Alone Again Or
by Love

Album: Forever Changes (1967)
Charted: 99
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Songfacts®:

  • Love guitarist Bryan MacLean wrote this as a tribute to his mother, who was a flamenco dancer.
  • Love were a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles. This fit the psychedelic sound with a mix of strings, horns and guitars.
  • The group was led by Arthur Lee. They had one #33 American hit in 1966 with "7 And 7 Is" but they are most remembered for this. Lee was sentenced to 12 years in jail in 1995 for shooting at a neighbor who'd protested at the noise from Lee's stereo. MacLean left the band to join a Christian ministry.

Comments: 18

  • Bob from Los Angeles Love was one of the greatest, least known and underappreciated, bands of the era. Seeing them back in the day multiple times ranks in my top 2 or 3 of bands I feel privileged to have seen. I was also privileged to see the group in 2006 when they toured and played here in L. A. This song is one of the best of all time. When I'm driving I just keep hitting replay on my c.d. player. I'll never tire of it and I always try to enlighten other, younger people, to this magnificent group. Peace and Love to all.
  • Jim from Mobile, AlThe Damned do a pretty good cover of this as well.
  • Mathijs from Houten, NetherlandsCalexico often performs this live and I heard it many times before I even knew about Love! So, quite a surprise when I put up Forever Changes for the first time.
  • Michael from Oakland, Cawithout a doubt UFO's version is an integral part of one of the great rock and roll albums of all time "Lights Out"
  • Peter from Billericay, United KingdomFirst heard this on the Forever Changes album 40+ years ago. Still one of my favourite all time songs, and love it whenever I play it.

    Peter, Billericay UK
  • Bob from Southfield, MiSusanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet do a great cover of this.
  • Jeff Lewin from Nottingham,I first heard this when I was 15. 1968. The weather,and world somehow seemed better then.
    It is on my ipod, and when it comes on, I,m catapulted to those halcyon days.
    Still sounds as beautiful as it did back then.
    How did it only make #99 ?
    Simply a stunning track.
    As for the dammed......Crap...!
  • Martin from Pattaya, ThailandGreat Song. I've been listening to it for 40 yrs and it still sounds really fresh, as does the whole Forever Changes album, just listen to that wonderful 7 minute You Set The Scene, it's got everything, including great trupets.
  • Angie from Los Angeles, CaAlso, this thing about the darker side of the 60s (if you lived them they were alot lighter than the last 7 years), or about his mother may well be true but what about the lyrics "you know that I could be in love with almost anyone", that is very pure, spiritually speaking. In all eastern and western religions for the exception of the darker practices, love is so many things, I can't begin to name them, but in essence when full of love the spirit can access its higher self in any era. mmataeus at gmail dot com, guess that's why they called themselves Love and eventually joined a Christian realm.
  • Angie from Los Angeles, CaThis song embodies the summer of love (if you lived in L.A. or where they played it). I get high just listening to it. I wish it were like that era in this time.
  • Cory from Buffalo, NyIt's a great song. I didn't think too much of it when I first heard it, but after listening a couple of times, I finally started to like it. "Alone Again Or" hit #436 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List. Not bad for a song that only hit #99 on the pop charts.
  • Louis from Denver, CoIn my opinion the best cover of this song is done by UFO
  • Barry from Greenville, NcIn the liner notes of the Forever Changes Concert DVD, Arthur says that Bryan's original title for this song was just "Alone Again." Arthur tacked on the "Or" at the end of it.
  • Rob from York, PaIn 1986 the band, "The Damned" did a remake of this song. Very true to the original version. Worth listening to.
  • Phil from San Jose, CaLove is one of the top underated bands of all time! One of the top 100 in Rolling Stone. Bryan Maclean didn't get to expand on his talent, Arthur Lee made his vocals more prominent over Bryan. Drugs, egos, fighting and the 60's ended Love far to soon.
    Bryan grew up in LA, one of his close childhood friends was Liza Minneli, and Bryans sister is Maria Mckee from Lone Justice. Brian turned Christian, and died awhile back.
    Arthur was good friends with Jimi Hendrix, and helped to get another local LA band signed, that band was The Doors!! Arthur is out of prison and tours with a new version of Love, from what it seems mainly in Europe. A band truly worth looking into!
  • Craig from Madison, WiMusically, it may be a tribute to MacLean's flamenco dancer mother, but lyrically it shows one of the darker aspects of 60's "free love." It's a cry for fidelity. The protagonist can't truly be with the woman he loves even when he's with her, because she "can be in love with almost anyone." So he is "alone again tonight with [her]."
  • Craig from Madison, WiSong used in Wes Anderson's first film "Bottle Rocket" to great effect. Anderson's first demonstration of his impeccable taste in music.
  • Arthur from What Cheer, IaWhen Bryan MacLean first heard this, he apparently threw the album into a drawer and never listened to it again. His vocal had been dropped from the mix and Arthur Lee's had been brought up so that Arthur is the one you hear. I wonder what it sounded like.
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