From the 1960s to the 1980s, Diamond was one of the more successful pop music performers, scoring a number of hits. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, "as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart."[1] As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.[2]
Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres.
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early part of 2011.
In 2008 Neil Diamond scored his first ever Billboard number one album with "Home Before Dark", the album also became his first studio album to get to number one in the UK.
Alone Again
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top
To throw myself off
In an effort to
Make it clear to whoever
When you're shattered
Left standing in the lurch at a church
Were people saying, my God, that's tough
She stood him up
No point in us remaining
We may as well go home
As I did on my own
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to who wouldn't do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Threw me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about, God in His mercy
Oh, if he really does exist
Why did he desert me
In my hour of need
I truly am indeed
Alone again, naturally
Seems to me that there are more hearts
Broken in the world that can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do
What do we do
Looking back over the years
And whatever else appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide my tears
And at sixty-six years old
My mother, God rest her soul
Couldn't understand why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start
With a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally
The lyrics of Neil Diamond's song Alone Again, naturally describe the heart-wrenching emotions of a person who feels abandoned and shattered by the events that have happened in life. In the first verse, the singer confesses feeling sour, and in an attempt to make things clear to anyone who cares to understand what it feels like to be shattered, he plans to throw himself off a tower. The reason for his distress is the callous way he was left at the altar, with people only sympathizing with him for a moment before going back to their lives. The chorus is a reiterated phrase that encapsulates the feeling of being lonely again, left to pick up the pieces after a heartbreak.
The second verse is a reflection of the character's state of mind - being cheerful and upbeat, looking forward to life passing by until reality hits with no warning, leaving him shattered into little pieces, doubting his beliefs and his faith in God. He questions why God would desert him when he needed him the most, and he is alone again. The final verse is a musing on the inevitability of heartbreak and how it breaks more hearts than it can mend. The singer remembers his father's death and his mother's grief and how she could never recover from the loss. He concludes that he is alone again, naturally.
Line by Line Meaning
In a little while from now
I'll be honest later
If I'm not feeling any less sour
If I'm still feeling bitter
I promise myself to treat myself
I'll reward myself
And visit a nearby tower
And go to a high place
And climbing to the top
And go all the way up
To throw myself off
To jump and end it all
In an effort to
So that
Make it clear to whoever
It's obvious to anyone
Wants to know what it's like
What it feels like
When you're shattered
When you're broken
Left standing in the lurch at a church
Abandoned at the altar
Were people saying, my God, that's tough
While people told me it's hard
She stood him up
She left him waiting
No point in us remaining
There's no reason to stay
We may as well go home
We should just leave
As I did on my own
Like I did before
Alone again, naturally
Lonely once more
To think that only yesterday
Just the other day
I was cheerful, bright and gay
I was happy and full of life
Looking forward to who wouldn't do
Excited about what was to come
The role I was about to play
The part I was going to act
But as if to knock me down
But suddenly
Reality came around
What's real hit me
And without so much as a mere touch
Without any warning
Threw me into little pieces
Broke me into small parts
Leaving me to doubt
Making me question
Talk about, God in His mercy
I sometimes think about God's kindness
Oh, if he really does exist
If God truly exists
Why did he desert me
Why did he abandon me
In my hour of need
When I needed help the most
I truly am indeed
I really am
Alone again, naturally
Lonely once again
Seems to me that there are more hearts
It appears that more people
Broken in the world that can't be mended
Are hurt and can't be fixed
Left unattended
Without help
What do we do
What can we possibly do
Looking back over the years
Recalling the past
And whatever else appears
And anything else that comes up
I remember I cried when my father died
I recall crying when my dad passed away
Never wishing to hide my tears
I never wanted to hide my emotions
And at sixty-six years old
And at an old age
My mother, God rest her soul
My late mother
Couldn't understand why the only man
Was confused about why the man
She had ever loved had been taken
She loved had passed away
Leaving her to start
Making her begin
With a heart so badly broken
With a broken heart
Despite encouragement from me
Even though I tried to help her
No words were ever spoken
She never talked about it
And when she passed away
And when she died
I cried and cried all day
I cried nonstop
Alone again, naturally
Lonely once again
Alone again, naturally
Lonely once again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Raymond Edward O'Sullivan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PianoGesang
Superfluous version of one of the best songs of all time - a Neil Diamond fan
Some guy
I weirdly like this. The original is the best but this ain’t half bad
Salguine
Yeah, this is...awful
Randolph Wellington
Hearing Neil Diamond cover this is proof that only Gilbert O'Sullivan is capable of performing this song.
Peter Q
Great cover, I used to think the original was quite a catchy tune until I actually realised it is a sad song but a great one all the same.
Mildducks 1
Took a lovely old classic song and made it his own...Good one Neil..
Beatlemaniac Waltdisneyfan
Now with this version i finally understood the first verse
Jesus Morales
Me encanta devo ser viejo
Jay MacGee
Omg this is awful .. I’m a fan too !! It’s like the life has been squeezed out if it and any emotion has just been watered down and lost. I’m sure this isn’t what Neil intended and when I saw that he had covered this beautiful standard I couldn’t wait to hear it. Sorry Neil, not one of your best mate 🏴
David Young
I love this song and Neil Diamond's voice but the guitar strumming on this track is distracting and I find it very annoying.