The Story Behind Terry Jacks’ “Seasons in the Sun,” Which Topped the Charts 50 Years Ago

Fifty years ago this week, in March 1974, Terry Jacks’ emotional rendition of the pop ballad “Seasons in the Sun” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which spent three weeks on the top of the chart, would be Jacks only hit in the U.S.

“Seasons in the Sun” had an interesting journey in becoming a chart-topping smash for Jacks. The song is an English-language adaptation of “Le Moribond (The Dying Man),” a 1961 tune by lauded Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel. American singer-poet Rod McKuen translated the song into English during the early 1960s, and that version, titled “Seasons in the Sun,” was first recorded by folk group The Kingston Trio in 1964.

Jacks’ Career Before “Seasons in the Sun”

Now, let’s look at Jacks’ career leading up to him recording his own rendition of “Season in the Sun.” Before becoming a solo artist, Jacks was a member of the Vancouver-based psychedelic-pop group The Poppy Family, which also featured his then-wife, Susan. The band scored a run of major hits in Canada in the late 1960s and early ’70s, including the chart-topping 1969 song “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?,” which also reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.

Collaborating with The Beach Boys

Somewhere along the way, Jacks had befriended The Beach Boys, who asked him to produce a session for them while they were recording their 1971 album, Surf’s Up. Jacks liked “Season in the Sun” and thought the song could be a hit for them, so he brought it to them. The band did record it; however, the sessions didn’t go well, and The Beach Boys decided not to release their version.

Jacks’ Version of “Seasons in the Sun”

Jacks eventually decided to record his own solo version of “Seasons in the Sun” in 1973, but he had some issues with the song. The original tune, which Brel reportedly had written in a brothel, was about a dying man who is bidding farewell to his loved ones, including his best friend, his father, and his wife. During the song, we learn that his wife had cheated on the man many times, including with his friend, but he forgives her in the end.

Jacks wasn’t comfortable with that part of the song, so he wound up rewriting some of the lyrics, and also added a new verse that appears at the end of the tune. Jacks had a close friend who had died of leukemia, and he used him as the inspiration for the reworked version of “Seasons in the Sun.”

In Jacks’ version, the main character says goodbye to his friend, his father, and the woman he loves, but there is no mention of extramarital affairs.

Despite Jacks’ new contributions to “Seasons in the Sun,” he didn’t attempt to take any songwriting credit for the tune, which remained credited to Brel and McKuen.

The Success of “Seasons in the Sun”

In addition to topping the Hot 100, “Seasons in the Sun” reached No. 1 in several other countries, including Jacks’ native Canada. It was the second-best-selling single of 1974 in the U.S., and went on to sell more than 3 million copies in the States.

Thanks to “Seasons in the Sun,” Jacks won 1974 Juno Awards—Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys—for Best Male Vocalist, Best Single (Pop), and Best Single (Contemporary). He also won the Best Selling Single prize for the song at the 1975 Junos.

Jacks’ Post-“Seasons in the Sun” Life

Jacks scored some other solo hits in Canada before and after “Seasons in the Sun,” but by the mid-1970s, he decided to withdraw from the music business. He embraced Christianity and became an environmental activist, fighting against Canadian paper mills over water pollution and deforestation.

Covers of “Seasons in the Sun”

A number of other artists have covered “Seasons in the Sun” over the years. In 1969, U.K. beat group The Fortunes released a version as a single. In 1999, Irish pop group Westlife released a cover of the song as a double-A-side single with a rendition of ABBA’s “I Have a Dream” that reached No. 1 in the U.K. and Ireland.

Nirvana recorded a tongue-in-cheek cover of the song in 1993, and the grunge band’s version appeared on the 2004 box set With the Lights Out.

The Beach Boys’ 1971 version of “Seasons in the Sun” finally was released as part of the 2021 Feel Flows box set.