Thursday 20 February 2014

My Top Ten Alone... Songs


There are hundreds of great songs about being alone. So I had to narrow down the running.

Here's ten that begin with the word 'Alone'... do play by the rules now.



10. The Strokes - Alone, Together

The Strokes are OK. I still kinda prefer their dad. (See last week's Top Ten.)

9. The Morning After Girls - Alone

One of the reasons I do this blog is because it forces me to listen to songs that exist in my record collection that I've never listened to before. This was ripped from one of those free magazine CDs a few years back... and it's pretty cool.

8. The Bee Gees - Alone

Because we don't get enough Bee Gees round these parts.

7. Spearmint - Alone In A Town

According to google, this song does not exist. Which is a crying shame because it's a tragic story of Shirley Lee's loneliest student Christmas. Track it down and share his misery.

6. King - Alone Without You

Do not watch the video. Remember this song without sullying your eyeballs with the worst excesses of 80s pop nonsense. No wonder Paul King ended up working for MTV.
Na-na Na nana 
Nana Naa Na na nana!
5. The Beautiful South - Alone
Half an hour is seven hours
One day is several months... alone.
Heato at his most heartbreaking.
He knows 'hello' in 18 languages
'I love you' in only one
By the time he's got his phrasebook
His chance is usually gone
4. The Broken Family Band - Alone In The Make-Out Room

A song about being feeling terribly alone in a "happy" relationship... gone very bad.
I wanna watch you drown in a lake
Or get stamped by a bull or bit by a snake
And there is not a single doctor who will come and help you

I want you to move to Australia
With me a success and you facing failure
And all of the friends you had ignoring your calls
3. Heart - Alone

All I need is to hear the opening line and suddenly I'm 15 again and no one will ever love me...

2. Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again, Naturally

First Gilbert gets dumped at the altar, then his mum and dad pop their clogs. No wonder he wants to top himself...
In a little while from now,
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top,
Will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
where people 're saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.
We may as well go home."
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally
Pure suicide anthem joy. No wonder Morrissey was a fan.

1. Love - Alone Again, Or

One of the greatest songs of the sixties, just mesmerising. Love that Spanish guitar.

Pretty damned fine 80s cover by The Damned too. (Although the video features possibly the worst moustache ever seen in show business.)




Please don't leave me all alone without a comment...

10 comments:

  1. There's a bootleg album of Kate Bush tracks entitled Alone At My Piano but I guess it doesn't count...?

    ReplyDelete
  2. So, if I am reading the rules right, Alone must be the first or only word in the title.

    My top choice would be "Alone with You" by the Sunnyboys. 80's rock.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMFumcGBkbs

    Other choices would be :
    Alone - Ben Harper
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMznBR_gTvY

    Alone and Foresaken - Hank Williams - amazing arrangement, such emotion in this song.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8mO6JVAShw

    And I like the Bee Gees, but Alone is not one of their finest moments in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good calls as always, Deano. Never heard of the Sunnyboys before but I liked that track.

      Delete
  3. Yes I know it doesn't fit (your kine 2), but I'm rubbish at contributing recently so I'm tossing in Eric Carmen...which doesn't even have the word alone. Even Lloyd Cole puts it at the end of the song title...I will not leave you alone. Stumped

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure I'll find room for Eric Carmen one day, Nota. Keep that poster up on your bedroom wall in the meantime,

      Delete
  4. Brilliance from Gilbert O'Sullivan. No place for Together Alone by Crowded House?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am completely in agreement with the number 1 track here. Marvellous stuff. And in response, I have to offer up 'Alone' by This Mortal Coil. http://youtu.be/HAExoKUICT8

    As Rainey would no doubt say - is it 4AD?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In my Top Ten Songs About Record Labels, I got stuck after a couple about Motown and Half Man Half Biscuit's seminal 4AD3DCD.

      Delete

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