"Lonely" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Akon | ||||
from the album Trouble | ||||
Released | February 22, 2005 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:55 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Akon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
"Lonely" is a song by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon; it appears on his debut album, Trouble . Featuring a prominent, high-pitched sample of the 1964 song "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton, [4] the single was released on February 22, 2005. "Lonely" reached number one in several countries, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany, where it stayed for eight weeks. It also entered the top five in France, where it reached number two, and in the United States, where it peaked at number four.
When Akon was signed by Universal imprint SRC Records it was "Lonely" that had immediately caught the attention of SRC A&R Jerome Foster and convinced him of Akon's talents. [5] On hearing the demo track he had said, "This kid is official - this is a huge record." [5] Despite offering the album's best option in terms of commercial breakthrough, SRC Records chose "Locked Up" over "Lonely" as the first single because SRC wanted to break Akon in the streets first and work towards a cross-over. [5] According to Foster in an interview with HitQuarters, ""Locked Up" is a street record. I thought that was the place for us to start to get a fan-base knowing that we had a record like "Lonely", which was more commercial, to follow it." [5]
The song was written by Akon, Bobby Vinton, and Gene Allan. The lyrics are sung mainly by Akon as well as Bobby Vinton doing parts of the choruses, with Vinton's voice sped up reminiscent of Alvin and the Chipmunks. [6] The song's tempo is 90 beats per minute in common time. "Lonely" is written in the key of C major. [7]
A music video was produced to promote the single. The video was mostly filmed inside and in front of the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The video was directed by Gil Green. Actress Katerina Graham starred in the video as Akon's love partner. A competition winner from Blackpool, Daniel Ellwood, also starred in the video.[ citation needed ]
UK CD1 [8]
UK CD2 [9]
US CD single
The song was a number-one hit in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Belgium, and Switzerland. The song reached number two in France, Norway, and Sweden. The song also reached number 19 in Finland. [10]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [62] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [63] | Gold | 15,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [64] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [65] DMS | Platinum | 60,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [66] | Diamond | 250,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [67] | Gold | 4,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [68] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [69] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [70] | Gold | 5,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [71] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [72] | Gold | 10,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [73] | Gold | 20,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [74] | Platinum | 450,000 [75] |
United States (RIAA) [76] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [76] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | February 22, 2005 | [77] | ||
April 4, 2005 | Urban radio | [78] | ||
United Kingdom | May 2, 2005 |
| [79] | |
Australia | July 4, 2005 | CD | [80] |
"Hey Mama" is a song by American musical group the Black Eyed Peas with additional vocals provided by British reggae singer Tippa Irie. It was released in 2004 as the third single from their 2003 album, Elephunk, and became a top-10 hit in 14 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
"Belly Dancer (Bananza)" is the fourth single from R&B singer Akon's debut studio album, Trouble. "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom. The song samples "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" by Fun Boy Three and "Body Rock" by Treacherous Three, and borrows from the chorus of "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. It was used in the 2009 teen comedy film Fired Up!. A remix of the track, featuring Kardinal Offishall, was later included as a B-side to "Pot of Gold".
"Shut Up" is a song recorded by American hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas for their third studio album Elephunk (2003). Lyrically, it is about a disastrous courtship with the chorus consisting of the lines "Shut up, just shut up, shut up". The song was released as the second single from Elephunk on September 8, 2003, by A&M Records and Interscope Records. "Shut Up" was not commercially successful in the United States but became a hit internationally, topping the charts of Australia, New Zealand, and 12 European countries. It was Europe's second-biggest hit single of 2004.
"Locked Up" is a song by American singer and rapper Akon featuring fellow American rapper Styles P, taken as the lead single from the former's debut album, Trouble. The single was released in the United States on April 5, 2004, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Locked Up" peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom and the top 20 of the charts in France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.
Trouble is the debut album by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon, released in on June 29, 2004. The album contains Akon's worldwide hit single, "Lonely", which was his commercial breakthrough. However, the release of "Locked Up" propelled Akon to sign a record deal. "Gunshot " was released as promotional single on May 11, 2004. The album performed well in the United Kingdom where it peaked at No. 1 on the UK Album Chart. Trouble sold 25,000 copies in the first week, and certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA in the United States and has sold 1.6 million copies.
"Lonely No More" is the first single from Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas' debut studio album, ...Something to Be (2005). It was released on February 14, 2005, and became his biggest solo hit. The song peaked at number one in Hungary, number three in Australia, number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Smack That" is a song by Senegalese-American singer Akon featuring American rapper Eminem from the former's second studio album Konvicted (2006). Produced by Eminem, it was written by the artists alongside Mike Strange and Luis Resto. The collaboration came after the two artists met during a recording session for Shady Records rapper Obie Trice. The song received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics for being a great club song.
