All Alone Am I

Last updated
"All Alone Am I"
Single by Brenda Lee
from the album All Alone Am I
B-side "Save All Your Lovin' For Me"
Released24 September 1962
Recorded9 August 1962
Length2:41
Label Decca
Composer(s) Manos Hadjidakis
Lyricist(s) Arthur Altman (words-English),
Producer(s) Owen Bradley
Brenda Lee singles chronology
"It Started All Over Again"
(1962)
"All Alone Am I"
(1962)
"Save All Your Lovin' For Me"
(1962)

"All Alone Am I" is a song from 1962 popularized by the American singer Brenda Lee. The song was originally composed by the Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis and recorded in Greek by Tzeni Karezi for the soundtrack of the film To nisi ton genneon (The Island of the Brave); the original song in Greek is titled "Μην τον ρωτάς τον ουρανό" ("Min ton rotas ton ourano", translation: "Don't ask the sky"). Later, a new version of the song with English lyrics was produced by Owen Bradley and appeared as the title track on one of Lee's albums. The song is written in the key of F major, but begins on the sub-dominant B-flat major 7th chord.

Contents

Background

In 1960, the Greek film Never on Sunday was released to considerable acclaim, earning multiple Academy Award nominations in the US. The film's star, Melina Mercouri, was nominated for Best Actress, while the title song from the film won the Oscar for Best Original Song for Greek musician Manos Hatzidakis, who had composed the music used in the film. A melody that appeared in both Never on Sunday and The Island of the Brave was sent to Lee's management as a tune to be considered for the singer to record, and after being translated into English by Arthur Altman, became "All Alone Am I". [1]

Chart performance

"All Alone Am I" became a top 10 pop hit in both the US and the UK. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1962 [2] and number seven on the UK Singles Chart in February 1963. [3] The song also spent five weeks atop the US Billboard easy listening chart in November and December 1962, Lee's only song to do so. [1] The B-side to the single, "Save All Your Lovin' For Me", reached number 53 on the US pop chart.

Chart (1962-63)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [4] 10
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)7
US Billboard Middle Road Singles 1
US Billboard Hot 100 3

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manos Hatzidakis</span> Musical artist

Manos Hatzidakis was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely considered to be one of the greatest Greek composers. He was one of the main proponents of the "Éntekhno" form of music, along with Mikis Theodorakis, is the founder of the Orchestra of Colours, an ensemble performing lesser-known works and the music of Greek composers, and influenced a broad swathe of Greek culture through his writings and radio broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Lee</span> American singer (born 1944)

Brenda Mae Tarpley, known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first Billboard hit aged 12 in 1957 and was given the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite". Some of Lee's most successful songs include "Sweet Nothin's", "I'm Sorry", "I Want to Be Wanted", "Speak to Me Pretty", "All Alone Am I" and "Losing You". Her festive song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", recorded in 1958, topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only You (And You Alone)</span> Pop song composed by Buck Ram

"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Help Falling in Love</span> 1961 single by Elvis Presley

"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".

The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to Billboard by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in Billboard magazine on July 17, 1961. Over the years, the chart has gone under a series of name changes, being called Easy Listening(1961–1962; 1965–1979), Middle-Road Singles(1962–1964), Pop-Standard Singles(1964–1965), Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks(1979–1982) and Adult Contemporary(1983–present). The current number-one song on the chart is "DJ Play a Christmas Song" by Cher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel of the Morning</span> 1967 song written by Chip Taylor

"Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands but which first charted with a version by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including Chrissie Hynde, Dusty Springfield P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' Dolls, Melba Montgomery, Olivia Newton-John and most recognizably by Juice Newton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Called to Say I Love You</span> 1984 song by Stevie Wonder

"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a ballad written, produced, and performed by American R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to date, having topped a record 19 charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Am I Supposed to Live Without You</span> 1982 song written by Doug James and Michael Bolton

