La soledad es un tema bastante recurrente en las letras de las canciones, sobre todo de las baladas y temas tristes o melancólicos, sin embargo, dentro de la música rock y pop podemos encontrar contenidos de cierta calidad como los diez que hemos elegido para este tema.
Comenzaremos con Heartbreak Hotel, una canción que Elvis Presley lanzó a la fama en enero de 1956, junto con Bill Black en el bajo, Scotty Moore en la guitarra, DJ Fontana en la batería y Floyg Cramer en el teclado. La letra fue escrita por un guitarrista de Nashville llamado Tommy Durden, aunque éste afirmó que, tras los arreglos en el estudio para Elvis, no la reconocía. Durden se inspiró en un artículo periodístico sobre el suicidio de un hombre quien solamente dejó una nota en la que decía: “I walk a lonely street.” La música es de otro músico de Nashville llamado Mae Boren Axton. Los beneficios de la canción se dividieron entre los tres y Durden aseguró en 1982 que todavía recibía beneficios de ella.
Well, since my baby left me
well, i found a new place to dwell
well, it's down at the end of lonely street
at heartbreak hotel
where i'll be--where i get so lonely, baby
well, i'm so lonely
i get so lonely, i could die
Although it's always crowded
you still can find some room
for broken-hearted lovers
to cry there in the gloom
and be so--where they'll be so lonely, baby
well, they're so lonely
they'll be so lonely, they could die
Well, the desk clerk's tears keep flowin'
and the desk clerk's dressed in black
well, they've been so long on lonely street
well, they'll never, they'll never get back
and they'll be so--where they'll be so lonely, baby
well, they're so lonely
they'll be so lonely, they could die
Well now, if your baby leaves you
and you have a sad tale to tell
just take a walk down lonely street
to heartbreak hotel
and you will be, you will be, you will be lonely, baby
you'll be so lonely
you'll be so lonely, you could die
Well, though it's always crowded
you still can find some room
for broken-hearted lovers
to cry there in the gloom
and they'll be so--they'll be so lonely, baby
they'll be so lonely
they'll be so lonely, they could die.
En agosto de 1966, el grupo The Betles lanzó la canción Eleanor Rigby dentro del álbum Revolver, que fue escrita por Paul McCartney, aunque en los créditos la comparta con Lennon, y su primer título fue “Ola Na Tungee.” McCartney no estaba seguro de lo que sería esta canción hasta que escribió el siguiente verso: “Picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been”. Fue entonces cuando se le ocurrió la historia de una anciana solitaria y le puso el nombre de Eleanor Rigby cogiendo el nombre de la actriz Eleanor Bron y el apellido de una tienda de abastos de la ciudad de Bristol, sin embargo, curiosamente, en el cementerio de la iglesia St. Peter, donde se conocieron Paul y John, hay una tumba con ese nombre. En un principio el cura se llamaba Father MacCartney, pero luego pensaron la gente creería que estaban hablando del padre de Paul, por lo que le cambiaron el nombre a MacKenzie. En la avenida Stanley Street de Liverpool hay una estatua de una mujer sentada en un banco con una placa donde dice: “Donated to all the lonely People.” La primera interpretación fue llevada a cabo por: Paul McCartney, vocalista; John Lennon, armonía vocal; George Harrison, coros; Tony Gilvert, Sidney Sax, John Sharpe y Juergen Hess , violín; Stephen Shingles y John Underwood, viola; Derek Simpson y Norman Jones, violonchelo. Fue producida por George Martin.
La canción cuenta la historia de una mujer vieja que vive sola y muere sola y sólo el cura se preocupa de darle sepultura con sus propias manos…
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice
in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing
the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from ?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong ?
Father McKenzie writing the words
of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working. Darning his socks
in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Eleanor Rigby died in the church
and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt f
rom his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?´
The Boxer es una canción del famoso dúo Simon & Garfunkel, la cual fue editada en abril de 1969 dentro de su álbum Bridge over trourbled wáter. Era una época compllicada para el grupo pues recibían duras críticas por sus últimos discos, por lo que enfadado con ello, Paul Simon escribió esta canción donde se reflexiona sobre la hipocresía del mundo de la música y para eso emplea la imagen de que él es un boxeador que recibe golpes, pero que también los puede dar, puesto que ese es su trabajo, e intentar salir victorioso de cada pelea. Sin embargo, tras recibir muchos golpes y tener demasiadas heridas, decide abandonar el ring, aunque luego recapacita y vuelve para continuar. Simon intentó crear una metáfora de la soledad que aporta la fama y de lo duro que es mantenerse.
