People love to wallow, which explains why songs like "Alone Again (Naturally)," a No. 1 hit by Gilbert O'Sullivan in 1971, garner such attention. It's not enough, of course, to just pile up a laundry list of troubles in a song and hope it succeeds. You have to know how to structure the heartbreak, musically and lyrically, so a mass audience wants to hear it again. O'Sullivan handled that task as well as anyone could have hoped on his biggest hit, which is why "Alone Again (Naturally)" still sustains as one of pop music's most affecting downers.
The post The Story and Meaning Behind “Alone Again (Naturally),” Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Lovely (If Depressing) Chart-Topper appeared first on American Songwriter.