James Darren: "Goodbye Cruel World"

December 4, 1961 (1 week)

This blog began on July 1. (That's Canada Day, you know) At that time James Darren was still alive though he wasn't exactly well. It was during that summer that he would begin having heart problems. He passed away on September 2, 2024. He was eighty-eight.

Darren's death is a useful reminder that this project takes us back more than sixty years ago so it's inevitable that many of the subjects of these reviews are no longer with us. (I was going to count how many have expired until I realized that it was less work for me to keep tally of those who still among the living; in the end, I gave up trying to keep track) And, to be sure, there will be many more who have yet to come up who have since passed on — there may even be the odd one who expires before I get to him or her, not unlike James Darren.

In that spirit it's only right that Darren's number one song would have the title "Goodbye Cruel World". But while songs of the same name by Pink Floyd and Shakespears Sister respectively could at least allude to someone contemplating suicide, this one, composed by Gloria Shayne Baker — who would go on to co-write Christmastime favourite "Do You Hear What I Hear?" in 1962 — is about a foolish lad who has had his heartbroken and has decided to "go off and join the circus". As you do apparently. No, it sort of makes sense. Darren's character has been belittled and made a fool of and so the only place left for him is as a "brokenhearted clown". I get it.

Whatsmore, I kind of dig it. I was initially unimpressed, thinking that it was yet another lame novelty song but it proved to be something of a grower. Darren has an appropriately expressive voice for what is at its core a pretty silly song but he wisely chose not to ham it up. Honestly, between the calliope-like bit that repeats throughout, the sassy backing vocalists and a shit eating grin rhythm, there are more than enough light elements already without Darren getting in the way. While he sounds like he's having as much fun as anyone on this recording, playing it straight provides a much-needed anchor.

So, "Goodbye Cruel World" isn't actually about death. It wouldn't be until The Shangri-La's and their brilliant hit single "Leader of the Pack" that the concept of dying would be dealt with in a mainstream pop hit. Until then, jokey singles such as this one had to settle for escaping the clutches of a nasty woman and having to get picked up by P.T. Barnum. But Darren ought to know that it's not all smiles and sunshine in the circus. (In XTC's "Dear Madum Barnum", Andy Partridge "resigns as clown") Hell, it might even have made him want to take back that Jezebel of his.

Score: 7