Sea of Heartbreak

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Single by Don Gibson
Released	1961
Genre	Country
Label	RCA Victor
Writer(s)	Paul Hampton, Hal David
Don Gibson singles chronology
"What About Me" (1961) "Sea of Heartbreak" (1961) "Lonesome Number One" (1961)

"Sea of Heartbreak" is a song written by Paul Hampton and Hal David and recorded by Don Gibson in 1961. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

The song has been covered by a number of artists, perhaps most famously by Johnny Cash. Cash's daughter, Rosanne Cash, covered the song in 2009 as a duet with Bruce Springsteen on her album, The List. British pop group The Searchers recorded a version in 1964 for their album It's The Searchers. The Everly Brothers covered the song on their 1967 album, The Hit Sound of the Everly Brothers. In 1982, Poco went to #35 in the USA on the Adult Contemporary chart with their version.

Lyrics

The song describes the feelings of lost love, and compares them to being lost in a metaphorical sea of intensely sad emotion (to an, at least in the chorus and in the overall impression, surprisingly cheery tune). It contains three verses with a chorus at the beginning and ending, and in between verses. The chorus lines are:-

Sea of heartbreak, lost love an' loneliness;

Memories of your caress, so divine

I wish you were mine again, my dear.

I am on this sea of tears:

Sea of heartbreak.

Chart performance

Chart (1961)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	21
U.K. Singles Chart	14
Norwegian Singles Chart	10

Kenny Price version

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Single by Kenny Price
from the album Sea of Heartbreak
Released	1972
Genre	Country
Label	RCA Victor
Writer(s)	Paul Hampton Hal David
Kenny Price singles chronology
"You Almost Slipped My Mind" (1972) "Sea of Heartbreak" (1972) "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" (1973)

Kenny Price recorded the song in 1972, and peaked at number 24 on the country charts in the USA. It was included on his album of the same name.

Chart performance

Chart (1972)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	24
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	13

Ronnie McDowell version

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Single by Ronnie McDowell
from the album American Music
Released	1989
Genre	Country
Label	Curb
Writer(s)	Paul Hampton Hal David
Ronnie McDowell singles chronology
"Never Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll" (1988) "Sea of Heartbreak" (1989) "Who'll Turn Out the Lights" (1989)

"Sea of Heartbreak" was also a single by the American country music artist Ronnie McDowell. Released in 1989, it was the first single from the album American Music. The song reached #39 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Chart performance

Chart (1989)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	39

Jimmy Buffett/George Strait version

"Sea of Heartbreak"
Song

In 2004, Jimmy Buffett recorded a version for his License to Chill album. George Strait was featured on this rendition.

Song in popular culture

The song has been used in several movies, among them Heartbreak Ridge starring Clint Eastwood.

Bob Dylan's 1962 song "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" bears a striking resemblance.