“Lonely” by Akon

The hook of Akon’s “Lonely” has to be a quintessential example of an actual earworm. In fact it’s so effective that even after only listening to this track only once, a listener would firmly get the point that yes, the vocalist is suffering from romantic loneliness. But the chorus is also so catchy that some intricacies of the narrative could easily get lost along the way.

In other words, based on the featured storyline, Akon is not just crooning for crooning’s sake. Instead, there is a lot being inferred in herein. And most generally explained, the vocalist realizes that he has, bluntly put, put his girl through hell during these past years they were together. This includes him recently ‘shouting’ at her, as noted in the fourth verse.

But at the end of the day, Akon doesn’t necessarily come off as the verbally-abusive type. Entreaties using wording such as this one more commonly come about when a guy has been cheating so much that the one he truly loves simply “can’t take it no more”. Or, let’s further say that cheaters tend to occasionally say the wrong things sometimes also. Or, you get the drift.  There are various ways in which a man can shoot himself in the foot romantically. And the vocalist in this case has been doing so, apparently knowingly, over an extended period of time.

Moral of the Story

YES, there is a clear-cut moral to the story, as put forth in the track’s intro. And that is even if you are a playa, if you have that one trophy wife so to speak – i.e. the “good girl that’s always been there” and endured “all the bulls-*t” – then it behooves you not to get accustomed to taking her for granted. For as with the vocalist, you can wake up one day and just like that, she’s gone. And then also like him you may find yourself in your feelings, longing for the return of that special someone who, in actuality, loved you more than the other romantic interests.

Facts about “Lonely”

The unforgettable sample which highlights the hook of this track is from a song one Bobby Vinton dropped in 1962, which itself is titled “Mr. Lonely”. Vinton, to note, is still around to this day, and presumably Akon’s “Lonely”, which proved to be a solid hit, earned him some substantial royalties. 

For instance, this song topped standard music rankings in over 10 nations, including doing so on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted in roughly 20 countries overall. 

Additionally, Akon’s track has been certified double-platinum in the US and Australia and was his first really-big hit. To note, he didn’t make a name for himself until the dropping of “Trouble” (2004), the album this song is derived from, even though Akon’s discography officially dates back to 1996.

“Lonely” was released on 29 June 2004 as part of the aforementioned album and a few months afterwards served as its third single, following two other classic Akon classics, “Locked Up” and “Ghetto”.

Alongside Akon, the other credited writers of this track are Gene Allen and Bobby Vinton, the authors of the latter’s “Mr. Lonely”.  And the multi-talented Akon also co-produced this song with the late Disco D (1980-2007).

This track was put out via the collaborative efforts of UpFront Records, Street Records Corporation, SRC Records and UMG. To note, SRC was an imprint of the Universal Music Group. And it was this song in particular which led to Akon being signed by the label.

Prolific music video director Gil Green served said role for this single. And therein starred a professional actress by the name of Kat Graham.