Galás is known for being a fiercely confrontational avant-garde performer and is noted for her wailing, four-octave vocal range. Galás was the daughter of Greek Orthodox parents and her singing was roundly discouraged, although her prowess as a classical pianist was nurtured; ultimately, her strict upbringing resulted in a reckless, drug-fueled youth prior to her entrance into the University of California's music and visual arts program. Galás made her performing debut in 1979 at France's Festival d'Avignon, which led to an invitation to assume the lead role in composer Vinko Globokar's politically charged opera Un Jour Comme un Autre. In subsequent solo performance art pieces like Wild Women with Steak Knives and Tragouthia Apo to Aima Exon Fonos, Galás further honed her unique, shattering vocal style, inspired by the Schrei ("shriek") opera of German expressionism (a form employing a system of four microphones and a series of echoes and delays).
She worked with many avant-garde composers including Phillip Glass, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Iannis Xenakis and Vinko Globokar. She made her performance debut at the Festival d'Avignon in France as the lead in Globokar's opera, Un Jour Comme Une Autre which deals with the death by torture of a Turkish woman. The work was sponsored by Amnesty International. She also contributed her voice to Francis Ford Coppola's film Dracula (1992) and appeared on the film's soundtrack.
Her work first garnered widespread attention with the controversial 1991 live recording of the album "Plague Mass" in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. With it, Galás attacked the Catholic Church for its indifference to AIDS using biblical texts. In the words of Terrorizor Magazine, "The church was made to burn with sound, not fire." Plague Mass was a live rendition of excerpts from her same-titled trilogy which began as a response/homage/indictment to the multitudinous effects of AIDS upon the silent class - of which her brother was a member. During the period of these recordings, Galás had "We are all HIV+" tattooed upon her knuckles; an artistic expression of disillusionment and disgust with the ignorance and apathy surrounding the AIDS epidemic. Her brother, who died during the trilogy's final production, reportedly appreciated her efforts.
Susan McClary (1991) writes that Galás, "heralds a new moment in the history of musical representation," after describing her thus: "Galás emerged within the post-modern performance art scene in the seventies...protesting...the treatment of victims of the junta, attitudes towards victims of AIDS...Her pieces are constructed from the ululation of traditional Mediterranean keening...whispers, shrieks, and moans."
In 1994, Galás collaborated with Led Zeppelin bass guitarist John Paul Jones. The resultant record, "The Sporting Life", while containing much of Galás's trademark vocal gymnastics, is probably the closest she has ever come to rock music.
Galás also performs as a blues artist interpreting a wide range of songs into her unique piano and vocal styles. This aspect of her work is perhaps best represented by her 1992 album, "The Singer" where she covered the likes of Willie Dixon, Roy Acuff, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins while accompaning herself on piano. For that album, she also recorded several traditional songs as well as the rarely heard Desmond Carter-penned version of Gloomy Sunday. Many of her selections both within and outside of blues repertoire have sometimes been categorized as 'homicidal love songs'. She also focuses on the death penalty. One program of songs, "Frenzy", has been dedicated to Aileen Wuornos and features the work of Phil Ochs and Hank Williams Sr.
Her latest song cycle is an interpretation of songs by Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich.
Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/songsofexile
Gloomy Sunday
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I waited and waited
With flowers in my arms
All the dream has created
I waited 'til dreams,
Like my heart, were all broken
The flowers were all dead
And the words were unspoken
Was beyond all consoling
The beat of my heart
Was a bell that was tolling
Saddest of Sundays
Then came a Sunday
When you came to find me
They bore me to church
And I left you behind me
My eyes could not see
What I wanted to love me
The earth and the flowers
Are forever above me
The bell tolled for me
And the wind whispered, "Never!"
But you I have loved
And I'll bless you forever
Last of all Sundays
The song "Gloomy Sunday" by Diamanda Galás is a somber tune that tells the story of a person waiting for their love on a Sunday. They hold flowers in their arms, a symbol of their devotion, and they wait and wait, but their love never comes. The grief that the person feels is beyond consoling, and they liken the beat of their heart to a bell tolling. The mood of the song is incredibly melancholic and solemn. After a while, the person ends up dying, and the song shifts to their funeral. Their love came to find them, but it was too late. They were already gone. The bell tolled for the person, and their body returned to the earth. Despite their death, they will bless their love forever.
The song has a hauntingly beautiful quality that draws in the listener, fitting for the tragic story it tells. What's interesting about the song is that it was actually based on a real-life event. The original song, also called "Gloomy Sunday," was written by Hungarian composer Rezső Seress in 1933. The song became known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song" because it was rumored that people who heard it committed suicide. The song was eventually banned from the radio in Hungary and other countries due to its alleged suicidal influence. Interestingly, the original lyrics did not contain the lines about waiting for a love on a Sunday or going to a funeral. Diamanda Galás added those lyrics when she covered the song in 1992.
