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Solitary Man (song)

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"Solitary Man" is a song written by American musician Neil Diamond, who recorded the song for Bang Records in late January 1966. It has since been covered many times, notably by T. G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash and HIM.

"Solitary Man"
Cover to 1970 re-release
Single by Neil Diamond
from the album The Feel of Neil Diamond
B-side
  • "Do It" (1966 release)
  • "The Time Is Now" (1970 re-release)
ReleasedApril 4, 1966[1]
RecordedJanuary 24, 1966
GenreRock, soft rock
Length2:27
LabelBANG
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"At Night"
(1963) 		"Solitary Man"
(1966) 		"Cherry, Cherry"
(1966)

History

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Recorded in late January 1966 and initially released on Bang Records in April 1966, "Solitary Man" was Diamond's debut single as a recording artist, having already had moderate (but accidental) success as a songwriter for other artists; their versions of the songs he had already written and composed were released before his own versions.[1] By July, the track had become a minor hit, rising to No. 55 on the U.S. pop singles chart.[1] It would then be included on Diamond's first album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, which he released in August 1966.[1]

The song is a "ballad of a loner looking for love."[2] The theme of the song has been closely identified with Diamond himself, as evinced by a 2008 profile in The Daily Telegraph: "This is the Solitary Man depicted on his first hit in 1966: the literate, thoughtful and melodically adventurous composer of songs that cover a vast array of moods and emotions..."[3]

In the lyrics, the singer lists some of his relationships and how they each ended. He laments "I know it's been done, having one girl who loves you." But he doubts it will happen for him. Indeed, Diamond himself would tell interviewers in the 2000s, "After four years of Freudian analysis, I realized I had written 'Solitary Man' about myself."[4]

After Diamond had renewed commercial success with Uni Records at the end of the decade, Bang Records re-released "Solitary Man" as a single and it reached No. 21 on the U.S. pop charts in the summer of 1970.[5] It also reached No. 6 on the Easy Listening chart.[6]

Billboard praised the "solid dance beat and excellent production backing."[2] Record World said that the "acoustic backing is just right for [Diamond] to get another ride to the top of the charts."[7]

Diamond originally recorded two versions of the song, as he later did with "Cherry, Cherry." The one version had his harmonic vocal track on the refrain of the song, along with accompaniment by a wordless female chorus. The other version was him singing the song alone, without his prerecorded harmony or the female chorus.[citation needed]

In a 2005 Rolling Stone retrospective, Dan Epstein wrote, "'Solitary Man' remains the most brilliantly efficient song in the Diamond collection. There's not a wasted word or chord in this two-and-a-half minute anthem of heartbreak and self-affirmation, which introduced the melancholy loner persona that he's repeatedly returned to throughout his career."[8]

Chart history

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Notable cover versions

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T. G. Sheppard version

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"Solitary Man"
Single by T.G. Sheppard
from the album Solitary Man
B-side"Shame"
ReleasedMay 29, 1976
GenreCountry
Length2:39
LabelHitsville
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
T.G. Sheppard singles chronology
"Motels and Memories"
(1975) 		"Solitary Man"
(1976) 		"Show Me a Man"
(1976)

In 1976, T. G. Sheppard released a cover version for Hitsville Records, a country-focused sub-label of Motown Records. It went to No. 14 on the U.S. country music chart (Hot Country Songs) and No. 100 on the Hot 100. The song charted best on the Canadian country chart, at No. 11. It was also a hit on the Easy Listening charts of both nations.

