ONE HIT WONDERLAND: “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks
Terry Jacks broke our hearts in the worst year for pop ever, 1974, with his gigantic megasmash “Seasons in the Sun.” Nowadays it’s considered one of the worst songs ever, but is it really?
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Additional writing by: Kevin Anderson https://bsky.app/profile/kbandersonyo.bsky.social
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@tonystidham4564
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
1974 was the 1st time I heard an ABBA song on the radio
@RotundRager
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
I can honestly say I had never heard of this song before, and by the end of the video, I hoped to never hear it again. I think it triggered that part of my brain that wants to jump out a window after hearing low effort children's music on loop for an hour. I have nothing against the guy, but man his voice is grating to me.
@xiaoyangliu3232
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
routine for me: hear the song, oh that's this song's name, insta add it to my playlist then came back to hear how todd trash the song
@daniellepellegrino6262
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
Am I alone in loving this song??? Then again I love most 70s songs (I was born in 1971). I also like the Terry Jacks song If You Go Away. There are some lyrics in Seasons In The Sun that really resonate with me…. especially the second verse ( the ' black sheep of the family' one)
@Jared7873
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
What? This is far from the worst. Run Joey Run. D.O.A. by Bloodlust. Havin' My Baby. Let Me Be Your Angel. Compare those lyrics. Oh, and Honey! Catchy tunes but overdramatic lyrics.
@marcinagy6468
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
31:39 – "If you watch me, you're probably also a fan of her…"
No, Todd, just no.
@MaxEverywhereSystem
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
maybe its because im a zoomer whos a music snob so ive heard a lot worse but i cant understand this being actively bad its just kind of nothing. the subject is interesting compared to other sucky songs that imo tend to run generic at least though now that i think about it in that sense its kind of like seasons of love but suckier down to the seasons metaphor which is a little funny to me
@ludwigheimrath4075
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
Homer Simpson would disagree. In a 1996 episode HomerPalooza Homer stated.
"Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact."
@ARhysJensen-tq9cv
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
“Forgotten Villains of the 70s” would be a cool show
@ARhysJensen-tq9cv
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
Suddenly reminded of that brand new pair of roller skates song 😂
@TheatreJG25
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
It's not terrible it's just boring. It's a snooze song.
@VolvagiasBlaze
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
This is surprisingly the only time Todd’s been able to use Nardwuar footage in one of these videos
@kennethmilam2894
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
My 70's hell moment is afternoon delight and undercover angel. Those actually make me physically ill😮😮😮😮😮😂😂😂
@samdragonborn5864
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
This song plays all the time on my grandpa’s favorite pandora station. Deeply dislike it
@JohnWinkelman
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
There was a VERY creepy episode of Millennium, "Goodbye Charlie", which used this song to great effect.
@theman4884
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
The worst song of the 1970 is Imagine. I would rather silence to Seasons in the Sun 100 times than listen to Imagine once.
@chrisforbes
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
God I love this weird song.
@Wellies_Yay
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
Crispin Glover is Terry Jacks in The Pete Ham Story.
@geekystevencomedy
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
I think the reason I'm incline to want to defend the song, even though it really isn't a banger, is just cause it's so sincere and I have a bit of a kneejerk reaction to the Gen X mockery of all things earnest.
@davidwilhelm4091
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
Seriously, why did no one set fire to this man and his guitar?!? His hair is the definition of kindling! This is another sin I'm piling on the tab of boomers. You did this. You let this happen. And you did nothing to stop it! You entitled seniors owe me for having to know this song exists!
@OMGitsaClaire
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
Is it weird that I actually know it better from the Kingston Trio and the Fortunes than this guy? It should be noted however that my mom is a folkie and my dad loves weird 60’s music. The first song I ever learned to sing all the way through was “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Which is a very disconcerting song for a 5 year old to sing.
@lamibonxd
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
22:02 EARTHA KITT MENTIONED!!!!!!!
@ByTheLightOfABurningDonkey
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
I'm 37, I remember hearing this on the radio when I was teeny and it used to make me cry because I would think about dying and stuff. Nowadays things make me cry because of emotional disregulation and stuff, it was a sign.
The guy in the song has IDS (Mr. Show fans?)
@GeoffNoir
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
I'd rather listen to Seasons in the Sun than… Clint Holmes' "Playground of My Mind"
@RollingStone501
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
As a fan of 70s music due to my mom, 1974 had some real bad music.
But lol I love me some Seasons in the Sun cause the Nirvana cover rocks. This is like proto grunge for how the guitar sounds and the song's lyrics are a real bummer. Of course Kurt went "this depressing song about dying young is based." Didn't know the Beach Boys almost covered it, but Brian Wilson at times felt like he was proto grunge. I mean "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" sounds like a Nirvana song just cleaned up for the 60s.
Also hearing Terry Jacks mention the internet and Facebook in a christian song is like a mental flashbang. Dude feels like a relic from the 70s so hearing old Terry be like "the internet isn't as cool as Jesus" is so weird.
@cdplus2339
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
"is it really bad? its uncool certainly" that cracked me up
@Gabagool
May 20, 2026 at 1:17 pm
13:25 why do his pants make him look like an action figure