I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles such are promises
All lies and jests
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
When I left my home and my family
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station running scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know
Lie la lie ...
Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
Lie la lie ...
Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone
Going home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleeding me
Bleeding me, going home
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that layed him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
'I am leaving, I am leaving'
But the fighter still remains
Lie la lie ...
En 1969, tras ver la película de Kubrick “2001: Una odisea en el espacio”, David Bowie escribió la canción Space Oddity, la cual apareció en el álbum del mismo título y fue su primer gran éxito. Esta canción habla de un astronauta que pierde su conexión con la tierra y vaga solitario por el espacio. Su lanzamiento coincidió con el alunizaje del Apolo 11 siendo utilizada por la BBC para la cobertura de la primera llegada del hombre a la Luna. Sus primeros intérpretes fueron: David Bowie, voz y guitarra; Herbie Flowers, bajo; Terry Cox, batería, y Rick Wakeman, melotrón y piano. Fue producida por Gus Dugeon.
Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you
(spoken)
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff
This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare
"This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do
Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much she knows"
Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you....
"Here am I floating round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do."
Alone Again (Naturally) es una canción del cantautor irlandés Gibert O’Sullivan, quien la compuso en 1972. Es esta una balada bastante introspectiva y cuenta los planes de suicidio de una persona que es abandonada en el altar y luego habla sobre la muerte de sus padres. Realmente no es una historia autobiográfica puesto que Gilbert quedo huérfano a los once años y casi no conoció a los suyos, pero no deja de ser una historia bastante triste
In a little while from now,
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top,
Will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
Where people 're saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.
May as well go home."
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday,
I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do,
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down,
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch,
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt,
All about God and His mercy
For if He really does exist
Why did He desert me
In my hour of need?
I truly am indeed,
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that
There are more hearts
Broken in the world
That can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?
(instrumental break)
Now looking back over the years,
And what ever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to have cried the tears
And at sixty-five years old,
My mother, God rest her soul,
Couldn't understand, why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart
So badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally
Bob Siger escribió esta canción, Turn the page, en 1973, dentro de su álbum Back in 72, la cual trata de la vida de los músicos en la carretera durante sus largas giras, mostrando la otra cara de la fama que el público no conoce: la soledad, las provocaciones, los peligros…
On a long and lonesome highway
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engine
Moanin' out his one note song
You can think about the woman
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you're ridin' sixteen hours
And there's nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin',
You just wish the trip was through
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Well you walk into a restaurant,
Strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
As you're shakin' off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you
But you just want to explode
Most times you can't hear 'em talk,
Other times you can
All the same old cliches,
"Is that a woman or a man?"
And you always seem outnumbered,
You don't dare make a stand
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Out there in the spotlight
You're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body
Like the music that you play
Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers
Ringin' in your head
You smoke the day's last cigarette,
Rememberin' what she said
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
There I go
There I go
Eric Carmen dijo: “Hay casi la misma cantidad de combustible en ser feliz como la que hay en ser miserable. Sin embargo, ser miserable es un gran catalizador para escribir canciones.” All by myself es una poderosa balada escrita y compuesta por Eric Carmen en 1975. Está basada en el segundo movimiento (Adagio Sostenuto) del Concierto de Piano número 2 in C minor, Opus 18 de Sergei Rachmaninoff y el coro pertenece a la canción “Let’s Pretend” que Carmen escribió para el grupo de Clevelend Raspberries en 1973. El tema trata de la soledad de una persona cuando deja de ser joven y pierde la soberbia de creerse capaz de no necesitar a los demás y ahora, sin amor, debe enfrentarse a la vida por sí mismo.
When i was young
i never needed anyone
and makin' love was just for fun
those days are gone
Livin' alone
i think of all the friends i've known
but when i dial the telephone
nobody's home
All by myself
don't wanna be, all by myself anymore
all by myself
don't wanna live, all by myself anymore
Hard to be sure
some times i feel so insecure
and love so distant and obscure
remains the cure.
