Alone Again - Gilbert O’Sullivan

ESBlonde · June 2023

I’ve always admired the songsmith O’Sullivans work and this week I’ve been working on Alone Again. I’ve got it in Cmaj7 and there are some lovely chords to tackle not to mention fantastic lyrics that had me in bits for the last verse (lost my mother last year).

Has anyone else tackled this?
I’ve got Cmaj7, C6, Em7, E7sus4, Gm, Em7b5, A7, Dm7, Dbmaj7, Fm6, C, Caug, C6, B7, Em, Gm, A7b9, A7, Dm, Dbmaj7, Fm6, Cmaj7, C6, Em, Em7, A7, Dm, G7b9, C.
Comments and corrections most welcome.

smigeon · June 2023

Yeah, really good song. Lugubrious as hell :-). Chords seem about right (I do it in F).

Some friends and I recorded a version in "lockdown" stylee:

ESBlonde · July 2023

I did my first ever busk on Monday just for the crack, it was the first time I’ve ever performed Alone again to any kind of audience, I’m getting reasonably fluent at it and will keep it in the set for now because it’s a great number.

Basher · July 2023

Nice version @smigeon ;

My favourite is this one by Monica Martin (that voice!) and Jack Stratton (of Vulfpeck/Vulfmon) fame. Hailey Niswanger's flute is also amazing.

Tried to work out Jack's electric piano part but gave up fairly soon. It's a beautiful tune with a wonderful accompaniment featuring some amazing chord changes without sounding overly tricksy or contrived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTnHAITmuYQ

Dominic · September 2023

Brilliant song -favourite of mine...........learnt by ear and played in G
he was a great songwriter

prowla · September 2023

Naturally...

guitarjack66 · September 2023

Dominic said:

Brilliant song -favourite of mine...........learnt by ear and played in G
he was a great songwriter

He will be mortified to hear of his own demise before the funeral.

Dominic · September 2023

I didn't mean to suggest he was dead ........only that he hasn't come up with anything special in the last 30 years

axisus · September 2023

Dominic said:

I didn't mean to suggest he was dead ........only that he hasn't come up with anything special in the last 30 years

In all fairness, he may have. Not being in the charts is not the measure of quality, and an artist like him won't have got airplay for the past 4 decades I would guess.

axisus · September 2023

ESBlonde said:

I’ve got Cmaj7, C6, Em7, E7sus4, Gm, Em7b5, A7, Dm7, Dbmaj7, Fm6, C, Caug, C6, B7, Em, Gm, A7b9, A7, Dm, Dbmaj7, Fm6, Cmaj7, C6, Em, Em7, A7, Dm, G7b9, C.

Lots of those scare me. Lots of those ...

viz · September 2023

axisus said:

ESBlonde said:

I’ve got Cmaj7, C6, Em7, E7sus4, Gm, Em7b5, A7, Dm7, Dbmaj7, Fm6, C, Caug, C6, B7, Em, Gm, A7b9, A7, Dm, Dbmaj7, Fm6, Cmaj7, C6, Em, Em7, A7, Dm, G7b9, C.

Lots of those scare me. Lots of those ...

Great stuff!! and just coz it's fun, here are those chords in terms of function:

Root section, in C:

I: Cmaj7, C6

iii: Em7, E7sus4

Shift to Dm:

v minor: Gm (could also consider as a 1st inversion of the following E(dim) chord, ie., part of the modulation to Dm via a 251 - see next line)

251 in Dm: Em7b5, A7, Dm7

Dbmaj7, Fm6 (I can't actually hear those two; I just hear Ddim)

Root:

I again: C, Caug, C6

Shift to Em:

V-i in Em (the B is a secondary dominant): B7, Em

Shift to Dm again:

as before this is a 251 in Dm: Gm, A7b9, A7, Dm

Dbmaj7, Fm6 (again, I just hear Ddim here)

Root:

I again: Cmaj7, C6

iii again: Em, Em7

6251 in C: A7, Dm, G7b9, C.

axisus · September 2023

@viz I am genuinely in awe of people like you and your knowledge and understanding of this stuff.

viz · September 2023

Aw thanks, well just concentrating on the macro chunks really.

There's a relatively small set of oft-used harmonic devices to navigate round the twists and turns of interesting progressions; I'm talking 251s, 6251s, 36251s, 451s, secondary dominants, borrowed chords, various cadences, that sort of thing. If you work on understanding them, you find them popping up all over the place and it really simplifies the music in your head.

Also being able to dismiss the various chord extensions as mere decorations helps (at least the ones with limited functional effect).

