Music Monday: We’re All Alone

Have you ever heard a song that sounds vaguely familiar, but you don’t know when you heard it, or who it’s by? And then when it gets to the chorus, or a solo, or a particular line you think, “Oh, it’s that song!” But you still can’t place how you know it, or who sang it. And then the song buzzes around in your head for days and you have to ask people what it is, or go hunt it down on the Internet (people of my generation: do you remember the days before the Internet when you had to put up with not knowing, or hope to catch the song on the radio?).

That’s what prompted this week’s choice for Music Monday. “We’re All Alone” was written by Boz Scaggs for his 1976 album “Silk Degrees.” He never released it as a single (aside from being the “B” side of “Lido Shuffle,” and as a double-“A” side release in Australia), but others picked up on it, notably Frankie Valli, and then in 1978 Rita Coolidge made it a top ten hit in the UK and the US. So I probably heard it on the radio and on TV growing up, but never gave it much thought. Yet certain parts of the song buried themselves in my subconscious–parts that appeal to the part of my brain that picks up on interesting chord changes and tunes. It’s fascinating to me that even before I could play an instrument or knew anything about music (I just loved listening to it), I was drawn to such things.

Anyway, fast forward many years. Just within the last year, actually, I was going through some old UK top twenty charts when I came to this song, “We’re All Alone” by Rita Coolidge. Rita’s name rang a bell, but the song title didn’t. As soon as I played it, it was like seeing an old friend in the distance–you can’t quite make him out, but there’s something familiar about that silhouette. Then the chorus began, and it was instant recognition: “Oh, it’s that song!” And then I found out that while Rita’s version was probably the most successful, it was by no means the only one. Probably the biggest surprise for me was learning that Boz Scaggs (of “Lido Shuffle” fame) wrote it. I didn’t (and still don’t) know much Boz Scaggs, but I would never have expected him to have written this. I must say, I like it when songwriters surprise me like that.

So I’m featuring “We’re All Alone” this week because it’s a nice song, and also for anyone who has had this song in their head for years and never known what it is, who sang it, or who wrote it. You can sleep easy tonight.

There are some interesting differences between the Boz Scaggs and Rita Coolidge versions. It looks as if Boz wrote it for someone in particular (“Amie”–unless he means the French for a female friend, amie, which is possible), so Rita changed that line. She also changed another line near the end, which may have been accidental (“owe it to the wind” versus “throw it to the wind”). Also the chords are not the same, with Boz’s version being simpler. Personally, I prefer the arrangement Rita Coolidge uses (the F#m7 to B7 as opposed to just a B7, and the Dm7 to G as opposed to just a G, for example), though I prefer Boz’s instrumentation, and piano introduction and ending. I couldn’t decide whose version to transcribe for you, so I’m giving you both. First here’s a rough idea of what the piano’s doing in Boz’s introduction (with the caveat that I’m not trained in writing notes, so please don’t judge!):

And here’s the piano ending:

You see that Gadd4 at the end? If you listen closely you can hear the C-note in the midst of the G-chord. It sounds weird, but it’s there.

Here are lead sheets for both versions (click to enlarge):

And finally, here are videos of the songs. First Boz Scaggs’s original:

And now the 1978 hit by Rita Coolidge:

We seem to have spent a lot of time in the 1970s these past few weeks. Any suggestions for 1980s songs you’d like me to feature?