"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song co-written in 1982 by Doug James and Michael Bolton. The track was originally recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983, charting at number one in both the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. Bolton later recorded his own version of the song that topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a worldwide hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can See Clearly Now</span> Song by Johnny Nash

"I Can See Clearly Now" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. It was the lead single from his album, I Can See Clearly Now (1972), and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1972, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box charts. It also reached number one in Canada and South Africa. The song has been covered by many artists throughout the years, including a hit version by Lee Towers that reached no. 19 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1982, and another recorded by Jimmy Cliff for the motion picture soundtrack of Cool Runnings that peaked at no. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never on Sunday (song)</span>

"Never on Sunday", also known by its original Greek title "Ta Pediá tou Pireá", is a popular song written by Manos Hatzidakis and first sung by Melina Mercouri in the film of the same name, directed by Jules Dassin and starring Mercouri. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1960, a first for a foreign-language picture. The film score was first released on 1 October 1960 by United Artists Records. The song has since been recorded by numerous artists, and has gained various degrees of success throughout the world. The opening of the song bears some resemblance to that of Poinciana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Break It to Me Gently</span>

"Break It to Me Gently" is a pop song written by blues musician Joe Seneca with lyrics by Diane Lampert. Both Brenda Lee and Juice Newton met with considerable success with their versions of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree</span> 1958 Christmas song by Brenda Lee

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee's original version had sold over 15 million copies around the world with the 4th most digital downloads sold of any Christmas single. In 2019, Lee's recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In November 2023, Lee released a music video for the song, and in December 2023 the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Lee's third number-one single and making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100 at age 78. The song also set the record for the longest period of time between an original release and its topping the Hot 100, as well as the longest time between number-one singles by an artist: 63 years, one month and two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We're All Alone</span> 1976 single by Boz Scaggs

"We're All Alone" is a song written by Boz Scaggs, which became a hit for Frankie Valli in 1976. The next year it was a top-ten hit for Rita Coolidge in the US and the UK. Scaggs introduced it on his 1976 album Silk Degrees, and included it as the B-side of two of the four single releases from that LP, including "Lido Shuffle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song)</span>

"Where Is the Love" is a popular song written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter, and recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Released in 1972 from their album, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and spent a week each at number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 58 song for 1972. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crying Time</span> 1965 single by Ray Charles

"Crying Time" is a song from 1964 written and originally recorded by the American country music artist Buck Owens. It gained greater success in the version recorded by Ray Charles, which won two Grammy Awards in 1967. Numerous other cover versions have been performed and recorded over the intervening years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Melody of Love</span> 1974 single by Bobby Vinton

"My Melody of Love" is the title of a popular song from 1974 by the American singer Bobby Vinton. Vinton adapted his song from a German schlager song composed by Henry Mayer, and it appears on Vinton's album Melodies of Love. The song was also recorded by Spanish pop singer Karina as "Palabras de Cristal".

"Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" is a 1961 pop song by the American singer Sue Thompson. The song was written by John D. Loudermilk and appears on Thompson's 1962 Hickory Records album Meet Sue Thompson.

<i>All Alone Am I</i> (album) 1963 studio album by Brenda Lee

All Alone Am I is the eighth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released February 18, 1963, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was the first of two studio albums released in 1963 and the album's title track became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Reddy discography</span>

Australian-American singer Helen Reddy (1941–2020), often referred to as the "Queen of 70s Pop", recorded 18 studio albums, seven of which have achieved sales of 500,000 units in the US for which they were awarded Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. One of those seven, I Am Woman, eventually went Platinum by reaching sales of one million copies, and her first compilation album, Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits, was awarded Double Platinum status in 1992 for hitting the two million sales mark. The respective US and Canadian album charts in Billboard and RPM magazine each had appearances by 10 of these LPs during the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head</span> 1969 song

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The uplifting lyrics describe somebody who overcomes his troubles and worries by realizing that "it won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me."

References

  1. 1 2 Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  3. "Official Charts Company info from Official Charts Company". Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  4. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – All Alone Am I". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2023.