What is the "true" definition of a "Torch Song"

Cafe Society
1

Looking on Google is see a lot of different definitions of what exactly is a “Torch Song.”

I always thought it was a song about unrequited love. Usually but not almost song in a slow ballad.

Can you have a fast “Torch Song?”

Anyone know what the actual definition is. Or at least have a few examples

2

Generally a love song, with the added connotations of a smoky room and a whisky-voiced siren onstage.

3

Oh, and the song itself is usually a standard. Think most of the sultry repertoire of Edith Piaf, Peggy Lee, and Marlene Dietrich.

4

The term “torch song” itself comes from the idea of “holding a torch” for the return of a former lover.

5

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I see a torch! Look! It’s in Cafe Society!

Let’s go there.

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6

Great Torch Songs

Judy Garland, The Man That Got Away
Billie Holiday, Good Morning Heartache
Frank Sinatra, One For My Baby
Rickie Lee Jones, Company
Etta James, The Man I Love
Patsy Cline, Crazy
Edith Piaf, Non Je Ne Regret Rein
The 5th Dimension, One Less Bell to Answer

7

And the term seems to have appeared in the 1920’s.

8

Doesn’t it have to be by a female singer? When a guy sings it, unless he’s in drag, it just has a different impact. Think of Isaac Hayes’ version of “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” or the entire oeuvre of Lyle Lovett. You feel the tragedy, but ultimately expect them to pull it together and move on.

9

I ultimately expect all of them to pull themselves together and move on. So yes, a man can sing a torch song just like a woman can.

10

Jeff Buckley did an absolutely amazing version of “The Man That Got Away.”