Lonely People
{{other uses|Lonely People (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Lonely People
| cover = Lonely_People_-_America.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = America
| album = Holiday
| B-side = Mad Dog
| format =
| recorded =
| studio = AIR (London)
| venue =
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=27}}
| label = Warner Bros. 8048
| writer = Dan Peek, Catherine Peek
| producer = George Martin
| prev_title = Tin Man
| prev_year = 1974
| next_title = Sister Golden Hair
| next_year = 1975
}}
"Lonely People" is a song written by the husband-and-wife team of Dan Peek and Catherine Peek and recorded by America. It was the second single from America's 1974 album Holiday.
Background
"Lonely People" was written as an optimistic "answer song" to the Beatles' song "Eleanor Rigby". Dan Peek considered "Eleanor Rigby" an "overwhelming picture...of the masses of lost humanity, drowning in grey oblivion", and would recall being "lacerated" on first hearing the lyrics of its chorus: "All the lonely people: where do they all come from?...where do they all belong?". "Lonely People" was written within a few weeks of Dan Peek's 1973 marriage to Catherine Maberry-Peek: "I always felt like a melancholy, lonely person. And now [upon getting married] I felt like I’d won."{{cite web|url=http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/america-founding-guitarist-dan-peek-dies/|title=America Founding Guitarist Dan Peek Dies|publisher=The Morton Report|access-date=March 7, 2014|date=2011-07-26}} The lyrics of "Lonely People" advise "all the lonely people": "Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup", a metaphor which Dan Peek explains: "It's possible to drink from another's well of experience...and be refreshed." Record World described it as being "about solitude and salvation."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=December 14, 1974|access-date=2023-03-13|title=Single Picks|page=16|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/74/RW-1974-12-14.pdf}}
"Lonely People" was not automatically earmarked for the Holiday album: Dan Peek unsuccessfully submitted a demo of the song for John Sebastian to consider recording.{{cite book |last=Peek |first=Dan |title=An American Band: the America Story |publisher=Xulon Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-594679-29-0}}
=Dan Peek solo release=
After Dan Peek left America in 1977, he recalled performing "Lonely People" to close his concerts, introducing the song with words to the effect "that Jesus is the answer to loneliness". On the advice of a fan, Peek rewrote the lyrics of the song to convey a pro-Christian message and he recorded a revised version of "Lonely People" for his 1986 album Electro-Voice. This version changed the original lyrics "And ride that highway in the sky" and "You never know until you try" to "And give your heart to Jesus Christ."{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|volume=98 |number=32 |date=August 9, 1986|title=Dan Peek Discusses His Latest Album Electro Voice|publisher=The Morton Report}} Peek's version was released as a single in 1986 and became a hit on contemporary Christian music stations.{{cite book| url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006S1EBK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2XLXT7FQSXJ4Z&coliid=I76Y6NWA7PUFG | title=– Hot hits: Christian hit radio : 20 years of charts, artist bios, and more| date=January 1999| publisher=CCM Creative Ventures | access-date=July 19, 2016}}{{cite book| url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1410732940/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 | title=– CCM Hot Hits: AC Charts 1978-2001| date=23 July 2003| publisher=1st Book Library | isbn=9781410732941| access-date=July 19, 2016}}
Chart performance
"Lonely People" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100,[http://musicvf.com/song.php?title=Lonely+People+by+America&id=2125 America, "Lonely People" Chart Positions] Retrieved March 30, 2015 the Peeks' only credited song to reach that chart's top 10,[http://musicvf.com/songs.php?page=artist&artist=Dan+Peek&tab=songaswriterchartstab Chart Positions for Dan Peek songs] Retrieved March 30, 2015 and was America's second number one on the Easy Listening chart, where it stayed for one week in February 1975.{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=20}}
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=America version=
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=Dan Peek version=
Other versions
Jars of Clay recorded "Lonely People" for their 2003 album Who We Are Instead.[https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/WhoWeAreInstead.asp Jesus Freak Hideout Music Review of Who We Are Instead by Jars of Clay, retrieved 30 August 2022] Their version was featured on The WB TV series Everwood and was on the 2004 Everwood soundtrack album.[https://www.allmusic.com/album/everwood-mw0000140025 All Music Guide Everwood Original TV Soundtrack listing, retrieved 30 August 2022]
In 2024, Christian folk singer J.J. Heller recorded "Lonely People" for her album I Dream of You: HOME.{{Cite web |title=Music |url=https://www.jjheller.com/music |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=jjheller.com |language=en-US}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{America (band)}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Dan Peek
Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin