Alone Again (Naturally)

For the album by Andy Williams, see Alone Again (Naturally) (album).
"Alone Again (Naturally)"
German single picture sleeve
Single by Gilbert O'Sullivan
B-side"Save It"
Released18 February 1972 (UK)[1]
May 1972 (US)[1]
Recorded1971
Genre
Length3:36
LabelMAM
Songwriter(s)Gilbert O'Sullivan
Producer(s)Gordon Mills
Gilbert O'Sullivan singles chronology
"No Matter How I Try"
(1971) 		"Alone Again (Naturally)"
(1972) 		"Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day"
(1972)
Music video
"Alone Again (Naturally)" on YouTube

"Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album Back to Front, but has been included in reissues (often replacing "Clair").

The single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 between late July and early September 1972 in America. It ranked number two in the year-end chart and sold over two million copies.[5]

The song was involved in a notable 1991 court case in which it set a precedent for the music industry that unauthorized sampling of music can constitute copyright infringement.[6]

Lyrics

"Alone Again (Naturally)" is a melancholy, introspective ballad. In the first verse, the singer contemplates suicide after having been left at the altar; in the second, he wonders if there is a God; finally, he laments the death of his parents. O'Sullivan has said the song is not autobiographical: for example, his mother was alive during its composition, and he was not close to his father, who was abusive to his mother and died when the singer was 11 years old.[7]

Musical Structure

Despite being essentially a pop ballad, the song has musical structure and harmony untypical to pop songs. It contains 3 verses and a bridge, with no chorus, as every verse ends with the song's title line - "Alone again, Naturally". The verses are in the key of F# major and the bridge (after the 2 verses) changes the key to A major before returning to F# major for the 3rd and final verse. The song has a relatively complex harmony using chords and progressions more common in jazz than in pop music, such as half diminished and flat ninth chords. The piano technique used on the song is typical to O'Sullivan's playing style with a percussive bass note on the left hand and the chord changes on the right.

Reception

The song received extensive radio airplay in the months after its release and was critically praised. O'Sullivan commented: “Neil Diamond covered 'Alone Again (Naturally)' and said he couldn't believe a 21-year-old wrote it, but for me it was just one song I had written.”[8] Neil Sedaka stated when he covered the song in 2020 that he wished that he himself had written the song, because its complexity was more typical of someone much older than 21.[9]

Chart performance

Between late July and early September 1972 in America the single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 – interrupted by Looking Glass's "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" – and ranked no. 2 in the year-end chart. It spent six weeks at number one, 11 weeks in the Top Ten, 15 weeks in the Top 40 and 18 weeks on the Hot 100. In a decade-end survey as counted down on syndicated radio show Casey Kasem's American Top 40, using Billboard statistics, "Alone Again (Naturally)" ranked five. It also spent six weeks at number one on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.[10] In April 1972 "Alone Again" peaked at no. 3 on the UK singles chart.[11]

Main article: Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc.

Grand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records Inc. was a copyright case heard in 1991 by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The case pitted O'Sullivan against Biz Markie, after the rapper sampled O'Sullivan's song "Alone Again (Naturally)". The court ruled that sampling without permission can be copyright infringement. The judgment changed the hip hop music industry, requiring that music sampling be preapproved by the original copyright owners to avoid a lawsuit.[29]

Cover versions

  • A recording by Andy Williams was the title track for the U.S. release of his album of cover songs later in 1972.[30]
  • Shirley Bassey covered this song on her 1976 album titled, Shirley Bassey - Love, Life & Feelings. She performed this song on her 1976 TV Variety Show with Gilbert O'Sullivan's accompaniment on the piano.
  • Nina Simone, included as a bonus track on the 1988 digital reissue of her 1982 album Fodder on My Wings.[31] Simone's version has rewritten lyrics, and refer to her troubled relationship with her late father
  • Diana Krall released a duet version with Michael Bublé on her 2015 album Wallflower.[32]
  • Vulfmon, the solo moniker of Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck, included a cover of the song, featuring vocals by Monica Martin and additional instrumentation by MAE.SUN, in his 2022 debut album under the new alias, titled "Here We Go Jack."

References

  1. ^ a b "Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again (Naturally)". 45cat.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ Fontenot, Robert. "Soft Rock Music and Songs". Oldies.about.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  3. ^ Kuge, Mara (7 February 2019). "14 Secretly Cruel Soft Rock Love Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  4. ^ Breihan, Tom (5 March 2019). "The Number Ones: Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)"". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 June 2023. ...the popularity of "Alone Again (Naturally)." One of the year's most popular songs was a florid pop trifle...
  5. ^ '"Alone Again Naturally" by Gilbert O'Sullivan'. Song Facts (undated), accessed 27 November 2022
  6. ^ Ech, Joey (17 December 2018). "Biz Markie Guilty of Copyright Infringement - Today in Hip-Hop - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ ""Alone Again (Naturally)" - Gilbert O'Sullivan". Superseventies.com. 29 July 1972. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  8. ^ Kernan; Andrews. "'I can still compete with anyone despite being around so long'". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Today's Mini-Concert - 10/22/2020". YouTube. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 187.
  11. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 411. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  12. ^ a b "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 13 July 1972. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Alone Again (Naturally)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Gilbert O Sullivan" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  18. ^ "Gilbert O'Sullivan – Alone Again (Naturally)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  19. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Gilbert O'Sullivan: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  21. ^ "Gilbert OSullivan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "Gilbert OSullivan Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 8/26/72". Tropicalglen.com. 26 August 1972. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  24. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of '72". RPM. 13 January 1973. p. 20.
  25. ^ "Top 100 1972 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1972". Tropicalglen.com. 30 December 1972. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  28. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  29. ^ Music Sampling and Copyright Law (PDF), p. 21
  30. ^ "Andy Williams - Alone Again (Naturally) Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Nina Simone - Fodder on My Wings Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  32. ^ "Diana Krall - Wallflower Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2023.

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