Wikipedia

Alone with You (Sunnyboys song)

"Alone with You" is a song by Australian band Sunnyboys.[1] It was written by lead singer-guitarist, Jeremy Oxley,[2] and was the second single released in October 1981, on Mushroom Records, from their self-titled debut album, which had appeared in the previous month.[3][4] The single was produced by Lobby Loyde[5] and engineered by Colin Freeman at Alberts Studios, Sydney. "Alone with You" reached No. 28 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.

"Alone with You"
7-inch vinyl single
Single by Sunnyboys
from the album Sunnyboys
B-side"Stop and Think", "To the Bone"
ReleasedOctober 1981 (1981-10)
Recorded1981
Alberts Studios, Sydney, Australia
Length3:59
LabelMushroom
Songwriter(s)Jeremy Oxley
Producer(s)Lobby Loyde
Sunnyboys singles chronology
"Happy Man"
(1981) 		"Alone with You"
(1981) 		"You Need a Friend"
(1982)

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Alone with You" was ranked number 48.[6]

History

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In October 1980, Sunnyboys recorded four tracks produced by Lobby Loyde: "Love to Rule", "The Seeker", "What You Need" and "Alone with You". They appeared on the band's self-titled and independently released 7" EP via Phantom Records in December that year.[7][8] The initial pressing of 1,000 copies sold out in two weeks; it was later remixed and reissued as a 12" EP.[7][8]

After signing with Mushroom Records "Alone with You" was re-recorded and issued as their second single in October 1981, which reached No. 28 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.[3] It was included on their eponymous debut album, which had been released that September.[7][8][3]

In the liner notes of the compilation album, Sunnyboys, Our Best of (December 2013), Jeremy Oxley wrote "'Alone With You' was picked as the second single off the album although I always thought it was the song with the most potential to be a hit. It was written at Longdown Street in between going to Art School and rehearsals... It was partly about a chick I knew and partly a generalisation about the pent up feelings of teenage lust and love."[9]

The song was one of two the band performed during a November 1998 reunion for the Mushroom 25 Live concert to celebrate the label's 25th anniversary.[10][11][12] Mushroom re-released the single in 1998 following the concert as part of their limited edition Classic Mushroom Singles series.

Critical reception

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Garry Raffaele of The Canberra Times reviewed Sunnyboys and felt that "'Happy Man', the single, is still, in my view, their best. Closely followed by 'Alone with You'."[13]

Craig Mathieson in 100 Best Australian Albums describes it as their "signature song" and states that it "captures the excitement and trepidation of a first date, but the naive charm of the moment is undercut by the darkness of lyrics... The result is a great pop song that is equal parts tension (in the verse lyrics) and release (the catchy chorus, the great harmony vocals and blistering outro guitar solo)."[14]

Cover versions

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In June 1999, Jimmy Little, recorded a cover version of "Alone with You" for his album, Messenger.[15] For the 2000 feature film, Sample People's soundtrack The Superjesus delivered a "vibrant recording" according to Brad Green of Urban Cinefile; he continued that it "might have been great, but fails because it's clearly been mixed by the guitarist's mother."[16] Dragon and Jenny Morris provided an acoustic rendition for the various artists' compilation, The best of acoustic. Volume one, in 2006.[17]

On 6 March 2006 Off the Hip Records released Happy Man: Tribute to the Sunnyboys, with 18 cover versions of the group's tracks by various artists, including "Alone with You" by Brisbane-based group, Shifter.[18][19] In March 2015 Adalita performed a duet with Jack Davies as their version of "Alone with You" for Neighbours: 30 Years, album by various artists.[20]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Jeremy Oxley,[2] unless otherwise shown

7" vinyl version
No.TitleLength
1."Alone with You"3:59
2."Stop and Think"2:18
3."To the Bone"2:14
Total length:8:31

Charts

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Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia Kent Music Report Singles Chart[3] 28

Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Australia October 1981 Mushroom 7" vinyl K-8476
November 1998 CD single MUSH01823-2

Credits

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Sunnyboys
Production

References

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  1. ^ Tulich, Katherine (4 April 1983). "Sunnyboys' new songs, new facets". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b "'Alone with You' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015. Note: User may have to click on 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:', e.g. Alone with You; or at 'Performer:' Sunnyboys.
  3. ^ a b c d Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  4. ^ Coupe, Stuart (17 June 1984). "Sunnies back on the right track". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Lobby Loyde". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Holmgren, Magnus. "Sunnyboys". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  8. ^ a b c McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Sunnyboys'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  9. ^ Oxley, Jeremy (6 December 2013). Sunnyboys, Our Best of (liner notes). Sunnyboys (performers). Warner Australia. p. 9. FEST601022. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  10. ^ "Mushroom 25 Live [videorecording]". Trove. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  11. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Independent Record Labels'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  12. ^ Jenkins, Jeff; Meldrum, Ian (2007). "Mushroom Records – Magic Mushroom". Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 87–94. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1.
  13. ^ Raffaele, Garry (5 October 1981). "Rock Music: 'Jive' Lacks the Drive". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. p. 3. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  14. ^ O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
  15. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Messenger – Jimmy Little". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  16. ^ Green, Brad. "Sample People: Soundtrack". Urban Cinefile. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  17. ^ Gamble, Hammond; Morris, Jenny; Stevens, Jon; Reyne, James; Seymour, Mark; Moss, Ian; Diesel; Hello Sailor; Dragon; Church; The Black Sorrows; The Choirboys; Mental As Anything (2006), The best of acoustic. Volume one, Liberation Music, retrieved 19 July 2015
  18. ^ "Various – Happy Man: Tribute to the Sunnyboys". Real Radio. PBS 106.7FM (Progressive Broadcasting Service). 2008. Archived from the original on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  19. ^ The Barman. "Reviewed: Happy Man – A Tribute to the Sunnyboys – Various Artists (Off the Hip)". I-94 Bar. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  20. ^ "Get Musical for the 30th". 30 Years Of Neighbours. 7 March 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
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