Song: We’re All Alone
Artist: Rita Coolidge
Original artist: Boz Scaggs
I’m a big fan of Boz Scaggs but, sadly, given the raison d’etre for this blog, I’m finding it
difficult to find many good cover versions of his work. A notable exception to this is
We’re All Alone by Rita Coolidge.
Coolidge had the biggest hit with the song in 1977 though it was also a minor success
for former Four Seasons lead singer Frankie Valli a year earlier.
Scaggs never released it as the ‘A’ side of a single, but he did add it as a ‘B’ to two
other songs featured on his Silk Degrees album including Lido Shuffle.
Coolidge knew Scaggs’ work having performed as a backing singer for him. They
worked at A&M Records and it was during her time there that label co-founder Jerry
Moss suggested that We’re All Alone would be perfect for a woman to sing. Given that
Scaggs did not release it as an ‘A’ side, Coolidge was convinced.
Her version reached No 6 in the UK and No 7 in the US.
There have been more than 40 versions of We’re All Alone including those by The
Walker Brothers and The Three Degrees.
If you are also a fan of Scaggs, I thoroughly recommend the video below which was
recorded 20 years ago. It lasts close to two hours and contains all his hits. It starts with
Lowdown, but then moves into several of his lesser known (to me) songs. Stick with it.
Breakdown Dead Ahead, Love Look What You’ve Done To Me, (personal favourite) Lido
Shuffle and finishing with We’re All Alone. They are all there. Perfection!
