The True Meaning of Alone Again (Naturally) By Gilbert O'Sullivan
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2023
- 51 years ago today, Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan released his iconic single Alone Again, Naturally, which tells a rather sad tale of a lonely man being left at the altar and then telling the listener about of his parents. The song connected with listeners on various levels: the downtrodden could commiserate with the singer, and the lucky ones who were not in this position were reminded of their good fortune. It sold 2 million copies, spent six weeks at the summit in America and earned him three Grammy Award nominations. It was the second best-selling single of the year in America behind Don McLean's "American Pie." Theories about the biographical meanings of the song have been around ever since, so today we take a look at the story behind one of the most famous songs of the 70s.
I am 70 years old now and I still love this song. When I was 18 in the U.S. Air Force basic training I first heard this haunting song. Our squadron group of about 50 guys had been marched over to the canteen (a store that sells candy bars, cigarettes, etc.). There, over the loudspeaker, many songs were played. Of those songs, I only remember this one. Nowadays, every time I hear this song I am instantly transported back.
I’m with you brother!👍🏽
WOW
I have great memories of this too. I was 15 in 1971.
I’m 60 and was also in the AF. Lol I still remember that first march to the BX. Was never so happy to spend money.
He has written and sung so many beautiful songs but this is my favourite too and transports me back at now age 68 x
He is doing concerts here in Ireland 🇮🇪 in September 2024. He is 77 years old now. I have every album he recorded (19). I'm 49 yrs old. He's a true music legend.
not doing concerts now 💤💤💤
@@alwaysafool he's in America at the moment.
Ooh. Might have to travel down from the north.
His songs always have intelligent lyrics, and the lines scan properly, and rhyme - except when "nothing rhymes" 😉
Absolutely true a legend God bless
Our youngest child was born in 1971 and even though he was just a few months old when this song was playing on the radio he always stopped playing and quietly listened until the song was over.
It is amazing that a 21 year old wrote these lyrics.
I'm 77 now, a widow, and the words "My mother couldn't understand why the only man she had ever loved had been taken" really get to me. Now I'm alone again...😪
Peace be unto you,
My Friend…
as much as possible.
I am 70 years old, and a huge Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc. fan. I love "Alone Again, Naturally".
Yes, because it's a great song!
I’m 71 and recall vividly when this song was released. It was comforting at a time when I needed it most.
I’m 58 years old and I remember hearing this song first time around! I’ve always liked this song. In fact, I’m actually learning how to play it right now on the guitar.
When my husband soulmate of 24 years passed suddenly this was my song. 14 years later it’s still my song because after he left I was alone again. Naturally.
The pain never truly goes away..
I too lost my husband recently. I understand your pain. Keep strong with the memories.
I lost my wife of 57 years in January, 2024. We know that everyone will lose a loved one (or a loved one will lose us) but it's a major loss because we've lost a part of our life.
I was ten when it came out. A remarkable achievement for a young man of 21.
The more sad thing is learning that Gilbert's actual conditions were more contrast than the lyrics. His father seemed not love his mother so much and he hated his father too.
One of the greatest songs in “my life”. I know that O’Sullivan did not write this ballad as auto biographical. Just a beautiful sad story by a very creative young man. I used to sing it to myself on my way to school, I actually remembered all the words. I thought I was a nerdy kid by being a O’Sullivan fan, when many kids of my day liked Led Zep or Soul music. I still love his music today & don’t mind being nerdy.
As I mentioned in another post about Gilbert - he was taught to play piano by his best friend Rick Davies who went on to form the group Supertramp.
Never thought too much about this classic O'Sullivan song until 2020 when my own wonderful mother passed away. And, yes, I cried & cried all day, and have felt alone ever since. Thank you, Gilbert. ❤
I was 13 (1973) when my Mother died, Alone Again touched me Deeply, And Despaired if I would always be Alone, It would be 14 years before I found a girl to fill that loneliness, And have someone to love,
What a heartbreaking song. Brings me to tears every time. Takes me back.
Deep... Reveals the raw emotions we try to stifle till they smother us, again.
I always liked this song I’m 56 and actually listened to it today
I never bought Gilbert O’Sullivan’s records because I was into bands like Led Zeppelin at the time. However, I have always loved his songs that I heard on the radio. He is a great singer and songwriter.
