Album: What's Wrong With This Picture? (1977)

Charted: 11 7

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• He was born on a summer day 1951
  And with a slap of a hand
  He landed as an only son
  His mother and father said what a lovely boy
  
  We'll teach him what we learned
  Ah yes just what we learned
  We'll dress him up warmly and
  We'll send him to school
  
  It'll teach him how to fight
  To be nobody's fool
  
  Oh what a lonely boy
  Oh what a lonely boy
  Oh what a lonely boy
  
  In the summer of '53 his mother
  Brought him a sister
  And she told him we must attend to her needs
  She's so much younger than you
  
  Well he ran down the hall and he cried
  Oh how could his parents have lied
  When they said he was an only son
  He thought he was the only one
  
  Oh what a lonely boy
  Oh what a lonely boy
  Oh what a lonely boy
  
  Goodbye mama, goodbye to you
  Goodbye papa I'm pushing on through
  
  He left home on a winter day 1969
  And he hoped to find all the love
  He had lost in that earlier time
  Well his sister grew up
  
  And she married a man
  He gave her a son
  Ah yes a lovely son
  They dressed him up warmly
  
  They sent him to school
  It taught him how to fight
  To be nobody's fool
  
  Oh what a lonely boy
  Oh what a lonely boy
  Oh what a lonely boy Writer/s: Andrew M Gold
  Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 29

• Hans Rose from Holland.the rhythm intro is great, when the vocal begins, the rhythm is changing!! Very nice.
• Unlonely Girl from Los Angeles, CaI loved this song as a little girl, it was so high-drama with the betrayal (or feeling of it) and then the obvious nod to the cycle continuing with his sister. But one thing bugged me even then. How could he even have conceived (no pun intended) of being the "only son" at age two? Also, they dressed him up warmly, sent him to school...by the time he was 2?
  
  I just always really wondered about that.
• Ilea from CaliforniaThis song is about bad parenting. Who tells their kid they’re gonna be an only child. And the lines about attending to the sister’s needs? A good parent would have also added that they still love him, snd that now that he’s a big brother, he can protect her. So he’ll still feel important, like he has a role in the family. Parents are supposed to love their children equally. Sure, you may find that you have more in common with one than the other as they grow up, or one may be easier to raise, but you love them the same amount. Geez, I’m not a parent, and even I know this.
• Mark from New YorkThis song brings back bad memories. My older brother was born in 62 and I was born in 66. He thought he was going to be the only child and was my parents favorite. Up until all the bad things he did came out from friends and family when I tried suicide when I was 15. I was considered the black sheep until then. My brother and myself haven't spoken since 89 when I came home from leave and beat the $hit out of him. I bruised his ego. That I was his younger brother and could be picked on. Surprise! Surprise!
• Mike Mcnulty from Alpharetta, GaIt is an odd song, but I am surprised at the level of attack it has received here. I don't know Andrew Gold so I can't presume to diagnose him or know if it was even about him. I've always found it interesting, so I listen when it's on. It's an engaging song which means Gold did something right when he came up with it. It's a lightning rod.
• Sheri from North CarolinaI have a younger sister. I'm two and a half years older than her. I don't remember her being born, they never told a two year old back in 1966 " Here, feel mommy's tummy, there's a baby there." Children weren't allowed onnthe Maternity ward back then. I only remember being brought to my grandparents house to see a tiny red bald baby being held in my grandma's arms. They said I started wheezing, I have Asthma. I grew to love her. Yes we fought, she is the one who tells me what to do. I never learned to fight either. I would have lived to gave had her born on my birthday, or even one of my Nephews, Grand Nephews, my Niece or Great Grand Niece to share a birthday with me. In the Summer of 63 August of 63 was when I was born. This man.is obviously jealous of his sister.
• Pamela Paarish from Columbus OhioThis song is s--t... Siblings fight... That is part of LIFE... To say that he thought he would be the only one.... Sounds like a smug little brat.... I have 2 brothers and one sister as I grew up... My Twin had a harder time as I am a special needs person... He used to fight with me and not want me around.. But as the years passed.. He realized that he did care about me and the others... He worked through his s--t and became a brother that I am more then proud to have.. My mom had a little girl before she met my dad... When my mom passed I found out I had a step sister... My response.. She is no step sister.. SHE IS MY SISTER... I was more then tickled... My mom died in 2013... As to the song here.. It is one of the worst... Right there with A comes before B.. A song he recorded as Alvin of the Chipmunks.... The song sounded like It should be me and only me.. He never worked out his s--t before he left home for good....
• Nick K. from Arlington, VaAs the brother of a severely autistic sister (who needed extra care growing up), I was neglected and never "learned to fight." Although I never complained, the experience left scars which took many years to get over. So yes, the song has genuine relevance to me.
• Ben G from Swedesboro Nj U.s.Great one! Stll kicks ass after all these years.
• Kim from ScotlandI agree with Arno. I interpret the lyrics as the thoughts and feelings of a person struggling to navigate the world and feeling very isolated, as can often be felt by some autistic individuals who don't have the right kind of understanding and supportive community around them.
• Geoff from New York, NyA powerful rock ballad. End of story.
• Bebe from TnI think this song is a commentary on how, as a culture, we do not tend to the emotional needs of young boys, and in failing to do so perpetuate the cycle of emotionally unhealthy men.
• Arno LuyendijkMaybe all people interpreting the song as a narcissist declaration would be surprised if they saw the song from the perspective of someone with classic autism....especially the line " How could his parents have lied" gets something else if you dare to see it with those eyes.
• Jeff from CtI remember from the outset, thinking this was one of the most pathetic songs ever( the lyrics). Wow- your parents had another kid? Ohh my- what trauma! Are you kidding me? This is pure narcissistic trash. Get over yourself. It always bothered me that this song was even made
• Pez from FloridaMark From King's Park from Delaware, You are correct sir. I think when he recorded the song he goofed the line. It should have been 63, not 53. A 12 year old would think his parents have lied, a 2 year old doesn't know they are alive....
• Lars Ingebrigtsen from Perez Zeledon, Costa RicaThis song helped me understand my own life. Hit me like a ton of bricks in 1977 and it still chokes me up. I searched 36 years for the love I lost in my earlier times.
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenAlthough Gold put personal references in the lyrics (including his year of birth), he admitted in an interview that it was not autobiographical: "Maybe it was a mistake to do that, but I simply put in those details because it was convenient. I hadn't been a lonely boy at all. I'd had a very happy childhood."
• Mark From King's Park from Delaware So my point is simple, he was 2 yrs old when his sister was born?? How much can a 2 year old child ( infant??) possibly comprehend. I believe that the author of this was not being literal and maybe was looking back on his childhood, possibly getting the facts a little bit mixed up...
  But ultimately I can't believe I've not only wasted time reading most of the comments but then I actually went on to write my own.
• Sharon from IowaSounds like it's about a narcissist. I kept waiting for more material in the subject to make the subject relatable but nope, it's just that his parents had another kid.
• Sir Bass Of Clef from Lower RegisterRegardless of Andrew Gold’s inspiration or comparison to his own family dynamic, the impressive production of the final product clearly did not fail the artist.
• Jay G from Fairfax, VaI think its neglectful parenting. The give away is the line, "We'll dress him up warmly and,
  We'll send him to school, It'll teach him how to fight". So he got shipped off to boarding school and had to learn to fight for himself, hence the title, "Lonely Boy". Then he gets a sister who is doted on and he doesn't understand why he was shipped off and she wasn't.
• Clemence from New YorkThis was one of those "WTF?" songs for me when I finally paid attention to the lyrics. So it's a personal tragedy that he had a sister two years younger? And his parents "promised him" when he was born that he would be the "only son" and they lied, dammit! They lied! First of all, his parents didn't promise anything - he was a newborn. Second of all, this is literally untrue because he was still the only son. Third of all, having a sibling doesn't mean losing all of your parents' love. It does mean you'll have to share.
  
