| Solitary Man | |
| Cover: | Solitary Man cover.jpg |
| Caption: | Cover to 1970 re-release |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Neil Diamond |
| Album: | The Feel of Neil Diamond |
| Released: | April 4, 1966 |
| Recorded: | January 24, 1966 |
| Genre: | Rock, soft rock |
| Label: | BANG |
| Producer: | Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich |
| Prev Title: | At Night |
| Prev Year: | 1963 |
| Next Title: | Cherry, Cherry |
| Next Year: | 1966 |
"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.
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." 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..."[2]
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 ."[3]
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.[4] It also reached No. 6 on the Easy Listening chart.[5]
Billboard praised the "solid dance beat and excellent production backing."[6] 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.
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 (1966) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[9] | 56 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 55 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 60 |
| Chart (1970) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia Go-Set | 36 | |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[11] | 31 | |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[12] | 24 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 21 | |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[13] | 6 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100[14] | 20 |
| Solitary Man | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | T.G. Sheppard |
| Album: | Solitary Man |
| B-Side: | Shame |
| Released: | May 29, 1976 |
| Genre: | Country |
| Label: | Hitsville |
| Prev Title: | Motels and Memories |
| Prev Year: | 1975 |
| Next Title: | Show Me a Man |
| Next Year: | 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.
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.
| Solitary Man | |
| Cover: | Chrisisaaksolitarymansinglecover.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Chris Isaak |
| Album: | San Francisco Days |
| B-Side: | Wicked Game |
| Released: | 1993 |
| Recorded: | 1992 |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Label: | Reprise |
| Prev Title: | San Francisco Days |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | Somebody's Crying |
| Next Year: | 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]
| Solitary Man | |
| Artist: | Johnny Cash |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Country |
| Label: | American Recordings |
| Producer: | John Carter Cash, Rick Rubin |
Johnny Cash used "Solitary Man" for the title track of his third album under the American Recordings label, , in 2000, featuring guest backing vocals by Tom Petty. The recording received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
| Solitary Man | |
| Cover: | Solitary Man.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | HIM |
| Length: | 3:36 |
| Label: | BMG Finland, RCA |
| Producer: | HIM |
| Prev Title: | The Sacrament |
| Prev Year: | 2003 |
| Next Title: | And Love Said No |
| Next Year: | 2004 |
In 2004, Finnish band HIM covered "Solitary Man" for their first compilation album, . 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
Finnish and European version
UK DVD single
UK CD single
UK 7-inch vinyl