I still listen to the song, Alone Again on a regular basis. In fact, that's how I found this video. Thank you for the backstory and history behind this classic.
This song makes me cry .It's so sad 😥😭😥😭
That's how I felt when I listened to it shortly after my mother died.
@@Gwaithmir❤
Me too. I was 10 yrs old, and my parents went through a terrible divorce. Reminds me of that time.
Me too! So enormesly good.
Nothing Rhymed also has a deeply profound lyric,he was a brilliant songwriter.
An awsome song by a person with a wonderful mind.
Listened to the album when it first came out and memorized the lyrics to many of the songs... And just heard Alone Again a couple of days ago and sang every word. Those lyrics are so poignant they still make me teary eyed. One of my top ten favorite songs of all time. He is a genius singer/songwriter.
I remember this song being played repeatedly on WABC radio out of New York City back in the day. People couldn't get enough of it. Great lyrics.
This song is absolutely top draw and an all time classic,and GOS is one of the best singer/songwriter EVER and still amazing to this day...What a legend 😊
Thanks for sharing the hidden scenario revolving around this epic jazzy melancholic song of the great Gilbert O'Sullivan...one fave in my Playlist from the 70's
I would sing this song and my Mother would ask me if I was alright. I liked O'Sullivan. I miss the days where songs actually had lyrics.
Still makes me cry.
Love Gilbert O'Sullivan, always have always will.
Great song. I used to play it in my band for parties and mariages. Great chords.
I picked up his album with Clair in the eighties and quickly knew every word and note of every song by heart. ❤️
I just heard this song from kdrama "Moving" & I fell inlove with it so I searched & played it again & again.
I'm 58 in the U.S. and absolutely know this song immediately.
I have loved old songs since I was young. I was ashamed then since some of my classmates bullied me and considered me as old-fashioned. I did not regret it because I learned much from these old songs. If other current songs easily replace new songs, what will happen to the oldest songs? I am glad that new movies are adding old songs as part of their soundtracks and young people are hearing and appreciating them. Alone Again Naturally is popularly heard in Ice Age where my kids repeatedly watch. They love the movie, and the song as well for they understand the lyrics better as it is applied in the movie. I am happy that old songs are still heard in this digital age.
Love this iconic song so much.
Excellent program. Great documentation. I love the song you highlight and I love this O’Sullivan. His cute song Claire is another of my favorites. You told the story of a struggling young songwriter working hard and achieving gigantic success. A very happy story. Thanks. Great job.
Man, this song still makes me cry. Beautiful though.
“Alone Again (Naturally)” was one of those songs that I had heard on and off watching movies and TV shows when I was younger, but never really intently listened to. When I watched Maison Ikkoku and had the chance to listen to it as an adult and actually understand the lyrics, I felt like I had rediscovered something special.
This is beautiful
I loved this song when I was a kid in the 70s. And now, many years later, thanks to CZcams and the Internet, I'm seeing all the lyrics I had gotten wrong! LOL "As if to knock me down, the allergy came around" was what I thought. LOL I mean, it makes sense, you know? You're having a good day and then -- bam -- a bad allergy attack and you're in bed. Anyway, great song!
Year GO wrote strange lyrics when he said, "in an effort to make it clear to who ever what it's like when you're shattered"
Maybe that's a British thing but he completely omitted the word "wondered" from that line. There clearly wasn't time enuf for all those words, if u what I mean.
Lol l thought that too!
Haha love it 😂
yup, printed on Jingle, second or third edition
😅😂😅😂I'm dying over here!!! I thought those were the lyrics all these years until I read your post😂😅😂😅😂😅
A very talented man, who sadly suffered the common case of bad management/label/producer which in his case was the same guy. His career never recovered, but I'm sure he's super happy newer generations have discovered him.
One of the best Popsongs ever!!!
This song came out when I was 12 I was captivated by it, I had lost a father and a brother and I imagined that the writer had suffered great loss, it is good to know after all these years that he hadn’t. It has been a comfort to those that have suffered including myself, he has a amazing voice
What he said about never knowing what's going to hit and what's not, it's true for so many things in the artistic world.
Thank you. ❤
"Alone Again (Naturally)" is one of the most beautiful melodies ever written. You can bet that Paul McCartney wished he had written it. McCartney and O'Sullivan have similar melodic sensibilities (that is to say that they are both melodically brilliant) and they belong in the same category as Mozart.
