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Lonely (Akon song)

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"Lonely"
Single by Akon
from the album Trouble
ReleasedFebruary 22, 2005 (2005-02-22)
Genre
Length3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Akon singles chronology
"Baby, I'm Back"
(2005) 		"Lonely"
(2005) 		"Moonshine"
(2005)
Alternative cover
European cover

"Lonely" is a song by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon; it appears on his debut album, Trouble. Featuring a prominent, high-pitched sample of the 1964 song "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton,[4] the single was released on February 22, 2005. "Lonely" reached number one in several countries, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany, where it stayed for eight weeks. It also entered the top five in France, where it reached number two, and in the United States, where it peaked at number four.

Background

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When Akon was signed by Universal imprint SRC Records it was "Lonely" that had immediately caught the attention of SRC A&R Jerome Foster and convinced him of Akon's talents.[5] On hearing the demo track he had said, "This kid is official - this is a huge record."[5] Despite offering the album's best option in terms of commercial breakthrough, SRC Records chose "Locked Up" over "Lonely" as the first single because SRC wanted to break Akon in the streets first and work towards a cross-over.[5] According to Foster in an interview with HitQuarters, ""Locked Up" is a street record. I thought that was the place for us to start to get a fan-base knowing that we had a record like "Lonely", which was more commercial, to follow it."[5]

The song was written by Akon, Bobby Vinton, and Gene Allan. The lyrics are sung mainly by Akon as well as Bobby Vinton doing parts of the choruses, with Vinton's voice sped up reminiscent of Alvin and the Chipmunks.[6] The song's tempo is 90 beats per minute in common time. "Lonely" is written in the key of C major.[7]

Music video

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A music video was produced to promote the single. The video was mostly filmed inside and in front of the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The video was directed by Gil Green. Actress Katerina Graham starred in the video as Akon's love partner. A competition winner from Blackpool, Daniel Ellwood, also starred in the video.[citation needed]

Track listings

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UK CD1[8]

  1. "Lonely" (clean version) – 3:58
  2. "Trouble Nobody" (explicit) – 3:21

UK CD2[9]

  1. "Lonely" (UK radio edit) – 3:33
  2. "Trouble Nobody" (clean) – 3:21
  3. "Kill the Dance (Got Something for Ya)" (featuring Kardinal Offishall) – 2:54
  4. "Lonely" (video) – 3:58

US CD single

  1. "Lonely" (clean version) – 3:58
  2. "Lonely" (instrumental version) – 3:58
  3. "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" (snippet) – 1:31

Charts

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The song was a number-one hit in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Belgium, and Switzerland. The song reached number two in France, Norway, and Sweden. The song also reached number 19 in Finland.[10]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[62] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[63] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[64] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[65]
DMS 		Platinum 60,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[66] Diamond 250,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] Gold 4,000^
Germany (BVMI)[68] Gold 150,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[69] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[70] Gold 5,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[71] Gold 30,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[72] Gold 10,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[73] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[75] Platinum 450,000[74]
United States (RIAA)[76] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡
United States (RIAA)[76]
Mastertone 		Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States February 22, 2005
[77]
April 4, 2005 Urban radio [78]
United Kingdom May 2, 2005
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [79]
Australia July 4, 2005 CD [80]

References

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  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 22, 2023). "The Number Ones: Akon's "I Wanna Love You" (Feat. Snoop Dog)". Stereogum. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "A Brief History Of The Chipmunk Vocal Sample". HNHH. May 1, 2024.
  3. ^ ""Gotta Get Thru This": Dom Passantino's Survey of the New Millenium's UK #1 Singles". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on June 24, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2024. ...Akon don't deal in petty sports field petulance and spit, he deals in cloying R&B....
  4. ^ Hayes, John (March 10, 2005). "Bobby Vinton back on charts -- in a rap". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Interview With Knobody". HitQuarters. September 27, 2005. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  6. ^ Darel, Jevens (April 4, 2005). "EW chats with Bobby Vinton about his squeaky new voice". EW.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
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