"All Alone Am I" is a song from 1962 popularized by the American singer
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...
. The song was originally composed by the Greek composer
Manos Hadjidakis
Manos may refer to: Films
* The Hands (film), ''The Hands'' (film) (Spanish: ''Las manos''), a 2006 Argentinean-Italian film
* ''Manos: The Hands of Fate'', 1966 horror film
Other uses
* Manos (album), ''Manos'' (album), by The Spinanes
* Manos (n ...
and recorded in Greek by
Tzeni Karezi for the soundtrack of the film ''To nisi ton genneon'' (''The Island of the Brave''); the original song in Greek is titled "Μην τον ρωτάς τον ουρανό" ("Min ton rotas ton ourano", translation: "Don't ask the sky"). Later, a new version of the song with English lyrics was produced by
Owen Bradley and appeared as the title track on one of Lee's albums. The song is written in the key of
F major
F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...
, but begins on the sub-dominant B-flat major 7th chord.
Background
In 1960, the
Greek film ''
Never on Sunday'' was released to considerable acclaim, earning multiple
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominations in the US. The film's star,
Melina Mercouri, was nominated for
Best Actress, while the
title song from the film won the Oscar for
Best Original Song for Greek musician
Manos Hatzidakis
Manos Hatzidakis (also spelled Hadjidakis; ; 23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek composers of all time. He was one of the main proponents of the " Ént ...
, who had composed the music used in the film. A melody that appeared in both ''Never on Sunday'' and ''The Island of the Brave'' was sent to Lee's management as a tune to be considered for the singer to record, and after being translated into
English by Arthur Altman, became "All Alone Am I".
[Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications)]
Chart performance
"All Alone Am I" became a top 10 pop hit in both the US and the UK. The song peaked at number three on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in November 1962 and number seven on the
UK Singles Chart in February 1963.
The song also spent five weeks atop the US ''Billboard''
easy listening chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...
in November and December 1962, Lee's only song to do so.
The B-side to the single, "Save All Your Lovin' For Me", reached number 53 on the US pop chart.
See also
*
List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1962 (U.S.)
References
External links
Single release info from discogs.com
{{authority control
1962 singles
Brenda Lee songs
Songs with music by Arthur Altman
1962 songs
Decca Records singles
Song recordings produced by Owen Bradley