We love Gilbert O'Sullivan the pure Irishman is from the elite of American society 🇺🇲🇮🇪🙏🌷
I'm not at all surprised that this song was a lasting hit - it strikes such a poignant chord with so many people! Through early adulthood, a huge proportion of us suffer heartache through lost romances and relationships that failed, and as we get older, we all lose our parents. Some people are naturally social, and are eternallyb surrounded with supporting friends, but many, many people find themselves alone - and it's consoling to hear a song that evokes those emotions and sympathises with them.
I love every single song he every recorded. Not one dud!
Love him too.
This song was the perfect choice for the busdriver in "Moving". It fitted the character so well.
right! and so tragic about his family 🥺
This is the reason why I searched this song because of Moving
A song that lives with many of us since the moment we heard it over 50 years ago
We used the musical interlude in the middle (about 40 seconds) in a political spot for a candidate who ended up winning in Louisiana on September 28 , 1972. Thank you for the beautiful lyrics and music.....John Berard .....New Iberia , Louisiana USA
Having seen Gilbert O'Sullivan late in his life to sing his hits, we found him to be quite reserved about his fame and his songs. Some artists spend time with the audience but he was nice enough just would have liked him to have engage more. Thanks for the video. Interesting about his writing .
This is a great song for all time and ages
I always loved this song but I must admit, I thought it was a new song by Sir Paul McCartney. It sounded like him and although it was dark in the words, the melody was happy like much of Sir Paul's work.
A strange combo but not unlike a song from the fifties called Singin' The Blues by Guy Mitchell,. .....sad lyrics and happy melody. That, too was a #1 hit for many weeks.
ÀAN reminds me of a certain gorgeous woman who got away. I think of her every now and then but especially when I hear "In a little while from now......" etc.
I hope she is as happily married as I am. I wouldn't want to think of her all alone. That's just not natural, is it?
I think the melody is "happy" and at the same time deeply melancholy. That's what makes it so unique...
@@haberlandtoskar530 it's only "deeply melancholy" because of the lyrics.
Unfortunately, one cannot sing that melody without those words. It's my favorite song of the 70s which is saying a multitude. After all, it has to beat Bohemian Rhapsody. It does by a hair.
I thought 100% it was the Beatles had to Google Stuart little soundtrack to find out the song title and who sung it
Uniquely grounding & humbling, bottom line. Mr.O'Sullivan BraVo & Thank - you for sharing the facts .
The master musicians Must be acknowledged for their contribution as all are of this classic work. 👏. .👏
All Gilbert’s songs were brilliant, he was/ is so talented ❤🌟
This was a great video. Thanks for sharing it. Now I have to get back to writing my songs. Have a great day!
Thank you so much for covering this information. I have always wondered. Sad to hear that he had to sue his former manager. But GLAD that got done. The world is full of sharks. Fortunately, he got to the level where he had fans who appreciated him.
Anyone can relate to this song all of us after we lay to our rest😢
i love the song.. i can relate to that
Lovely memories
I remember this song from when I was little & while I didn’t understand it then, I liked the melody. I play it ( not v.well) on the keyboard ; I lost both of my parents recently & now I understand & relate to the lyrics about that..
i first heard this song from the series "life on mars" ❤
Great series with great music.
Love this song 🎵 ❤
Perfect song.
Hadn't heard this song in years, years and years until today. All over the place in the 70's. I remember the original cover with the Irish clothes and sepia tone, then the White sweater with 'G' on the front, and wonder what the hell difference between the two covers? I wondered about the subject being autobiographical (it wasn't) how it didn't seem to fit in withe the times it was released in. But still, very sentimental song (only 22?) but still when Neil Diamond and Sedaka saying they wished they wrote it, high praise indeed. Glad he is still popular in Ireland and Japan (thanks Maison Ikokku) And still touring around!
My husband just passed away last month. Very unexpectedly, right in front of our lanai while taking the dog for a walk while I was sleeping. I'll be 70 this year. No family, no friends. I'm so totally alone.
Bobby Darin rendition was really good too! I love this song!
