Solitary Man
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| “Solitary Man” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Neil Diamond | |||||
| B-side | "Do It" | ||||
| Released | April 4, 1966[1] | ||||
| Format | 7-inch | ||||
| Genre | Pop/Rock | ||||
| Label | Bang Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Neil Diamond | ||||
| Producer | Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich | ||||
| Neil Diamond singles chronology | |||||
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"Solitary Man" is a 1966 song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, that has been a hit for him and others across five decades.
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[edit] History
Released in April 1966, "Solitary Man" was Diamond's debut single as a recording artist (he had already had some success as a songwriter for others), put out on Bang Records.[1] By July it had become a minor hit in places, 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, released in August.[1]
While nominally about young romantic failure, parts of the lyric:
- Don't know that I will,
- But until, I can find 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 ..."[2] Indeed, Diamond himself would bemusedly tell interviewers in the 2000s, "After four years of Freudian analysis I realised I had written 'Solitary Man' about myself."[3]
"Solitary Man"'s dynamic melody matched with this melancholic universality would make the song an attractive target for later interpretations.
After Diamond had renewed commercial success with Universal Records at the end of the decade, Bang Records re-released "Solitary Man" as a single and it reached #21 on the U.S. pop charts in summer 1970.[4]
A 2005 Rolling Stone retrospective would write, "'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."[5]
[edit] Chris Isaak's cover
Chris Isaak covered "Solitary Man" as the last track for his 1993 album San Francisco Days. The music video for the song is directed by Larry Clark.
[edit] Johnny Cash's cover
| “American III: Solitary Man” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Cash | |||||
| Released | October 17, 2000 | ||||
| Genre | Country | ||||
| Length | 42:15 | ||||
| Label | American Recordings | ||||
| Producer | John Carter Cash, Rick Rubin | ||||
| American series chronology | |||||
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Johnny Cash used "Solitary Man" for the title track of his 3rd American Recordings album in 2000) and he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance with it.
[edit] HIM's cover
| “Solitary Man” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by HIM from the album And Love Said No - The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 |
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| Released | March, 2004 | ||||
| Format | CD single | ||||
| Recorded | 2004 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Producer | HIM | ||||
| HIM singles chronology | |||||
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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 a music video, produced by Bam Margera, was created.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Finnish and European version
- "Solitary Man"
- "Please Don't Let It Go" (Live)
- "Join Me in Death" (Live)
[edit] UK version
- Vol. 1 DVD single
- "Solitary Man" (video)
- "Right Here in My Arms" (video)
- Making of "Buried Alive by Love"
- Pandora's slideshow
- "Your Sweet 666" (Audio-Live 2003)
- Vol. 2 CD single
- "Solitary Man"
- "Please Don't Let it Go" (Punk Rock version - Live 2003)
- Vol. 3 7" Vinyl
- "Solitary Man"
[edit] Charts positions
| Chart position (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finland Singles | #2 |
| UK Singles Chart | #9 |
| Germany Singles | #17 |
| Switzerland Singles | #40 |
| Austria Singles | #45 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d William Ruhlmann. Neil Diamond: Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
- ^ Neil McCormick. "Neil Diamond: the hurt, the dirt, the shirts", The Daily Telegraph, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
- ^ Pete Paphides. "I’ll be what I am. A solitary man", The Times, 2006-04-07. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1983). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: 1955 to present. Billboard Publications. ISBN 0-8230-7511-7. p. 88.
- ^ Dan Epstein. "Neil Diamonds' Jewels", Rolling Stone, 2005-11-03. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
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