Lonesome Loser - 1979 (4/15/23

When Glenn Shorrock of The Little River Band was asked if they ever hesitated to release "Lonesome Loser," today's "Great Song of 1979," because of the negative-sounding title, his answer was: "Briefly, but it's such a strong song and its about redemption." True! The song is about a man who is unlucky in love, who keeps trying and failing to win over the "queen of hearts." Glenn, as the lead singer, offers some sound advice on how to finally win the "game" of love with a lot of self reflection and a change of strategy. "Lonesome Loser" is lyrically clever, with all sorts of gambling wordplay, and an acapella opening that really catches the ear. During the summer of 1979, the song (from the album. "First Under the Wire") was all over the airwaves...reaching #6 in the US and #3 in Canada. Strangely, it only reached #19 in LRB's native Australia.

But still, in North America, "Lonesome Loser" was a winner: a "Great Song of 1979" by The Little River Band!