The missing word in Elton John's 1976 hit title is “Hardest”: “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” The song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and released as a single from the album Blue Moves.
The ballad describes a romantic relationship collapsing and the emotional difficulty of admitting fault or asking for reconciliation. It is unusual in the John-Taupin partnership because John developed the melody and much of the initial lyric before Taupin completed the words, reversing their more typical lyric-first process.
Recorded in Toronto in March 1976, the song was released on November 1 that year. It reached No. 6 in the United States, No. 11 in the United Kingdom, and No. 3 in Canada. A common mix-up is the 2002 cover by the English group Blue, which featured John and became a UK number-one single. Another notable version paired John with Ray Charles in 2004 on Charles's album Genius Loves Company.