THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

111-Gilbert O’Sullivan-Alone Again (Naturally)

1972-Number 3 single.

Best Bit-At 2.53. Should he receive our sympathy and commiserations? Or should he ‘Man Up?’

Gilbert O’Sullivan (see also best songs 949) was born Raymond Edward O’Sullivan on December 1st, 1946, in Waterford, Ireland, but at the age of seven moved to England with his family. It was when signing his first contract in 1967 with ‘CBS’ records, that his then manager Stephen Shane suggested a name change from Raymond to Gilbert, as a play on the name of the operetta composers ‘Gilbert & Sullivan.’ In order to stand out from the crowd and help get that first contract O’Sullivan created an eye-catching visual image consisting of a pudding basin haircut, cloth cap and short trousers. O’Sullivan has said his love of silent film, and actors such as Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) (see also best songs 327) inspired the look.

The discography of Gilbert O’Sullivan includes 20 studio Albums issued between 1971-2022, and of his 37 singles released between 1970-2022, 14 of them have reached the Irish top 40, with three of those making Number 1. While in the UK, he has charted on 13 occasions, with two of those songs making Number 1, and in America on the Billboard Hot 100 top 40, he has charted five times, with this song spending six non consecutive weeks at Number 1.

‘Alone Again (Naturally’) was written by Gilbert O’Sullivan, and produced by Gordon Mills, (1935-1986) (see also best songs 129) the song was released as a stand alone single, but in subsequent years has been added to re-issues of his second studio Album ‘Back to Front.’ The songs guitar break was played by Big Jim Sullivan, (1941-2012) of whom it is said performed as a session musician on around 750 charting singles, and 54 Number 1 hits. The other songs in this ‘1000 best songs’ list that he played on are (see also best songs 891-467-171-164-129 and 45)

The lyrics to ‘Alone Again (Naturally’) pull no punches, and come straight to the point. It starts with the narrator contemplating suicide after being left at the alter as his bride deserted him, and then goes on to tell about the deaths of his parents. O’Sullivan has said,’Everyone wants to know if it’s an autobiographical song, based on my father’s early death. Well, the fact of the matter is, I didn’t know my father very well, and he wasn’t a good father anyway. He didn’t treat my mother very well.’ O’Sullivan has also said,”Alone Again’ was written with two other songs in a writing period when I was 22 years of age, I was in a writing mode, and ‘Alone Again’ was just one of the songs I’d written. I was really pleased with it, happy with it, but I didn’t see it as being any more special than other songs. Suffice it to say, I was happy. ‘Alone Again (Naturally’) has sold in excess of 2 million copies worldwide, and when Neil Diamond (see also best songs 536-426 and 13) covered the song in 2010 he said that he couldn’t believe it was written by a 21 year old. In 2020 Neil Sedaka (see also best songs 539) who has also covered the song stated that he wished that he himself had written the song,’Because its complexity was more typical of someone much older than 21.’

In 1991 Gilbert O’Sullivan went to court to sue the American ‘comedy’ rapper Biz Markie (1964-2019) who had used an unauthorised sample from ‘Alone Again (Naturally’) for his song ‘Alone Again,’ which appeared on Markie’s Album ‘I Need a Haircut.’ The judge made a landmark ruling in O’Sullivan’s favour, ruling that the rapper’s unauthorised sample was in fact theft. From that moment on artists now have to clear samples, or be subject to costly lawsuits.

‘And at sixty-five years old my mother, God rest her soul, couldn’t understand why the only man she had ever loved had been taken.’