Gianni Morandi version

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Italian singer Gianni Morandi recorded a cover version titled "Se perdo anche te" ("If I Also Lose You"). The author of the Italian lyrics was Franco Migliacci, who was Morandi's producer at that time. "Se perdo anche te" spent ten weeks on the Italian pop chart in 1967, peaking at No. 1 for one week.[15] The song was arranged by Ennio Morricone, who at that time conducted many tunes published by the Italian branch of the RCA Victor Records label.[citation needed]

Chris Isaak version

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"Solitary Man"
 
Single by Chris Isaak
from the album San Francisco Days
B-side"Wicked Game"
Released1993
Recorded1992
GenreRock
Length2:37
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Chris Isaak singles chronology
"San Francisco Days"
(1993) 		"Solitary Man"
(1993) 		"Somebody's Crying"
(1995)

Chris Isaak included "Solitary Man" as the only cover song on his 1993 album San Francisco Days. The music video for Isaak's version of the song was directed by Larry Clark. Isaak said that he chose the song because his mother was a fan of Diamond, and he liked the song's lyrics, especially the clever rhymes. Isaak noted that Diamond's version has a horn section playing in a manner reminiscent of the 1968 television series Hawaii Five-O.[16]

Johnny Cash version

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"Solitary Man"
Song by Johnny Cash
from the album American III: Solitary Man
LanguageEnglish
ReleasedOctober 17, 2000
(24 years ago) (2000-10-17)
GenreCountry
Length2:26
LabelAmerican Recordings
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)John Carter Cash, Rick Rubin

Johnny Cash used "Solitary Man" for the title track of his third album under the American Recordings label, American III: Solitary Man, in 2000, featuring guest backing vocals by Tom Petty. The recording received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

HIM version

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"Solitary Man"
 
Single by HIM
from the album And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004
ReleasedMarch 1, 2004 (2004-03-01)[17]
Length3:36
LabelBMG Finland, RCA
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)HIM
HIM singles chronology
"The Sacrament"
(2003) 		"Solitary Man"
(2004) 		"And Love Said No"
(2004)

In 2004, Finnish band HIM covered "Solitary Man" for their first compilation album, And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004. It was released as a single, and Bam Margera produced a music video created for it. This cover peaked at No. 2 in Finland and became HIM's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart

Track listings

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Finnish and European version

  1. "Solitary Man" – 3:38
  2. "Please Don't Let It Go" (live) – 3:14
  3. "Join Me in Death" (live) – 4:59
  4. "Website extras included as Enhanced CD content"

UK DVD single

  1. "Solitary Man" (video) – 3:36
  2. "Right Here in My Arms" (video) – 3:30
  3. Bam Margera's making of Buried Alive By Love" – 1:58
  4. Pandora's slideshow – 4:00
  5. "Your Sweet 666" (audio—live 2003) – 4:40

UK CD single

  1. "Solitary Man"
  2. "Please Don't Let it Go" (punk rock version—live 2003)

UK 7-inch vinyl

  1. "Solitary Man"
  2. (Etched B-side contains no music)

Charts

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Chart (2004) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 45
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 2
Germany (GfK)[19] 17
Scotland (OCC)[20] 13
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 37
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 40
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 9
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[24] 2

References

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  1. ^ a b c d William Ruhlmann. "Neil Diamond: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 16, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Neil McCormick (March 5, 2008). "Neil Diamond: the hurt, the dirt, the shirts". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  4. ^ Pete Paphides (April 7, 2006). "I'll be what I am. A solitary man". The Times. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1983). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: 1955 to present. Billboard Publications. ISBN 0-8230-7511-7. p. 88.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 72.
  7. ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. July 4, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  8. ^ Dan Epstein (November 3, 2005). "Neil Diamond's Jewels". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  9. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 18, 1966. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  11. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. September 19, 1970. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  12. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. August 14, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 72.
  14. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 19, 1971[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Musica e dischi Italian music chart. (In Italian.) Search for "se perdo anche te" under tipo = singoli.
  16. ^ Cronin, Peter (June 12, 1993). "Music Publishing: 'They're Playing My Song'". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 24. p. 17. ISSN 0006-2510.
  17. ^ a b "HIM – Solitary Man" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "HIM: Solitary Man" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "HIM – Solitary Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  21. ^ "HIM – Solitary Man". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  22. ^ "HIM – Solitary Man". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  24. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
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