with those depressing chords at the beginning. And the strained vocal. Then there are lines like "Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die/When all the birds are singing in the sky."
The song is about a guy saying goodbye to his friends, girlfriend, and family because he's dying! How much sappier do you want it? And then there's that frigging chorus that gets stuck in your head. All together now: "We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun ..."
If it were up to me, this stinker would be number one on the Sap list.
-- SAPster Randi
It's hard to do this classic justice; Jim Shur's brilliant analysis (see below) is
definitive. Let's just note the sap elements: the impending death of the
singer; his walk down memory lane; the "prodigal son" reconciliation with
his father; good-byes to his childhood friend, "papa," lover, etc.; request
for prayer; the contrast between his death and the return of spring -- all
set to an upbeat arrangement! It increases one's resolve to die silently,
refusing to descend into bathos.
The Kingston Trio recorded this as well.
-- SAPster Half
Many sap bonus points are awarded for the rare first person I'm-going-to-die perspective. Of course, sap points are always given for any "final goodbye." Usually these are simply relationship-oriented ("Last time I saw him he was Greyhound bound, and as he said 'goodbye'..." "This is the last time, I'll ever sing for you") but the last-goodbye-due-to-death scenario is worth even more points.
Now here's where the multiplier comes in! In "Seasons in the Sun" the guy says goodbye to his wife (or it could be his child?), he says goodby to his papa and a "trusted friend" as well for TRIPLE VALUE. Each one gets its own verse, racking up sap points like Mrs. Butterworth bottle caps at an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for 12,000 Marines after Boot Camp.
"Seasons in the Sun" gets standard sap points for requesting prayer from father, climbing hills and trees, birds singing in sky, spring in air, repentance ("I was the black sheep of the family"), and little children everywhere. Special points are given for the fact that it is a translation from some French song which I believe was called something like "Le Moribund" which sounds like it would translate into "The dying guy" but I don't really know (Randi's note: yep, that's what it means) . Finally, the music and arrangement of "Seasons in the Sun" is so sappy my fingers stick to the radio when I try to change the station.
-- SAPster Jim