"I Wanna Love You" is a song written and recorded by Senegalese-American singer Akon featuring American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released in October 2006 as the second single from his second studio album, Konvicted. It is also featured on Snoop Dogg's eighth album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. This song was Akon's first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also Snoop's second #1 on the same chart. It also reached a peak of #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The track originally had Akon as a featured artist and was performed by rapper Plies from Fort Myers, Florida, but his verse was replaced by Snoop's and his name has been left out from the writers' credits. This song was #88 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.
"Don't Matter" is a reggae fusion–R&B song by Senegalese-American singer Akon from his second studio album, Konvicted (2006). The song was released as the album's third single in January 2007. In April of that year, it became Akon's second U.S. number-one single. "Don't Matter" was ranked number 31 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. This song was also ranked number 81 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.
"Mr. Lonely" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Bobby Vinton, backed by Robert Mersey and his Orchestra. The song was first released on Vinton's 1962 album, Roses Are Red.
"Beautiful Girls" is the debut single by American singer Sean Kingston from his 2007 eponymous debut album; it was first released in 2007, when Kingston was 17 and is considered his "signature song". The song is about a boy who feels "suicidal" over the prospect of dating a "beautiful girl" only to have her break up with him.
"Sorry, Blame It on Me" is the fifth single from R&B singer/songwriter Akon's second studio album, Konvicted.
"Right Now (Na Na Na)" is the lead single from Akon's third studio album, Freedom. The song contains elements from "Remember" by Summer Love. The song was added to the U.S. Mainstream Top 40 radio airing on September 23, 2008, and also became available for digital download on iTunes that day. The song was intended to have a Euro-club feel.
"Beautiful" is the third single from Akon's third studio album, Freedom. The song features American pop singer Colby O'Donis and a rap verse from Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. "Beautiful" was released to radio on January 6, 2009. The song has also been released in other three international versions, with different featured artists replacing both Colby's vocals and Kardinal's rapping: in Portuguese with Brazilian singer Negra Li, in Dutch with Dutch singer Brace, and in Spanish with Mexican singer Dulce María. The original version of "Beautiful" peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, the original version of "Beautiful" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Israel and the United Kingdom.
"Sexy Bitch", also known as "Sexy Chick" in clean versions, is a song by French DJ David Guetta recorded for his fourth studio album One Love (2009). The song features vocals from Senegalese singer Akon. It was released as the second single from One Love internationally. The song was serviced to mainstream and rhythmic crossover radios on September 1, 2009, in the United States, through Astralwerks, together with Capitol Records.
"Shut It Down" is a song by American rapper Pitbull featuring Senegalese-American singer Akon, released by Polo Grounds Music and J Records on November 2, 2009 as the fourth single from Pitbull's album, Pitbull Starring in Rebelution (2009). A remix of the song features vocals and production from American producer Clinton Sparks.
"Play Hard" is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta featuring vocals from American singers Ne-Yo and Akon. It was released on 15 March 2013 as the third single from the 2012 re-release of Guetta's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat (2011). This is the third collaboration between Guetta and Akon since "Sexy Bitch" in 2009 and "Crank It Up" in 2011. All three artists co-wrote the song along with Frédéric Riesterer and Giorgio Tuinfort, both of whom produced the song with Guetta. It features a prominent synthesizer riff sampled from the 1998 song "Better Off Alone" by Dutch Eurodance project Alice Deejay; as a result, Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg are credited as songwriters.
"Dangerous" is a song by French music producer David Guetta released as the second single from his sixth studio album, Listen. It features vocals by American singer and songwriter Sam Martin, who had also appeared on Guetta's previous single "Lovers on the Sun". It was released as a digital download on 6 October 2014 and reached number one in fourteen countries. Both artists co-wrote and co-produced the song with Giorgio Tuinfort and Jason Evigan, with additional writing from Lindy Robbins. A remix featuring Trey Songz, Chris Brown, and Martin was released on 9 January 2015.
"Lonely Together" is a song by Swedish DJ Avicii, featuring English singer Rita Ora. The song was released on 11 August 2017 as the second single from Avicii's EP, Avīci (01). A remix EP was released on 17 November 2017. "Lonely Together" was the last single Avicii released during his lifetime, before his death in 2018. The song was later included on Ora's second studio album, Phoenix (2018).
"Take You Dancing" is a song by American singer Jason Derulo. It was released as a single on July 21, 2020, by Atlantic Records, a sister of his previous home label Warner Records. The song was written by Teemu Brunila, Derulo, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Sarah Solovay and Shawn Charles.
...Akon don't deal in petty sports field petulance and spit, he deals in cloying R&B....