Solitary Man (song)

"Solitary Man" is a song that was written and composed by American musician Neil Diamond, who himself initially recorded the song for BANG Records in late January 1966. It has since been covered many times by such artists as Billy Joe Royal, B.J. Thomas, Jay and the Americans, T. G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, The Sidewinders, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash, Johnny Rivers, HIM, Crooked Fingers, Cliff Richard, Ólöf Arnalds, Theuns Jordaan and Farhad Mehrad.

"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
GenreSoft rock[2]
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

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 of them were.[1] By July, the track had become a minor hit, rising to #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]

While nominally about young romantic failure, lines in the lyrics that read:

Don't know that I will
But until I can find me
A girl who'll stay
And won't play games behind me
I'll be what I am--
A solitary man...
Solitary man

have 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] 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]

"Solitary Man's" dynamic melody, matched with the melancholic universality of its lyrics, would make the song an attractive target for later interpretations.

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]

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.

On such live albums as Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour, Hot August Night, and some subsequent recordings, Diamond altered the lyrics to "then you came along" from the original "then Sue came along." Many critics consider "Solitary Man" to be Diamond's signature tune.

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."[7]

Chart history

Notable cover versions

T. G. Sheppard's version
"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 #14 on the U.S. country music chart (Hot Country Songs) and #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's cover

In 1966, famous 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 and who, eight years before, had written the lyrics to Domenico Modugno's international hit "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)."
This song was arranged by Ennio Morricone, who at that time conducted many tunes published by the Italian branch of the RCA Victor Records label, and was the B-Side of "C'era un ragazzo che come me amava i Beatles e i Rolling Stones," or "There was a boy who, like me, loved the Beatles and the Rolling Stones," a song against the Vietnam War.

The Sidewinders's cover

The Tucson, Arizona alternative rock band The Sidewinders added a version of the song as the fifth track on their 1989 hit album Witchdoctor.[14]

Chris Isaak's cover
"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 covered "Solitary Man" as the last selection of his 1993 album San Francisco Days. The music video for Isaak's version of the song was directed by Larry Clark.

Johnny Cash's cover
"Solitary Man"
Song by Johnny Cash
from the album American III: Solitary Man
LanguageEnglish
ReleasedOctober 17, 2000
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 3rd album under the American Recordings label, American III: Solitary Man, in 2000. The recording received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. His recording of the song was used in the penultimate episode of Stargate Atlantis, "Vegas," and in the 17th episode of the fifth season of Criminal Minds. In Stargate Atlantis, the song was used twice during the same episode: the first time had the character, Detective John Shepard listening to it on the radio as he drove with a montage going, and the second was shortly before the credits, when Shepard apparently died. This recording was also used for the opening credits of the 2010 film Solitary Man, which starred Michael Douglas.

HIM's cover
"Solitary Man"
Single by HIM
from the album
And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004
ReleasedMarch 2004
Recorded2004
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)HIM
HIM singles chronology
"The Sacrament"
(2003)		 "Solitary Man"
(2004)		 "And Love Said No"
(2004)

In 2004, the 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.

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 version

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

CD single

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

7" vinyl

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

Chart history
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Finland Singles 2
UK Singles Chart 9
Germany Singles 17
Switzerland Singles 40
Austria Singles 45

Crooked Fingers's cover

The band Crooked Fingers covered "Solitary Man" on their five-selection EP of cover songs, the Reservoir Songs EP.

Cliff Richard's cover

Cliff Richard recorded "Solitary Man" for his 1966 EP La La La La La.

Skin Flesh & Bones's cover

Skin Flesh & Bones recorded a reggae cover of it on their 1974 7" release.[15]

Tony Carey's cover

Tony Carey covered "Solitary Man" on his album Only the Young Die Good[16] and on the album The Boystown Tapes.[17]

Jussi Syren And The Groundbreakers's cover

Jussi Syren And The Groundbreakers [18] recorded a bluegrass version on their album Heartagrass - An Acoustic Tribute To HIM,[19] a tribute to fellow Finnish performers HIM, whose version of the selection is described above.

Ups and Downs' cover

Ups and Downs recorded an indie pop cover on their 1986 EP Sleepless.

References
  1. William Ruhlmann. "Neil Diamond: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  2. "Explore: Soft Rock | Top Songs | AllMusic". 2011-11-12. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved 2014-06-29.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. Neil McCormick (2008-03-05). "Neil Diamond: the hurt, the dirt, the shirts". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  4. Pete Paphides (2006-04-07). "I'll be what I am. A solitary man". The Times. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  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. Dan Epstein (2005-11-03). "Neil Diamond's Jewels". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  8. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1966-07-18. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1970-09-19. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-08-14. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
  12. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 72.
  13. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 19, 1971
  14. "Witchdoctor - Sidewinders - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  15. "Skin, Flesh & Bones - Solitary Man". Discogs. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  16. "Only the Young Die Good - Tony Carey — Listen and discover music at Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  17. "The Boystown Tapes - Tony Carey — Listen and discover music at Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  18. Jussi Syren And The Groundbreakers
  19. "Jussi Syren And The Groundbreakers - Heartagrass - An Acoustic Tribute To HIM". Discogs. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
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