"Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" is a song written by

Bobby Eli Bobby Eli (born Eli Tatarsky; March 2, 1946 – August 17, 2023) was an American musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia. He was a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio band MFSB. Overview Bobby ...

, John Freeman and

Vinnie Barrett Vinnie Barrett (born Gwendolyn Hines Woolfolk; 1945) is an American songwriter and musician. Career Barrett graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C. She studied music at Howard University and the University of the District of Colu ...

, originally recorded in 1973 by Ronnie Dyson and popularized internationally by The Main Ingredient. Dyson's version reached No. 60 in the US Pop chart, No. 30 Adult Contemporary, and No. 29 in the US R&B chart. Its flipside was "Point of No Return", a song written by Thom Bell & Linda Creed.

Chart history

The Main Ingredient cover

The Main Ingredient's version of the song was released in 1974 on

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

and reached No.10 in the US, No.8 in US R&B and No.42 in US AC. It reached No.7 in Canada. The recording was arranged by Bert de Coteaux. It became a gold record.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

Freddie McGregor Fredrick "Freddie" McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to ...

recorded the song in a reggae version and released it in 1987. The track had Robbie Lyn on keyboards, synthesizer and

Oberheim DMX The DMX is a programmable Digital data, digital drum machine manufactured by Oberheim Electronics, Oberheim. It was introduced in 1980 at a list price of and remained in the company's product line until the mid-1980s. The Oberheim DMX was the se ...

programming and Dean Frazer on saxophone. Errol Thompson engineered and it was produced by Donovan Germain. McGregor's version reached No.9 in the UK. *In 1996, Filipino singer

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion "Regine" Ansong Velasquez-Alcasid ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipino singer and actress. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

included it on her album ''

Retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...

''. * Other artists who delivered versions include Marlena Shaw,

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

, Horace Andy, The Blues Busters, Little John,

Marcia Griffiths Marcia Llyneth Griffiths (born 23 November 1949) is a Jamaican singer best known for the 1989 remix of her single " Electric Boogie", which serves as the music for the four-wall " Electric Slide" line dance. It is the best-selling single of ...

, Sanchez, Livingston Taylor and Blue Magic.

References

{{authority control 1973 songs 1973 singles 1974 singles 1987 singles Songs written by Vinnie Barrett Songs written by Bobby Eli Ronnie Dyson songs The Main Ingredient (band) songs Blue Magic (band) songs Columbia Records singles RCA Victor singles Song recordings produced by Thom Bell