Lonely
by Akon

Album: Trouble (2004)
Charted: 1 4
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about a boyfriend who neglects his girl and takes her for granted. One day, he wakes up and she's gone. It's only in her absence that he realizes what she means to him and comes to appreciate her. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR
  • This is a reworking of the 1964 Bobby Vinton hit "Mr. Lonely." The sample was sped-up so it sounded similar to The Chipmunks.
  • After signing Akon, SRC wanted to break him on the streets first, so the label released his tale of an imprisoned drug runner "Locked Up" as his first single. They then dropped the more commercial "Lonely" and everything went according to plan.

    "Lonely" topped the charts in many countries, including, Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In Germany, it spent eight weeks at #1.
  • The UK music channel The Box had a Top 10 weekly chart calculated by the number of requests. "Lonely" spent 15 weeks on the top of the tally before being surpassed by James Blunt's "You're Beautiful."
  • Akon had a second UK #1 with "Smack That" in 2006. He also topped the Hot 100 twice with his Snoop Dogg collaboration "I Wanna Love You" and "Don't Matter."
  • The Gil Green-directed video starred Vampire Diaries and Honey 2 actress Katerina Graham as Akon's love interest. Five years later, she turned up in Justin Bieber's "Somebody To Love" clip.

Comments: 4

  • Siahara Shyne Carter from United States* I'm Miss Lonely ;-p
  • Fulu Thompho from Limpopo, South Africain june of 2005,i remember when my ex-girlfriend sang this song when i was with her in the post office. it was such a memorable moment i ever had. ironicaly, she was never lonely
  • Louise from Newcastle, United KingdomOh, sweet lord, this song does my head in...
  • Dominique from --, Nyi love this song...it's one of my favorites right now...
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust

Lajon Witherspoon of SevendustSongwriter Interviews

The Sevendust frontman talks about the group's songwriting process, and how trips to the Murder Bar helped forge their latest album.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."