Have You Ever Been Lonely?

"Have You Ever Been Lonely?" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill (writing under the name of George Brown), published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard.

Version history

Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline "duet" version

The most familiar version of "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" is an electronically created "duet" featuring country music singers Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline, who had both died in separate plane crashes (Cline in 1963, Reeves in 1964) and had never recorded together during their lifetimes. In 1961, both singers recorded their own solo versions of the song and released it to various albums.

In 1981, Owen Bradley – who was Cline's original producer – lifted their solo vocal performances off their original stereo tapes, synchronized them and recorded a new backing track. The song was released in the fall of 1981, and in January 1982 became a No. 5 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and a No. 1 hit on the RPM Magazine Country Singles chart.

Other versions

• 1933 Ted Lewis, Ray Noble^[1]
• 1949 Ernest Tubb, a #2 country hit.
• 1955 Jaye P. Morgan, Karen Chandler, and Jerry Cooper
• 1957 Buddy Holly, unreleased until after his death.
• 1960 Teresa Brewer, The Browns with Jim Ed Brown
• 1962 Warner Mack
• 1964 Caravelles
• 1965 Bobby Vinton
• 1966 Dave Dudley
• 1967 Jim Ed Brown (without The Browns)

Many others not listed, such as Eddy Arnold have also recorded the song for album release without releasing it as a single.

References

1. ↑ Internet Archive: Free Download: 1930's - Ray Noble - 101-110