"Lonely Boy" is an international hit song from 1977, written and recorded by Andrew Gold in 1976 for his album What's Wrong with This Picture? It spent five months on the American charts, peaking at number seven in both Canada and the United States, and number 11 in the United Kingdom. While "Lonely Boy" would be Gold's biggest U.S. hit, his "Never Let Her Slip Away" achieved greater success in the U.K.
Overview
The song follows the life of a child who feels neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical, yet Gold denied the implication, despite great similarities between the lyrics and his life. Regarding the verses' first lines: "He was born on a summer day in 1951" matches Andrew's August 2, 1951 birthday, "In the summer of '53 his mother/Brought him a sister" matches his sister Martha's July 22, 1953 birthday, and "He left home on a winter day, 1969" may well match the formation of Bryndle, of which Andrew was a member, in 1969. The second verse of the song features backing vocals provided by Linda Ronstadt. Gold had previously worked with Ronstadt as a producer and backing musician. The song was also released as an edited single, eliminating the vocal bridge and shortening the instrumental finale.
The song was featured in a number of films including Boogie Nights, The Waterboy, and The Nice Guys. It was the final video to be played on the MTV cable channel's first day of broadcast in the United States, on August 1, 1981.. It was also used in "The Pool," an episode of the TV seriesThis Is Us, first broadcast on October 18, 2016, and "Into the Black," an episode of the TV series Animal Kingdom, first broadcast on July 2, 2019. The song's use in Boogie Nights was designated as one of "The 30 Greatest Rock & Roll Movie Moments" by Rolling Stone magazine. In 1982 Italian singer Ron covered the song adding Italian language lyrics, releasing it as Cosa farò in his album Guarda chi si vede. In 1997 country music band Blackhawk recorded a cover for their third studio albumLove & Gravity. In February 2000, the Foo Fighters recorded a cover of the song to be used as a B-side for an upcoming single off their 1999 albumThere Is Nothing Left to Lose; however, it wasn't used as a B-side as planned. On Marc Maron's January 17, 2013 WTF podcast, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl said that the band's cover of "Lonely Boy" would eventually be released as the A-side of a special "Solid Gold" 45 rpm single with a Foo Fighters version of Gold's "Never Let Her Slip Away" as the B-side. In 2007, the song was covered separately by the bands Farrah and Lazlo Bane. In 2013, rock bandThe Almost covered this song for their album Fear Inside Our Bones. British-American band The Hoosiers often cover this song when they perform live. British singer Petula Clark who covered "Lonely Boy" in French on her Paris, Orleans, Paris album.
