CHEERFULLY MORBID

GILBERT O’SULLIVAN HIMSELF by Gilbert O’Sullivan (MAM/London, 1971)

This unique artist scored a monster mega-hit with a song about suicide - “Alone Again (Naturally)” - How many times has that been done? The melody was so darn poppy and melodic that the tragic story outlines were impossible not to sing along with: “In a little while from now, If I'm not feeling any less sour, I promise myself to treat myself and visit a nearby tower, 

And climbing to the top will throw myself off, In an effort to make it clear to whoever

wants to know what it's like when you're shattered” Tra-La-La…..

Wow. And, this ditty went to #1 and sold 2 million copies, intimating that the American taste for the morbid runs deeper than our “Never Say Die” attitude may suggest. 

Raymond Edward O’Sullivan, who fashioned his “Newsies” look after 1920s film characters, had other hits before and since, but never any with the impact that this odd anomaly created. “Himself” is a strong album, featuring a range of virtuosity in percussive piano style - (self-taught), and original writing chops. He’s been compared to Paul McCartney and Randy Newman, but is definitely his own man. Maybe he’s a hybrid of the two: with the sweet melodic sense of Paul and the biting irony of Randy.

And, at 78 he’s still at it: He retains a loyal fanbase in Japan, and in 2022 he put out a new album entitled “Driven”. Indeed, he must be.  And, re-listening to this album 50 years later, his approach seems fresher and less coy that I remembered.  He may be due for a late-career resurgence, similar to Yusuf Cat Stevens.  I mused over the content of this song a lot at the time, and even though mortality wasn’t on my mind back then, Alone Again’s example of greater, more complex subject matter in songwriting raised my consciousness.