“After four years of Freudian analysis, I realized I had written ‘Solitary Man’ about myself,” said Neil Diamond in 2005, more than 40 years since the release of his debut single.
Released on Diamond’s first album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, “Solitary Man” didn’t hit the charts as well as his second single, “Cherry Cherry,” yet marked a turning point in his songwriting, into more introspective lyrics.
Prodded by his producers and early mentors from his Brill Building days, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, behind hits like the Dixie Cups’ “Chapel of Love” and “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes, to dig deeper within his lyrics, Diamond ended up writing a theme song about his personal life.
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“I tried to really raise the level of my songwriting.”
“Solitary Man was my first song where I tried to really raise the level of my songwriting,” Diamond told Mojo in 2008, and his lyrics reflected some of his experience with fame, loneliness, self-discovery, and defiance.
Don’t know that I will
But until I can find me
A girl who’ll stay and
Won’t play games behind me
And I’ll be what I am
A solitary man
Solitary man
I’ve had it to here
Bein’ where love’s a small word
Part-time thing
Paper ring
I know it’s been done
Having one girl who loves you
Right or wrong
Weak or strong
Sometimes being a solitary man doesn’t mean you’re lonely, it can mean you’re just taking some alone time to recenter yourself.
Neil Diamond
Although “Solitary Man” only reached No. 55 when it was initially released, it had a more successful run when it was rereleased as a single in 1970 and peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the Easy Listening chart.
Since its release, “Solitary Man” reappeared in covers by T.G. Shepard, which went to No. 14 on the Country chart in 1976, along with Chris Isaak’s version in 1993, and Johnny Cash, who covered the Diamond classic on his 2000 album American III: Solitary Man. In 2004, the Finnish band HIM also had a top 10 hit in the UK with their rendition.
[RELATED: 4 Songs Neil Diamond Wrote for The Monkees (1966-1967)]
The Beatles’ “Michelle,” Without the Ma Belle
In 2008, Diamond revealed that “Solitary Man” was inspired by the Beatles‘ Rubber Soul hit “Michelle,” without any French verses, which appear in the original—Michelle, ma belle / Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble / Très bien ensemble. When released, “Michelle” topped the charts internationally and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1967.
Unlike the Beatles’ more innocent “Michelle,” inspired by Paul McCartney’s attempt to impress girls at parties in the late ’50s with his very limited French, “Solitary Man” was the story of a loner. There was no Michelle, but Diamond opens on Melinda, who left him for another—Melinda was mine till the time / That I found her / Holdin’ Jim / And lovin’ him—then a Sue, another relationship that died too.
“It was inspired by the Beatles’ song ‘Michelle,’ which was also written in a minor key,” said Diamond. “I don’t think I’d ever written a song in a minor key before, it was the first and it kind of broke the dam for me.”
When asked if he was a solitary man, Diamond said, “I suppose so,” and continued, “When you’re exposed to the public eye, you’re confronted with pressures and situations that the average person doesn’t really experience. Like every other person on earth, I seek out my time for myself and for the things that I consider important.”
Diamond added, “Sometimes being a solitary man doesn’t mean you’re lonely, it can mean you’re just taking some alone time to recenter yourself.”
Photo: Roz Kelly/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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