In concert
‘Sorrow’ was one of the songs included in The 1980 Floor Show, filmed at London’s Marquee Club on 18-20 October 1973. David Bowie sang a new vocal over the Pin Ups backing track.
The 1980 Floor Show was a rock variety show, similar in scope and scale to the Rolling Stones’ Rock And Roll Circus. It was Bowie’s final outing as Ziggy Stardust, and included a songs from Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups, as well as a medley of new songs ‘1984’ and ‘Dodo’.
The show was first broadcast in the United States by NBC on November 16, 1973, as part of the television series The Midnight Special.
Two hundred members of Bowie’s fan club were in the audience at the Marquee. Also on the bill were Marianne Faithfull, The Astronettes, the Troggs, and Carmen.
I first met him in a very sort of non-weird place in the studio when he was making Pin Ups. He was just very good, very professional, beautiful, very good voice I thought. He actually had lots of different voices. I liked the voice he used on ‘Sorrow’ – which was just gorgeous – not the Anthony Newley voice.
David Bowie: A Life, Dylan Jones
A year after the 1980 Floor Show, Bowie performed ‘Sorrow’ throughout the Soul Tour in North America from October to December 1974.
The song was then absent from Bowie’s sets for almost a decade, but was revived during the Serious Moonlight Tour in 1983. His final performance of ‘Sorrow’ came on 8 December at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Lyrics
With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue
The only thing I ever got from you was sorrow
Sorrow
You acted funny trying to spend my money
You’re out there playing your high class games of sorrow
Sorrow
You never do what you know you oughta
Something tells me you’re a devil’s daughter
Sorrow, sorrow
Ahh, ooh, ooh
I tried to find her
’Cause I can’t resist her (I tried to find her)
I never knew just how much I missed her
Sorrow
Sorrow
With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue
The only thing I ever got from you was sorrow
Sorrow
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh ooh
With your long blonde hair
I couldn’t sleep last night
With your long blonde hair…