STUDIOCHINCHAN
Mr. Lonely (Bobby Vinton Song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Mr. Lonely” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by Bobby Vinton | |
| from the album Roses Are Red | |
| B-side | “It’s Better to Have Loved” |
| Released | 16 October 1964 |
| Recorded | February 16, 1962 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:40 |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Vinton, Gene Allan |
| Producer(s) | Bob Morgan Arranged and conducted by Robert Mersey |
| Bobby Vinton singles chronology | |
| “Clinging Vine“ (1964)”Mr. Lonely“ (1964)”Dearest Santa” (1964) | |
“Mr. Lonely” is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Bobby Vinton, backed by Robert Mersey and his Orchestra.
The song was first released on Vinton’s 1962 album, Roses Are Red.
Background
Vinton began writing the song in the late 1950s, while serving in the Army. The lyrics describe a soldier who is sent overseas and has no communication with his home. The singer laments his condition and wishes for someone to talk with.
The single of Vinton’s recording was released just as the Vietnam War was escalating and many soldiers were experiencing a similar situation. Vinton’s version was noted for his sobbing emotionally during the second verse. Vinton and Gene Allan later re-teamed to compose “Coming Home Soldier“, which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1967.
Although he turned out to be Epic Records’ best selling artist of the 1960s, the record company initially did not display confidence in Vinton. This song was included on his first vocal album, Roses Are Red, but it was not released as a single at that time. Vinton wanted it to be the followup to his first hit, “Roses Are Red,” but Epic’s executives chose the very similar “Rain Rain Go Away” instead,
giving “Mr. Lonely” to Buddy Greco, whom they were grooming as their next big superstar.
Greco’s version reached No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on November 10, 1962. After Vinton heard Greco’s version on the radio, the executives confessed to him that they felt he was more of a musician and songwriter than a singer. However, in the following months, Vinton’s continued success as a vocalist made them reconsider their position.
Many months later, when Epic gave Vinton the choice of which song should be the twelfth and final selection for his greatest-hits album, he chose “Mr. Lonely”. Following its inclusion on the album, many radio disc jockeys started to play the track—particularly those who remembered Buddy Greco’s version and how Vinton had been prevented from releasing it as a single.
With the song’s newfound popularity came a rise in demand for Vinton’s version to be released as a single. “Mr. Lonely” became one of Vinton’s signature songs and a favorite with servicemen around the world. Epic subsequently built an entire album release around “Mr. Lonely” when it became a hit as a single.
In 1966, Vinton recorded a sequel in which the singer comes home safe, “Coming Home Soldier.”
The Japanese radio program Jet Stream has been using Franck Pourcel’s Mr. Lonely as its theme song since 1967.
The Lettermen’s version is very popular in Japan. As they revived the song in 1971, although they recorded the song in 1965.
In 2024, The 8 Show released, using an increasingly distorted version of Mr. Lonely as its theme song.
- Victor Wood
- Mr. Lonely Instrumental (미스터 론리 Instrumental)
Chart history
The song spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 1 on December 12, 1964, while reaching No. 3 on Billboard‘s Middle-Road Singles chart. In Canada, the song reached No. 1 on RPM‘s “Top 40 & 5” chart. The song also reached No. 2 on New Zealand‘s “Lever Hit Parade”, No. 8 in Australia, and entered into the top 3 in South Africa.
In 1973, the song was re-released as a single, and it reached No. 24 in Flanders.
Covers and sampling
- Johnny Hallyday recorded the song in French under the title “Quand revient la nuit” (1965).
- Raymond Lovelock recorded the song in Italian under the title “Solo” (1965).
- Angel Olsen covered the track for the Kajillionaire soundtrack (2020).
- Bazzi sampled the song in his 2024 single “Still Feel Alone”.
Mr. Lonely may refer to:
- “Mr. Lonely” (Bobby Vinton song), 1964
- Mr. Lonely (album), 1964 album by Bobby Vinton
Mr. Lonely (Album)
| Mr. Lonely | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Bobby Vinton | |
| Released | December 1964 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | Epic |
| Producer | Bob Morgan |
| Bobby Vinton chronology | |
| A Very Merry Christmas (1964)Mr. Lonely (1964)Bobby Vinton Sings for Lonely Nights (1965) | |
| Singles from Mr. Lonely | |
| “Mr. Lonely“ Released: October 16, 1964 | |
Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Mr. Lonely is Bobby Vinton‘s tenth studio album, released in 1964. It was released right after the success of his fourth and final #1 US hit “Mr. Lonely,” a 1962 song that was released as a single after its appearance on Bobby Vinton’s Greatest Hits. Cover versions on this album include “Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)” and “I’ll Never Smile Again“. After the success of the single, Vinton released Bobby Vinton Sings for Lonely Nights, an album of songs devoted to the subject of loneliness.
