"It's Sad to Belong" is a song written by

Randy Goodrum Charles Randolph Goodrum (born July 7, 1947) is an American songwriter, pianist, and producer. Goodrum wrote number one songs in each of the four decades after his first number one hit, 1978's " You Needed Me". Goodrum's songs have appeared on ...

and performed by England Dan & John Ford Coley on their 1977 album, '' Dowdy Ferry Road''. Called a "timeless classic",Martinez-Belen, Crispina
"MYMP's pre-Valentine show"
''mb.com.ph'', February 11, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-04. it peaked at #21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and #1 on the

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart. It was one of the earlier pop hits in Goodrum's career. "It's Sad to Belong" was released in May 1977 through Big Tree Records, with the b-side "The Time Has Come". It became one of "a string of hit singles" that England Dan & John Ford Coley had in the mid-1970s. The song topped the adult contemporary (then called "easy listening") chart for five consecutive weeks from June 25 to July 23. It also appeared on the top 40 "rack singles" list on June 7.
Billboard
', June 18, 1977. On December 24, it ranked #3 on ''Billboards end-of-the-year easy listening chart.
Billboard
', December 24, 1977.

Background

"It's Sad to Belong" is the second track on ''Dowdy Ferry Road''. It is one of only two songs on the album not written by either singer. The song has been called "bittersweet", telling the story of a married man falling in love with another woman and knowing they cannot be together.

Dale Van Atta Dale Van Atta (born 1951) is a speaker, novelist, and journalist. He was a friend of and co-author with fellow journalist Jack Anderson and borrowed money to help him when he was in financial trouble. In 2008 his book ''With Honor'' was relea ...

of the ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...

'' observed that it is "the universal divorce anthem - about the alleged monotony of monogamy" and that the duo " educesit to a simple, peaceful chorus" (referring to the line, ''Yes, it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along''). ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the song as a "sweetly catchy ballad." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said "The strong point is their seamless harmony, easing a catchy chorus through several

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s." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "the latest single by this duo deals with the 'trying to love two' theme in a way that should find listeners in pop, MOR and country formats in short order." It is still performed in concerts by the surviving member of the duo, John Ford Coley.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

B.J. Thomas recorded a version of "It's Sad to Belong" in 1977 on his eponymous LP.Discogs - B.J. Thomas 1977
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:It's Sad to Belong 1977 singles England Dan & John Ford Coley songs Songs written by Randy Goodrum 1977 songs Big Tree Records singles