“Alone Again (Naturally)” – Single by Gilbert O’Sullivan
B-side: “Save It”
Released: February 18, 1972 (UK) / May 1972 (US)
Recorded: 1971
Label MAM
Songwriter: Gilbert O’Sullivan
Producer: Gordon Mills
Charted No.1 in US and No.3 in UK.
Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album Back to Front, but has been included in reissues (often replacing “Clair”).
This was Irish-born singer Gilbert O’Sullivan’s only American #1. It sold 2 million copies, spent six weeks at the summit in America and earned him three Grammy Award nominations (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year). It was the second best-selling single of the year in America behind Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
The guitar solo was performed by Big Jim Sullivan, one of the most prolific session guitarists in the UK. He used a guitar with nylon strings to get the distinctive sound.
