Who played Gloomy Sunday at Hotel Hitler?

November 7, 2006 10:58 PM

Help me find what version of the song "Gloomy Sunday" this is. But course there's

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII used this hauntingly beautiful, yet melancholy, song in one of the stories. I of course immediately googled it afterwards and easily found it was Billie Holiday's version of the song "Gloomy Sunday". The song is quite lovely, and it even has an interesting history complete with it's very own urban legends.

My question to the filter is about the version of the song that plays after Holiday's version. The show cuts to Marge and Homer dancing to the song playing from the fabulous Hotel Hitler. However, instead of a blues song with plenty of brass and wind, it's ballroom music with lots of strings. Is this still Gloomy Sunday or am I imagining it? If so, what version of Gloomy Sunday is this? Bonus points if you can point me in the direction of obtaining it. My endearing love if it's also free. :)

posted by crypticgeek to media & arts (9 comments total)

Björk's cover has quite a lot of strings, could that be it?
posted by fvw at 11:02 PM on November 7, 2006

And here it is on youtube for free, just because I'm curious about what endearing love entails.
posted by fvw at 11:10 PM on November 7, 2006

You might also want to check out Sarah McLachlan's version. It's on her Rarities, B-Sides album. www.nettwerk.ca
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:14 AM on November 8, 2006

Billie Holliday was not the first person to perform the song and the original version was Hungarian, so you may want to look for earlier rather than later versions.

The song "Gloomy Sunday" is also in Schindler's List.
posted by dagnyscott at 6:29 AM on November 8, 2006

It wasn't Bjork. Her version is still very jazzy/blues like. The version I'm talking about is more like ballroom dancing music.

I'll have to look into Sarah McLachlan's version and the version from Schindler's List.

I suspect it was probably from an older recording in the 30s by "InsertGuyHere and his Orchestra". But stuff like that is so rare to be able to find.
posted by crypticgeek at 1:11 PM on November 8, 2006

It only plays for about 3 seconds, so it's probably going to be hard to name: YouTube (plays within the first 45 seconds of the clip)
posted by bda1972 at 10:55 PM on November 8, 2006

Try this version: link to download
posted by bda1972 at 11:11 PM on November 8, 2006

It's not the Sarah Maclachlan version, that's basically guitar and voice. I'm not entirely sure the radio version playing in the simpsons is actually Gloomy Sunday? It sounds similar to it though.

Look for the version by Artie Shaw, which has strings reminiscent of `Danse Macabre' playing in the background.
posted by tomble at 2:48 AM on November 13, 2006

Thanks bda1972, that's a nice version...but not "the" one. Perhaps it's not gloomy sunday at all, but it sounds so close it just has to be. It's also a much faster tempo. Alas, short of someone from the show writing me back I shall probably never find it.
posted by crypticgeek at 5:36 PM on November 14, 2006