Sam Smith is not letting Adele steal his shine. The British singer has released perhaps the most depressing song you will ever hear in your life.
Sam Smith may be taking a break as Adele breaks records with her smash single, “Hello,” but that hasn’t stopped him from releasing some new music. He released his new song, “Drowning Shadows,” which he calls the “saddest song ever.” Smith made an appearance at Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 Radio show on Monday morning (Nov. 2) where he debuted his depressing new ballad . He revealed that the song was written well before his hit song, “Stay With Me.”
Sam Smith described the track as, “the saddest song I’ve ever written and probably the least radio-friendly song I’ve ever written.”
The track may not be included in the original tracklist for his debut album, In the Lonely Hour, but it will be included on the Nov. 6 deluxe edition. The singer-songwriter explained to Lowe the reason why he wanted to re-release his debut and include additional tracks.
“I wanted to remind everyone where I come from as a songwriter and what my intent was when I was writing this album. I always loved it, but something didn’t happen right with the production when we were going through different versions of it. Something didn’t work. I thought of it recently when we were thinking about the repackage, and we went in and just did it with piano.”
Sam said that the song was inspired by the long taxi drives home from his recording studio. Sometimes he would go straight to a gay nightclub after work, while another night he would go home instead. Sam says he was in a “lonely, sad place” while writing the songs on this album. The lyric asks, “Do I go home for nothing or stay out for more?”
Sam Smith’s debut album was not just about his lonely nights; it was also about his unrequited love for a heterosexual man. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton revealed that Smith has never had a proper boyfriend in the 23 years of his life. In a recent interview, Smith was pondering out loud about his life and about the dating scene.
“Is anyone ready for a relationship? Who knows. I’ve been single for 23 years so I don’t know. It’s going to take something.”
Sam admitted that since he never had any preconceived notions of what dates were like before he became famous, so the transition into single life has been easier for him. He says that he’s still learning when it comes to what to do and not do while during dates. Sam added that being famous has not helped him land a boyfriend, and that he still has trust issues that he needs to work out.
It was rumored over the summer that Sam Smith was dating model Jonathan Zeizel . The two didn’t last for long. During Smith’s concert in Toronto, he hinted to his fans that his song, “Like I Can,” was exactly how he was feeling at that very moment. After his show, Smith took to Instagram to share a photo of himself with a glass of red wine. In the caption, he wrote that it was a red wine and Joni Mitchell kind of night.
Ironically enough, Sam met Jonathan on the set of his black-and-white music video for “Like I Can.” He then coyly told The Sunthat their relationship was in the early stages, and that the handsome man had a kind spirit. After the two dated for two weeks, Jonathan shared a video of Sam singing Beyoncé’s “Drunk In Love” in the shower.
The two were even seen on a trip to Sydney, where they were seen diving off rocks and recreating Jack and Rose’s classic Titanic pose.
Sam Smith has reportedly not been feeling inspired to write songs on unrequited love and short-lived relationships, like his pop peers. Instead, Smith’s taking a break after his Lonely Hour follow-up to live a life outside of the spotlight and to make himself relatable to his fans.
[Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images]
