All by Myself

"All by Myself" is a song by American artist Eric Carmen released in 1975. The verse is based on the second movement ("Adagio sostenuto") of Sergei Rachmaninoff's circa 1900-1901 "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor", Opus 18, famously used to underscore the 1945 British film "Brief Encounter". The chorus was taken from the song "Let's Pretend", which Carmen wrote and recorded with the Raspberries in 1972. The slide guitar solo was performed by studio guitarist Hugh McCracken.
Background and composition.
Rachmaninoff's music was in the public domain in the United States at that time and so Carmen thought no copyright existed on it, but it was still protected outside the U.S. subsequent to the release of the album. He was later contacted by the Rachmaninoff estate and informed that it was protected. An agreement was reached in which the estate would receive 12 percent of the royalties from "All by Myself" as well as from "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", which was based on the third movement from Rachmaninoff's "Symphony No. 2".
Carmen has stated that he also incorporated part of another melody into this song. The melody was taken from his previous hit with the Raspberries, "Let's Pretend".
Television performance.
Carmen performed "All by Myself" and his follow-up hit, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," on "The Midnight Special" television program on July 23, 1976 (season 4, episode 37). The show was hosted by The Spinners.
Chart position.
The power ballad was the first single from Carmen's first solo LP after leaving the power pop group the Raspberries and was released in December 1975. It reached #2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, both "Love Machine" by The Miracles and "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" by The Four Seasons, kept the song from #1. "All by Myself" did reach #1 on "Cash Box" Top 100 Singles and #3 in Canada. The single sold more than one million copies in the United States and was certified gold by the RIAA in April 1976. "All by Myself" was Carmen's first of eight US Top 40 hits. In the UK, however, this was his only Top 40 success, peaking at number 12.
Celine Dion version.
The most notable cover version of "All by Myself" was recorded by Celine Dion in 1996. It was the fourth (or third, depending on the country) hit single from her album "Falling into You". Produced by David Foster at Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas, it was released on October 7, 1996, in Europe; January 13, 1997, in Australia; and March 11, 1997, in North America.
The "All by Myself" single became one of Dion's biggest hits in the United States, reaching number 1 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks (for three weeks) and the Latin Pop Airplay (two weeks). It peaked at number 4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 (number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and number 5 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales). It was also a top 10 hit in France, United Kingdom, Wallonia in Belgium and the Republic of Ireland. In Canada, "All by Myself" was released as a promotional single only, hitting number 1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. "All by Myself" was certified gold in the US (500,000), and silver in the UK (200,000) and France (165,000).
During an interview on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen", Dion revealed that the famous high note on the song had not been planned but David Foster surprised her with it when she appeared for recording. When Dion asked why the surprise, Foster told her that if she couldn't sing it, other singers would, which prompted Dion to prove to Foster that she could sing it.
Critical reception.
Dion's cover received positive reviews from most music critics. About.com placed it at number 9 in their ranking of "Top 10 Celine Dion Songs". "Entertainment Weekly" editor Chuck Eddy said, "But only in her desolate cover of Eric Carmen's All by Myself does she truly crash through the glass ceiling of passion". Pip Ellwood-Hughes from Entertainment Focus called it "incredible" and "one of the best recorded vocals ever captured." He added that "listening to Dion reach the highs she does on that song is magical and it sends goosebumps down your spine look (sic) nothing else can." Dave Sholin from the "Gavin Report" commented, "Demand by both programmers and the public for this rendition of Eric Carmen's 1976 smash made it the obvious choice to be the third single lifted off Celine's multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated album, "Falling into You"". Music.uk.launch.yahoo.com editor Dan Leroy wrote, "Trying to out-emote Eric Carmen was almost crazy enough to work". "The New York Times" editor Stephen Holden stated that the cover, along with "Because You Loved Me", "are the strongest cuts on an album crammed with formulaic romantic bombast". "People Magazine" said Dion "knocks herself out trying to match the classic bombast that Eric Carmen dished out on "All By Myself"." Geoff Edgers from "Salon Magazine" described it as a "dog-ear-shattering remake". Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic wrote,
Margaret Urlich version.
In 1994, "All by Myself" was covered by New Zealand singer Margaret Urlich. Her version reached #100 in Australia in November 1994, and #26 in New Zealand in March 1995.