Track listing
Side 1
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Mr. Lonely“ | Bobby Vinton, Gene Allan | 2:40 |
| 2. | “Always, Always (Yesterday’s Love Song)” | Chip Taylor | 2:34 |
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| 3. | “Tina” | Bobby Vinton, Lee Morris, Ty Lemley | 2:14 |
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| 4. | “Forever Yours I Remain” | Hal David, Burt Bacharach | 2:31 |
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| 5. | “Life Goes On” | Paul Evans, Paul Parnes | 3:04 |
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| 6. | “Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)“ | Bernie Wayne, Ben Raleigh | 2:34 |
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Side 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “A Thing Called Sadness” | Chuck Howard | 2:38 |
| 2. | “The Grass Is Always Greener” | Charlie Rich, Margaret Ann Rich | 2:17 |
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| 3. | “I’ll Never Smile Again“ | Ruth Lowe | 2:40 |
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| 4. | “Someone I Used to Know” | Bobby Vinton, Lee Morris | 2:12 |
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| 5. | “Satin” | Bobby Vinton, Lee Morris | 2:28 |
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| 6. | “It’s Better to Have Loved” | Bobby Vinton, Gene Allan | 2:42 |
|---|
Personnel
- Bob Morgan – producer
- Robert Mersey – arranger, conductor (“Mr. Lonely”)
- Garry Sherman – arranger, conductor (“Always, Always (Yesterday’s Love Song)”)
- Charles Calello – arranger, conductor (“Tina”)
- Burt Bacharach – arranger (“Forever Yours I Remain”)
- Stan Applebaum – arranger, conductor (“Life Goes On” and “Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)”)
- Bill Walker – arranger (“A Thing Called Sadness”, “The Grass Is Always Greener”, “I’ll Never Smile Again” and “It’s Better to Have Loved”)
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Billboard 200 | 18 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | “Mr. Lonely” | The Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 1964 | “Mr. Lonely” | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 3 |
- Mr. Lonely: His Greatest Songs Today, 1991 compilation album by Bobby Vinton
Mr. Lonely: His Greatest Songs Today (Album)
| Mr. Lonely: His Greatest Songs Today | |
|---|---|
| |
| Compilation album by Bobby Vinton | |
| Released | January 15, 1991 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | Curb |
| Bobby Vinton chronology | |
| Great Songs of Christmas (1990)Mr. Lonely: His Greatest Songs Today (1991)Greatest Polka Hits of All Time (1991) | |
Mr. Lonely: His Greatest Songs Today is a collection of previously recorded songs by Bobby Vinton for Curb Records. The first five tracks might be misleading to people of the baby boomer generation, as they are not the singles that Vinton had during the 1960s and the year of 1974 but re-recordings that Vinton made for Curb. For this collection, five songs were taken from Vinton’s self-explanatory album and four from his album Timeless. Re-recorded versions of “Mr. Lonely” and “Roses Are Red” make their first album appearance on this collection.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Mr. Lonely (Letter to a Soldier)“ | Bobby Vinton, Gene Allen | 2:43 |
| 2. | “Blue Velvet“ | Bernie Wayne, Lee Morris | 4:25 |
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| 3. | “Roses Are Red“ | Paul Evans, Al Byron | 3:46 |
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| 4. | “Melody of Love“ | Bobby Vinton, Henry Mayer | 3:12 |
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| 5. | “Blue on Blue“ | Hal David, Burt Bacharach | 3:09 |
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| 6. | “I’ve Always Loved You” | Bobby Vinton, Gene Allen | 3:42 |
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| 7. | “This Time I Know It’s Real” | Norman Sallitt | 3:46 |
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| 8. | “The Last Rose” | C.F. House | 3:16 |
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| 9. | “It’s Been One of Those Days” | Chester Lester, Tim DuBois, Mike Seals | 3:30 |
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| 10. | “How Old Do You Get” | Peter McCann, Chip Young | 3:00 |
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| 11. | “What Did You Do With Your Old 45’s” | Pam Hanna, George Pickard | 3:55 |
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Album credits
- “Mr. Lonely (Letter to a Soldier)” and “Blue Velvet” produced by: Michael Lloyd
- “Roses Are Red” produced by: Bob Gaudio
- “Melody of Love” and “It’s Been One of Those Days” produced by: Bobby Vinton and Michael Lloyd
- “Blue on Blue,” “I’ve Always Loved You,” and “This Time I Know It’s Real” produced by: Bobby Vinton
- “The Last Rose” produced by: Peter Drake and Michael Lloyd
- “How Old Do You Get” and “What Did You Do With Your Old 45’s” produced by: Jerry Kennedy
- Art direction/Design: Neuman, Walker & Associates
- “911 / Mr. Lonely“, 2017 song by Tyler, the Creator
- Mister Lonely, a 2007 film (In Paris, a young American who works as a Michael Jackson look-alike meets Marilyn Monroe, who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives with Charlie Chaplin and her daughter, Shirley Temple.)
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