Alone Again Or (song) 3277461 226086889 2008-07-16T19:40:09Z Twsx 1964288 fixing genre capitalization mistakes per [[Wikipedia:MUSTARD#Capitalization|WP:MUSTARD]] -> [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(capital_letters)#Musical_genres|MOS:CAPS]] + cleanup. {{Infobox Single | Name = Alone Again Or | Cover = | Artist = [[Love (band)|Love]] | from Album = [[Forever Changes]] | B-side = <small>"A House Is Not A Motel" (USA)<br/>"Bummer In The Summer" (elsewhere)</small> | Released = January 1968 | Format = [[Gramophone record|7"]] | Recorded = [[Los Angeles]], June-September [[1967]] | Genre = [[Psychedelic rock]], [[baroque pop]] | Length = 2:49 (edited single version) | Label = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]<br/><small>EK 45629 (USA)<br/>EKSN 45024 (UK)</small> | Writer = [[Bryan MacLean]] | Producer = [[Bruce Botnick]] and [[Arthur Lee (musician)|Arthur Lee]] | Chart position = #99 (USA) | Last single = | This single = | Next single = }} '''"Alone Again Or"''' is a song originally recorded in 1967 by [[Love (band)|Love]], the psychedelic folk-rock proto-punk band from [[Los Angeles]], [[USA]]. It was written by band member [[Bryan MacLean]]. It was the opening track on the classic album ''[[Forever Changes]]'', and was also released as a single in the USA, UK, Australia, France and Holland.<ref>[http://love.torbenskott.dk/singles.asp#ForeignSingles Love Singles<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Love's version ranked #436 on [[Rolling Stone]]'s list of the [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]. Versions have subsequently been recorded by an eclectic variety of bands and singers including [[The Damned]] (1987), [[UFO (band)|UFO]] (1977), [[Sarah Brightman]] (1990), [[Chris Pérez]] Band (1999), [[Calexico]] (2004), and [[Under the Covers, Vol. 1|Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs]] (2006). Two demo versions by MacLean himself were released in 1997 on his album ''Ifyoubelievein''. ==Original recording by Love== Bryan MacLean originally wrote the song, then simply called "Alone Again", in 1965 for Love's [[Love (Love album)|debut album]]. However, he did not complete it until the recording of ''Forever Changes'' in summer 1967. The song was inspired by his memory of waiting for a girlfriend, and the melody drew on [[Prokofiev]]'s ''[[Lieutenant Kijé (Prokofiev)|Lieutenant Kije Suite]]''.<ref name=hoskyns>[[Barney Hoskyns]], ''Arthur Lee - Alone Again Or'', 2001, ISBN 1-84195-085-5</ref> The essence of the song is the contrast between the positivity of the tune and the bleakness of the lyrics, with the chorus ''"And I will be alone again tonight, my dear."''<ref>[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Alone%20Again%20Or Alone Again Or@Everything2.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> For the recording session, arranger [[David Angel (musician)|David Angel]] worked with MacLean, and they added a string section and a horn part for a [[mariachi]] band who co-producer [[Bruce Botnick]] had recently used on a [[Tijuana Brass]] album. MacLean later said ''"That was the happiest I ever was with anything we ever did as a band - the orchestral arrangement of that song."''<ref name=hoskyns /> However, Botnick, with co-producer and band leader [[Arthur Lee (musician)|Arthur Lee]], remixed the track to bring Lee's own harmony vocal to the forefront of the song, at least partly on the grounds that MacLean's own vocal lead was too weak.<ref name=hoskyns /> Lee also added to the mystery of the song by changing the title to "Alone Again '''Or'''". Released as a single at the beginning of 1968, "Alone Again Or" reached # 99 on the US [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] pop charts. Over the years it has become regarded as a classic of the era, being ranked #436 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. ==Single by The Damned== {{Infobox Single | Name = Alone Again Or | Cover = Damned_AloneAgainOr.jpg | Artist = [[The Damned]] | from Album = [[Anything (The Damned album)|Anything]] | B-side = "In Dulce Decorum (Live)" | Released = [[April 6]], [[1987]] | Format = [[CD single|CD]], [[Gramophone record|7"]], [[12-inch single|12"]] | Recorded = [[Denmark]]; [[Hammersmith]] [[1986]] | Genre = [[Psychedelic rock]] | Length = 3:38 | Label = [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]]<br/><small>GRIM 7</small> | Producer = [[Jon Kelly]] | Chart position = * #27 [[UK Singles Chart|U.K.]] | Last single = "[[Gigolo (song)|Gigolo]]"<br/>(1987) | This single = "Alone Again Or"<br/>(1987) | Next single = "[[In Dulce Decorum]]"<br/>(1987) }} "Alone Again Or" was a single released by [[The Damned]] in [[1987]]. They recorded it as an acknowledgement of one of their influences, Love. Boosted by multi-format releases (including the band's first [[Compact Disc|CD]] single, which included the first release of their version of "[[Eloise (Paul Ryan song)|Eloise]]" on this format) and a surreal video helmed by [[Gerard de Thame]], the single peaked at #27 - The Damned's final Top 40 hit to date. The UK B-side "In Dulce Decorum" was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon on November 12, 1986. [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] also issued the single in the [[USA]], their first single to be issued in the territory since "[[Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (song)|Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde]]" in 1981. This release added the studio version of "In Dulce Decorum" in place of the live version on the UK release. ===Track listing=== # "Alone Again Or" ([[Bryan MacLean|MacLean]]) - 3:38 # "In Dulce Decorum (Live)" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick) Bonus Tracks on 12" single: - # "Alone Again Or (Mixed Again)" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick) # "Psychomania (Live)" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick) :"Psychomania" was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon on November 12, 1986. Bonus Tracks on CD single: - # "[[Eloise (Paul Ryan song)|Eloise]]" ([[Paul Ryan (singer)|Ryan]]) - 5:07 # "Psychomania (Live)" (Jugg, Scabies, Vanian, Merrick) ===Production credits=== * '''[[Record producer|Producer]]''': ** [[Jon Kelly]] * '''[[Musician]]s''': ** [[Dave Vanian]]: [[Singer|Vocals]] ** [[Roman Jugg]]: [[Guitar]] ** [[Rat Scabies]]: [[Drum]]s ** [[Bryn Merrick]]: [[Bass guitar|Bass]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Alone%20Again%20Or Critical appraisal of Love's version, with lyrics] {{The Damned}} [[Category:1968 singles]] [[Category:1987 singles]]