  If he thinks that is lonely, try being an only child and an introvert! Of course not all siblings get along, but many many of them later realized how lucky they were to have a built in playmate.
• Delibird from Out There SomewhereMaybe if the "lonely boy" had been taught to love instead of being taught to fight, he would have loved his little sister instead of hating her for simply existing. He sounds like a spoiled brat (which is more the fault of the parents than the boy). A sad song about bad parenting.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 30th 1977, Andrew Gold performed "Lonely Boy" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
  One month earlier on March 13th, 1977 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #83; and on June 5th, 1977 it peaked at #7 (for 3 weeks) and spent 21 weeks on the Top 100...
  He had three other records make the Top 100; "That's Why I Love You" (#68 in 1976), "Thank You For Being A Friend" (#25 in 1978), and "Never Let Her Slip Away" (#67 in 1978)...
  Singer Marni Nixon was his mother (she was the singing voice for Natalie Wood in 'West Side Story', Deborah Kerr in 'The King and I', and Audrey Hepburn in 'My Fair Lady ') and his father, Ernest Gold, won an Oscar as the musical composer for the movie 'Exodus'...
  Sadly, Andrew Gold passed away on June 3rd, 2011 at the young age of 59 (heart failure).
• Michael from Cincinnati, OhChristian band The Almost covered this song on their 2013 album "Fear Inside Our Bones".
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxA liner note from Gold himself (in his 'Best of' collection) says, 'The question I'm most frequently asked is whether its about me. Yes (but not the way you think).'
• Gary from Chandler, AzI think it is simply the viewpoint of a young immature boy, who had previously enjoyed the full attention of his parents. Not one of neglect.
• Craig from Newcastle, AustraliaThe lyric about the year of birth, 1951, probably synchronises perfectly with the music and rhythm, so it would have been tricky for the writer to change the dates.
  Craig, Newcastle, Australia
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxWhether it was autobiographical or not, you can bet his family wasn't thrilled with it. And if it wasn't, he could have at least changed the dates.

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