ESBlonde · September 2023

Shift to Dm:

v minor: Gm (could also consider as a 1st inversion of the following E(dim) chord, ie., part of the modulation to Dm via a 251 - see next line)

251 in Dm: Em7b5, A7, Dm7

Dbmaj7, Fm6 (I can't actually hear those two; I just hear Ddim)

Nice one @Viz, ;
I may be miss naming the chord, I play Dbmaj7 one the first fret strings 1,2,3 and then add the D on second string 3rd fret as a hammer on.

viz · September 2023

Yeah that’s a D diminished. Well, a D half-diminished actually, because it has a b7 (not a diminished 7th).

One way to know that is because your hammer-on is a D not a Db.

The 2 chords do share notes - the minor 3rd and diminished 5th in D(dim) are the same notes as the major 3rd and perfect 5th in Db major, and the b7 in D half-diminished is the same as the maj7 in Dbmaj7.

But despite that it’s a D chord - reinforced by your hammer-on, but even without that, because the music is moving from the ii to the I - there’s no fit for a bII in there. If you play the Dm as xx0231, and the D half diminished as xx0131 it’s clearer that all that’s happened is you’ve moved the perfect 5th to a diminished 5th.

So just to be precise, your xxx111 is a D half-diminished (no root), and your xxx131 is a D(dim) 2nd inversion.

I’d summarise it all as D(dim) with a sprinkle of decoration.

Really nice btw.

viz · September 2023

Was pootling around on @ESBlonde 's xxx111 chord, and questioning my above comment. It amazed me how three little notes can mean so many different things depending on context and how there could be many answers to what that chord is.

For example:

xxx111: if played totally out of context this is most probably either an Fm triad in 1st inversion, or an Ab6.

With E at the bottom, e.g. 0xx111 or x7656x: E(aug) with a flat 9. Basically similar to an Fm(maj7) chord, which would be 1xx110, but switching the positions of the E and F. Very James Bond.

With F at the bottom, e.g. 100111: F minor or Bb9 (2nd inversion)

With Gb at the bottom, e.g. 2xx111: Ab7(add6) in 3rd inversion

- this sounds like it couldn't possibly be a chord, but if you play it as 234111 and then resolve to 143121, it's clear it's a Ab -> Db perfect cadence

With G at the bottom: I can't find a use for this!

With Ab at the bottom, e.g. 4x656x: either Fm (1st inversion) or Ab6 or Dbmaj7 (2nd inversion)

With A at the bottom: nothing springs to mind

With Bb at the bottom, e.g. x1x111: Bb9 (no 3). Although this is missing the 3rd it sounds undeniably major.

With B at the bottom: nothing springs to mind

With C at the bottom, e.g. x3x111: Fm (2nd inversion), or at a push, Dbmaj7 (3rd inversion).

With Db at the bottom, e.g. x4656x: Dbmaj7

With D at the bottom, e.g. xx0111: D(half-diminished) or Bb9 (1st inversion)

With Eb at the bottom, e.g. xx1111: Ab6 (2nd inversion) or Fm7 add6 (3rd inversion), or Eb6 add9 (sus 4) (just!)

Collecting them all up, you have a chord for Fm, Ab, Bb, Db, D(½ dim), or Eb or E(aug), just by changing the context, which I find incredible. And the same can probably be done with @ESBlonde's other chord - xxx131. These things are always open to interpretation.

ArchtopDave · September 2023

@viz I have an Adrian Ingram jazz tuition DVD, where he makes precisely this point at the start of the DVD. He starts by saying back in the days of when he taught at a music college, he would start one lecture by playing 3 notes on the top three strings of his guitar, and ask the students whether he was playing a major, or a minor, or a diminished chord. He would find students put their hands up for each of the three answers. He would then say, you are all correct because it depends on which bass note you add as the fourth note.

viz · September 2023

^ ahhhh nice one!!

ESBlonde · September 2023

My head hurts, ;-)
When reading my own chord sheets I try to name the chords so that it makes fastest sense to my dumb ass. I think in shapes rather than note combinations so flattened 5th has to be worked out the first time where as Fm6 is a shape I can instantly recognise and action. I hope one day to have a thorough understanding of chord structure, but I so easily get distracted into playing songs that I never seem to get far. I applaud your knowledge @viz and your ability to relay the information. Thank you for taking the time, I for one am better informed for it.

Fingers657 · September 2023

I remember buying his excellent debut album/LP when it was released.
That was a great time for music.

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Alone Again - Gilbert O’Sullivan

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