Message in a bottle apareció en el álbum Reggatta de Blanc de The Police en 1979, siendo su primer número uno y fue escrita y compuesta por Sting. Esta canción habla de un hombre atrapado en una isla remota que encuentra una botella y coloca un mensaje pidiendo ayuda en ella y la lanza al mar. Tiempo después encuentra muchas otras botellas en la playa descubriendo que hay mucha más gente como él. La primera versión fue interpretada por Sting como vocalista, bajo y contrabajo; Andy Summers, en la guitarra, y Stewart Copeland, en la batería y percusión.
Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh
Another lonely day, with no one here but me, oh
More loneliness than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
A year has passed since I wrote my note
But I should have known this right from the start
Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life but
Love can break your heart
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Walked out this morning, don't believe what I saw
Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
Seems I'm not alone at being alone
Hundred billion castaways, looking for a home
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, yeah
Sending out at an S.O.S.
Sending out at an S.O.S.
Sending out at an S.O.S.
Sending out at an S.O.S.
Sending out at an S.O.S.
Sending out at an S.O.S...
En 1985 Suzanne Vega escribió Marlene on the wall, como una fórmula para superar la soledad cuando ella encontraba consuelo mirando una fotografía de Marlene Dietrich que tenía colgada en la pared. “Fue una canción sincera. Las líneas salieron de mi vida, pero no quería entrar en detalles (…) Mi novio me había dejado… (…) Tengo un problema con la composición específicamente confesional. Creo que hay que elaborarla de alguna manera, pues no creo que se pueda subir al escenario y dejar escapar tus sentimientos más íntimos. (…) La gente paga por ver un espectáculo, no para que me siente y empiece a hablar de mis problemas.” Marlene Dietrich era una actriz alemana que se convirtió en una estrella de cine internacional en la década de 1930. Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, aparcó su carrera en el cine con el fin de entretener a las tropas de Estados Unidos, una decisión que le valió la Medalla de la Libertad, la más alta condecoración militar que un civil puede recibir. Dietrich tenía 90 años cuando murió en 1992. Este fue el primer sencillo de Vega, lo curioso es que siendo de Nueva York lo editó primero en el Reino Unido y dos años después en EE. UU dentro del álbum Solitude Standing, cuya canción “Luka” fue el mayor éxito.
Even if I am in love with you
All this to say, what's it to you?
Observe the blood, the rose tattoo
Of the fingerprints on me from you
Other evidence has shown
That you and I are still alone
We skirt around the danger zone
And don't talk about it later
Marlene watches from the wall
Her mocking smile says it all
As the records the rise and fall
Of every soldier passing
But the only soldier now is me
I'm fighting things I cannot see
I think it's called my destiny
That I am changing
Marlene on the wall
I walk to your house in the afternoon
By the butcher shot with the sawdust strewn
Don't give away the goods too soon
Is waht she might have told me
Marlene watches from the wall
Her mocking smile says it all
As the records the rise and fall
Of every man who's been here
But the only one here now is me
I'm fighting things I cannot see
I think it's called my destiny
That I am changing
Marlene on the wall
El grupo estadounidense Linkin Park grabó en el 2003 la canción Somewhere I belong, dentro de su álbum Meteora. La letra, que trata sobre una persona que se siente fuera de lugar y sola, sin nada que decir y con un gran sentimiento de culpa, fue escrita por los miembros de la banda: Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell, Rob Bourdon y Joe Hahn, Juntos, y sigue siendo una parte significativa del legado musical de Linkin Park.
(When this began)
I had nothing to say
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I live it all out to find
That I’m not the only person with these things in mind
(Inside of me)
But all that they can see the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I’ve got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long
(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
And I’ve got nothing to say
I can’t believe I didn’t fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find
That it’s not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
(So what am I)
What do I have but negativity
’Cause I can’t trust to find the way, everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long
(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel anything else until my wounds are healed
I will never be anything till I break away from me
I will break away and find myself today
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long
(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I wanna heal,
I wanna feel like I’m somewhere I belong
I wanna heal,
I wanna feel like I’m somewhere I belong
Somewhere I belong
