We're All Alone (1977) 2/17/21 Rita Coolidge

Quite a few links today. Variety is the spice of...cover versions! :-)

Yesterday, we highlighted "Lowdown," Boz Scagg's "Great Song" from his 1975 album, "Silk Degrees."

Today, we're highlighting another song from that album...but not HIS version. It's a "Great Cover" from an artist we haven't highlighted...until today.

The artist in question is Rita Coolidge, and here's the backstory:

The final song on "Silk Degrees" was the flip side of "Lowdown," and airplay was limited to a few stations in Australia.

However, "We're All Alone" caught the attention of a number of well-known artists who tried to have a hit with it.

The first was Frankie Valli, who was unable to take it higher than #78 in 1976.

The Walker Brothers (Most famous for "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More") charted in The Netherlands, but nowhere else.

Crossing into 1977, The Three Degrees were next. Nada.

But the best was up next!

Rita Coolidge hadn't heard the song when she stopped by the office of Jerry Moss--the "M" of A&M Records (The "A" Was Herb Alpert.")

Jerry played her the song and asked her to record it. She did...and in early 1978, Rita's version hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in both the US and Canada! It also went to #7 on Billboard's Hot 100, and #5 on Canada's Top 40.

Since then, the song has been covered more than TWO DOZEN times...by the likes of Johnny Mathis, Englebert Humperdinck, Reba McEntire and several European artists.

But so far, Rita has ruled!

"We're All Alone:" A Great Song of the '70s, written by Boz Scaggs and sung beautifully by Rita Coolidge!

Rita:

Boz:

Frankie:

Walker Bros:

Three Degrees:

Reba McEntire: