Oh, Lonely what a boy
When I first heard ‘Lonely Boy’ by Andrew Gold I was instantly hooked on the simply brilliant rock ballad. In 1977 a fair few people agreed with me since It peaked at number 7 in the US and reached 11th spot in the UK charts. According to its discography, the lyrics which engaged with the life of a boy who felt abandoned by his parents upon the arrival of a sister were considered somewhat autobiographical in nature. This was steadfastly denied by the artist, who sadly died on 3rd June 2011, although the similarities with his own upbringing were nonetheless uncanny. Having learned the lyrics by continual repetition, and latterly the banging of the steering wheel I wondered why more firstborn didn’t get pissed off on the arrival of a sibling?
Another melodic, haunting, and equally captivating song, released earlier in the decade, was made famous as the opening theme to the smash hit TV show M*A*S*H. Performed by Jonny Mandel, and forever seared into the consciousness of many folks of a certain age, ‘Suicide is Painless’ was, to me at the time anyhow, just another brilliant track. As a teenager, the meaning of the term suicide was just lost within the hypnotic harmonies.
Decades later, via YouTube, I happened upon these gems again and fell immediately back in love with the magical Andrew Gold