Music often reflects emotions—joy love heartbreak—but in 1933 Hungarian composer Rezso Seress wrote a song so sorrowful it was said to drive listeners to their deaths. The piece titled Gloomy Sunday was born from Seress’s own heartbreak after his girlfriend left him. The lyrics were drenched in despair painting life as unbearable and death as the only comfort. The song’s grief-stricken tone and crushing sadness soon gave it a chilling reputation. Stories began circulating that those who listened to it felt an overwhelming urge to end their lives. How many lives did this song allegedly claim? Initially record companies refused to release it. But in 1935 Gloomy Sunday finally reached the public. Almost immediately Hungary saw a disturbing rise in suicides. Reports told of the song being found on repeat near victims or mentioned in their farewell letters. First around 17 deaths were linked to it. Soon the figure climbed close to 100. By 1941 the government decided the song was too dangerous and banned it outright. Did the ban change anything? The ban lasted for 62 years and was finally lifted in 2003. But by then the song’s legacy had already been written in tragedy. Even Seress’s former lover was said to have taken her life after hearing it. In a haunting twist Rezso Seress himself died on a Sunday—the very day immortalised in his composition. In January 1968 he jumped from a window in Budapest. Surviving the fall he later ended his life in a hospital by strangling himself with a wire. A song that outlived its creator Despite its dark past Gloomy Sunday continued to fascinate artists. More than 100 singers recorded it in 28 languages. The most famous version came from Billie Holiday whose English rendition was also banned for years. In 1999 the tale of the song inspired the film Gloomy Sunday released in Hungary and Germany cementing its place as one of music history’s most unsettling legends.