Elton John: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word Single (1976)

Elton John
Oct 29, 1976
4 min read

Elton's Soulful Apology Anthem

Elton John’s “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” 7-inch vinyl single, was released in the UK on October 29, 1976, on The Rocket Record Company (catalogue: ROKN 517). Backed with “Shoulder Holster,” this poignant ballad, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, was the lead single from the double album Blue Moves. Produced by Gus Dudgeon, the song’s delicate piano and mournful vocals captured themes of regret, peaking at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart for 10 weeks. Issued in a Rocket company sleeve, it’s a defining moment of Elton’s introspective mid-’70s era.

It was John's second single released by The Rocket Record Company. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart.

The song also appeared the following year on Greatest Hits Volume II, though for copyright reasons it no longer appears on the current version of that album. It now appears on Greatest Hits 1976–1986, The Very Best of Elton John, Greatest Hits 1970–2002 and Diamonds as well as a number of other compilations.

In 2004, John and Ray Charles performed the song on Charles' duet album, Genius Loves Company.

It would turn out to be the last recording Charles made before his death that June. The duet was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Background and composition

"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship that is falling apart. Bernie Taupin said: "It's a pretty simple idea, but one that I think everyone can relate to at one point or another in their life. That whole idealistic feeling people get when they want to save something from dying when they basically know deep down inside that it's already dead. It's that heartbreaking, sickening part of love that you wouldn't wish on anyone if you didn't know that it's inevitable that they're going to experience it one day."

Elton John began writing the song in 1975 in Los Angeles. Whilst many of his songs involved Taupin writing lyrics first, then John writing the music later, John wrote the melody and most of the lyrics for "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", and Taupin completed it afterwards. John explained: "I was sitting there and out it came, 'What have I got to do to make you love me.'"

Taupin later said: "I don't think he was intending on writing a song, but we were sitting around an apartment in Los Angeles, and he was playing around on the piano and he came up with this melody line, and I said, 'Hey, that's really nice.' For some reason this lyrical line, 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word' ran through my head, and it fit perfectly with what he was playing. So I said, 'Don't do anything more to that, let me go write something,' so I wrote it out in a few minutes and we had the song." Taupin added: "[The i]nteresting thing about 'Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word' is that it's one of the rare occasions when Elton played me a melody line that inspired a lyric, as opposed to our routine of the lyrics always coming first. He was messing around on the piano one day and was playing something and asked me what did I think. It was actually pretty immediate, the title and the first couple of lines came into my head in a way that I guess I felt they were already there and just needed a little prompting."

Reception

Billboard praised John's vocal performance, calling it "almost painfully sincere and believable" and also commented on the complexity of the backing vocals.

Cash Box called it "a tender love song about breaking up." Record World called it "Elton's most emotional and moving ballad performance since 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight.'

Commercial performance

The song was a Top 20 hit, reaching No. 11 in the United Kingdom, No. 6 in the United States, and No. 3 in Canada. In addition, the song went to No. 1 on the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. In the US, it was certified gold on 25 January 1977 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Chart (1976–1977) Peak

position

Australia (Kent Music Report)11

Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 25

Canada Top Singles (RPM) 3

Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) 1

Ireland (IRMA) 3

Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)14

Netherlands (Single Top 100) 14

New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)] 7

UK Singles (OCC) 11

US Billboard Hot 100 6

US Easy Listening (Billboard)1

US Cash Box Top 100 7

Personnel

Elton John – piano, vocals

Ray Cooper – vibraphone

Carl Fortina – accordion[3]

James Newton Howard – electric piano, strings arrangement

Kenny Passarelli – bass

Legacy and Collectibility

“Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is a timeless Elton John ballad, covered by artists like Joe Cocker, while “Shoulder Holster” remains a quirky gem. Original UK 7-inch vinyls fetch £3–£10 on eBay/Discogs, with Japanese pressings (£8–£20) prized for obi strips. Verify catalogue ROKN 517.

Streams on Spotify via Blue Moves deluxe editions preserve the analog warmth. This single is a must-have for Elton fans and ‘70s pop collectors.

Have you snagged this Elton classic in your vinyl collection? Does “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” tug at your heartstrings? Share in the comments!