Tired of Being Alone

"Tired of Being Alone" is a soul song written by American singer Al Green. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Soul Singles Chart in 1971. Billboard ranked it as the number-12 song for 1971.

"Tired of Being Alone"
Side-A label of original 1971 edition
Single by Al Green
from the album Al Green Gets Next to You
B-side
  • "Get Back Baby" (US)
  • "Right Now, Right Now" (UK)
ReleasedJune 1971[1] (June 1971[2])
Recorded1971
GenreSoul
Length2:43
LabelHi
Songwriter(s)Al Green
Producer(s)Willie Mitchell
Al Green singles chronology
"Driving Wheel"
(1971)		 "Tired of Being Alone"
(1971)		 "Let's Stay Together"
(1971)

Background

Though released on the 1971 album, Al Green Gets Next to You, the song was written in late 1968 and intended to be released on the 1969 album, Green Is Blues. Problems occurred with the first recording, so it was postponed for production. It was altered and perfected the second time around.

"Tired of Being Alone" was produced and recorded by Willie Mitchell at Hi Records and mixed by Mitchell and Terry Manning. In 1973, Green performed the song with Chicago on the TV special Chicago in the Rockies. In 2002, this recording appeared as a bonus track on the remastered version of Chicago VI.

In 2004, Green's version was ranked number 293 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]

Charts
Chart (1971) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[4] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 11
US Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard)[6] 7

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[8] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Texas version
"Tired of Being Alone"
Single by Texas
B-side"Wrapped in Clothes of Blue"
ReleasedApril 13, 1992 (1992-04-13)[9]
Length
  • 3:17 (single version)
  • 3:28 (The Greatest Hits version)
LabelPhonogram
Songwriter(s)Al Green
Producer(s)Texas, Kenny MacDonald
Texas singles chronology
"Mothers Heaven (Remix)"
(1992)		 "Tired of Being Alone"
(1992)		 "So Called Friend"
(1992)

In 1992, Scottish band Texas covered "Tired of Being Alone", which became a substantial hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-recorded version later appeared on their 2000 album, The Greatest Hits.

Track listings

7-inch single (TEX 8)

  1. "Tired of Being Alone" – 3:17
  2. "Wrapped in Clothes of Blue" – 4:18

CD1 (TEXCD 8 / 866 883-2)

  1. "Tired of Being Alone" – 3:17
  2. "Thrill Has Gone" – 4:25
  3. "In My Heart" (12") – 6:36
  4. "Prayer for You" – 6:51

CD2 'Acoustic EP' (TEXCB 8 / 866 769-2)

  1. "Tired of Being Alone" – 3:02
  2. "Walk the Dust" – 5:11
  3. "Why Believe in You" – 3:32
  4. "Return" – 2:34
  • Limited edition of 5000 copies (in oversized packaging), includes three exclusive black and white postcards.

Charts
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 60
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 19

Other noteworthy versions
  • "Tired of Being Alone" has been covered by other artists. Among the more successful is American singer Sybil who released the song as a non-album single in 1996, peaking at number 53 in the UK.[12]

References
  1. Ochs, Ed (June 5, 1971). "Soul Sauce" (PDF). Billboard: 28. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  2. Ochs, Ed (June 5, 1971). "Soul Sauce" (PDF). Billboard: 28. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  3. "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
  4. "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 356.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 237.
  7. "British single certifications – Al Green – Tired of Being Alone". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  8. "American single certifications – Al Green – Tired of Being Alone". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  9. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. April 11, 1992. p. 19.
  10. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 21. May 23, 1992. p. 39.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  12. "Tired of Being Alone – Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
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