Commercially perfect song actually ..... the opposite of love prevails stuff .... it both stood out in flow and tempo held within it's capturing the need of the listener to weather this protagonist's ills and let-downs .... and all along loving the musical ride ! It was a great song that had me at the first "hook" [ "Alone Again Naturally"] I disagree that it was not a clear winner from the start. Still like it a bunch. Bravo, Bubba ! God bless, jj
❤ all of his US hits-then,and now. Never knew this song was such a big hit. I always assumed anyone with that name would not be so popular.
That was such a weird time for popular music. It was less constrained in terms of styles than it got in later years.
I must have played this song a thousand times, in my car mainly. Ranks alongside my other thousand play songs. I don't know what it is about some songs that just grab me. Captain of her Heart - Double. Being Boring - Pet Shop Boys. Man of the World, .... being top of a very short list.
This is one of those songs that evokes certain feelings, beautiful and sad...it's right up there with Harry Chapin's " Cats in the Cradle" which I won't listen to too often because it just breaks me down...
Imagine looking around you at all the long shaggy haircuts in the 1970s, and thinking “Nope. I’m going to go with Henry V circa 1420” Gilbert took the path less travelled by.
Figures a japanese cartoon and a rapper would steal someone else's work.
Great tune❤
❤❤❤
I can't imagine why, but I've been singing this song to myself for several months. At 65 years old.....I can recite word for word, and why I don't know! I don't particularly like the song, as it's kind of morose. It's stuck in my head. I can't get it out. I wish I could!
£10 a week job!! Omg I canr imagine! Love this song and hes great Live too! Saw him in Glasgow, Wow! ❤
Pretty sure Gilbert’s early haircut was responsible for his demise…. INCREDIBLE SONG! …still love it to this day at 62 yrs old…
😂
Ty music box
One can't argue with success and I am glad for him. However, as a pre-teen living in the Midwest, when the song first came out on the radio, I must confess that I found the lyrics to be maudlin (though I didn't know that word, back then). I felt that the lyrics were not necessarily true-to-life, but designed to coax a contrived sympathetic response from the audience. It ended-up feeling like manipulation and I couldn't listen to it, anymore.
I was about 7 when this came out. For the longest time, I thought it was Paul McCartney.
The phrase of a decade
I wondered who "Uncle Ray" was in "Claire" was. Guess Ray is his real name. I love his songs.
I've always loved this song, I was nine yrs old when it hit Radio stations and turned it up each time it came on. But I disagree with what they said about the song having an upbeat melody, I always found it quite somber, sort of haunting
I admit that I never liked this song, however, your story behind it is very interesting. Thank you!
His album Back to Front is great.
A very powerful and moving ballad, unlike some of the other dross he churned out.
The strangest version I've ever heard was done by Nikki Six as short lived band 58, on their album Diet for a New America. I don't kno.w if the members were on drugs of not, but the vocals in particular sound like the singer is the quarters asleep.
I liked the song the first time i heard it. definitely part of the sound track of my life. I always figured it was based on his real life experiences but i guess not.
Interesting
My favourite was Claire.
Did Mills steal his money? I'd be suprised if he didn't I LOVE Who Was It-VERY clever lyrics! Big Jim Sullivan played the great solo on Alone Again and I'm glad Gilbert mentioned him at 7:16
Gilbert's contract with Mills said his money should be divided 3 ways -> one part went to support his mother, the second was a small allowance for Gilbert, and finally the rest was suppose to be put into the bank. Mills kept a big portion of the third part to himself and when Gilbert found out, he sued Mills and won (if I remember correctly) 15 million pounds ($18,300,000). Clair Mills, the subject of Gilbert's hit song, was asked if she was mad about her father losing everything and she said no because what her dad did was wrong.
THANKS FOR GREAT REPLY!@@bjbell52
I've never heard this song.
I always thought he sounded a little bit like Micky Dolenz.
It’s amazing when he sings, sounds American to me.
but when he speaks = British accent.
Actually it's an Irish accent.
@@IvanEarache Thanks for that info. Its now even more remarkable to me.
I have many of his albums I bought in the 70's. I have the released first album without Alone Again, Naturally is not on the album. The other songs are all the same except that one.
There’s also a parody called Stallone again, about all the Rocky movies,
Hello music box USA i have a question for you
I'm not a music box but what is the question??
i thought the lyric was "alone again angie-lee"
It's ok
Given how terrible his short hair cut looked on him I can see why he grew it out. Thick wavy Irish hair can be tricky.