Alone Again (Naturally)--Gilbert O'Sullivan (1972) 3/4/21

The 21-year-old artist responsible for today's "Great Song of 1972" was shocked to find out that people thought "Alone Again (Naturally)" was autobiographical.

After being bombarded with letters and phone calls from people asking if he was all right and/or did he need any help or someone to talk to, Gilbert O'Sullivan went public to make it VERY clear that:

*No, He was never left at the altar.

*No, He didn't cry when his father died. He was 11, and they weren't very close.

*No, He didn't cry and cry all day when his mother died. She was still alive!

*No, he had never contemplated suicide. He was a pretty happy guy.

*No, it's NOT autobiographical. "It's just a SONG!"

But what a song it was! It pretty much took the world by storm, selling more than 2 MILLION copies, and spending 6 WEEKS at #1 in the US, on both the Hot 100 and the Adult Contemporary Charts! It also went to #1 in Canada and France...and reached the Top 5 in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland (#2), as well as the UK (#3)!

It also earned Gilbert three Grammy nominations: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year!

Billboard ranked it as the #2 song of 1972 ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was #1), and years later, when Casey Kasem counted down the biggest hits of the decade on a special edition of American Top 40, it was #5!

The song has been covered numerous times...by folks like Neil Diamond and Neil Sedaka, both of whom have expressed their utter amazement that Gilbert was able to write such a sophisticated song at such a young age.

TRIVIA: Gilbert's real first name is Ray.

"Alone Again (Naturally):" Gilbert O'Sullivan thought it was "just a song," but two Neils and several million music lovers believe it's a "GREAT Song of the '70s!"

Gilbert O'Sullivan:

Neil Sedaka's casual YouTube version (The first song of his mini-concert):