Line by Line Meaning
Sadly one Sunday
Unfortunately, on a certain Sunday
I waited and waited
I patiently waited for something to happen
With flowers in my arms
Holding flowers close to me
All the dream has created
Everything that I had ever hoped to achieve
I waited 'til dreams,
I waited until my deepest desires
Like my heart, were all broken
Were all shattered and unattainable
The flowers were all dead
The flowers I held withered away
And the words were unspoken
I never spoke the words that were in my heart
The grief that I know
The sadness that I feel
Was beyond all consoling
No amount of comfort could alleviate my pain
The beat of my heart
The rhythm of my life
Was a bell that was tolling
Echoed the sound of a funeral bell
Then came a Sunday
On a later Sunday
When you came to find me
When you came looking for me
They bore me to church
I was taken to a church
And I left you behind me
I left you alone, not knowing if you loved me
My eyes could not see
I couldn't see what I truly desired
What I wanted to love me
What I wanted to be loved by
The earth and the flowers
The ground and the flowers that grew from it
Are forever above me
Are now permanently out of my reach
The bell tolled for me
The funeral bell rang for me
And the wind whispered, 'Never!'
The wind whispered that my wishes would never come true
But you I have loved
But I have always loved you
And I'll bless you forever
And I will always cherish you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Laszlo Javor, Rezso Seress, Sam M. Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Elethutmo
Sadly one Sunday
I waited and waited
With flowers in my arms
All the dream has created
I waited 'til dreams,
Like my heart, were all broken
The flowers were all dead
And the words were unspoken
The grief that I know
Was beyond all consoling
The beat of my heart
Was a bell that was tolling
Saddest of Sundays
Then came a Sunday
When you came to find me
They bore me to church
And I left you behind me
My eyes could not see
What I wanted to love me
The earth and the flowers
Are forever above me
The bell tolled for me
And the wind whispered, "Never!"
But you I have loved
And I'll bless you forever
Last of all Sundays
@GoldenGateNum9
Lullaby and goodnight,
With roses bedight,
With lilies o'er spread
Is baby's wee bed.
Lay thee down now and rest,
May thy slumber be blessed.
Lullaby and goodnight,
Thy mother's delight,
Bright angels beside
My darling abide.
They will guard thee at rest,
Thou shalt wake on my breast.
@ghaithsalloum8016
Lyrics:
Sadly one Sunday, I waited and waited
With flowers in my arms, for the grief I'd created
I waited 'til dreams like my heart were all broken
The flowers were all dead and the words were unspoken
The grief that I knew was beyond all consoling
The beat of my heart was a bell that was tolling
Saddest of Sundays
Then came the Sunday when you came to find me
They brought me to church and I left you behind me
My eyes would not see what I wanted to love me
The earth and the flowers of the lover above me*
The bell tolled for me and the wind whispered 'never'
But you I have loved and I love you forever
@alexanderbrettdoane1537
I don’t know how many years I’ve come back to watch this performance, sometimes multiple times a year. Just…striking. So dark, voluminous…enthralling. But with the bittersweet delight of a poisoned apple. The vocals and piano on this are something of legendary status if you ask me. Thank you Diamanda for this version. 🖤
@Al-cynic
yeah me to, but i'm waiting on a possibly nasty diagnosis, and I think her power makes a lie of the defeat and grief in the song! and no don't pity me with your comments, I'll deal with it, it happens to all of us. maybe even thomas of the yorks would give it greater gravitas because of his whiny tone.
@Elethutmo
Sadly one Sunday
I waited and waited
With flowers in my arms
All the dream has created
I waited 'til dreams,
Like my heart, were all broken
The flowers were all dead
And the words were unspoken
The grief that I know
Was beyond all consoling
The beat of my heart
Was a bell that was tolling
Saddest of Sundays
Then came a Sunday
When you came to find me
They bore me to church
And I left you behind me
My eyes could not see
What I wanted to love me
The earth and the flowers
Are forever above me
The bell tolled for me
And the wind whispered, "Never!"
But you I have loved
And I'll bless you forever
Last of all Sundays
@monimoni-ks5so
Thank you for the lyrics I could understand better
@ok9908
if anyone hasn't heard the original hungarian version, i recommend it. Seress Rezső - Szomorú vasárnap (Rezső Seress - Gloomy Sunday)
@littleghostfilms3012
I was lucky enough to see her perform twice in 90-91. She is a terrifying and beautiful force who grabs you and wrenches you into the void with her as she lets forth a voice that shakes the walls. Any more attempt to describe her would be just pitiful on my part.
@maskedmarvyl4774
This is the best version I've ever heard of this song, and I think it captures the spirit of the original the best.
@terryfinchguitarist
Just discovered Diamanda Galas, she is fantastic
@dkalbryte6774
You've got alot of catching up to do!! Someone on YouTube I have watched a Q&A in Boston (maybe) where she talks about her music. Then the audience gets to ask her questions. She is incredibly intelligent ....and witty.
@Yuektawekai
She is absolutely amazing, her voice really makes one tremble and shudder. Diamanda is an experience out of this world. So bad that she has never come to Mexico