Lonely Boy ( Andrew Gold song ) - wikipedia Lonely Boy ( Andrew Gold song ) `` Lonely Boy '' Single by Andrew Gold from the album What 's Wrong with This Picture ? B - side `` Must Be Crazy '' Released 11 February 1977 ( UK ) March 1977 ( US ) Recorded 1976 Genre Soft rock, progressive pop Length 4 : 24 Label Asylum Songwriter ( s ) Andrew Gold Producer ( s ) Peter Asher Andrew Gold singles chronology `` That 's Why I Love You '' ( 1976 ) `` Lonely Boy '' ( 1977 ) `` Go Back Home Again '' ( 1978 ) `` That 's Why I Love You '' ( 1976 ) `` Lonely Boy '' ( 1977 ) `` Go Back Home Again '' ( 1978 ) `` Lonely Boy '' is an international hit song from 1977, written and recorded by Andrew Gold in 1976 for his album What 's Wrong with This Picture ? It spent five months on the American charts, peaking at number seven in both Canada and the United States, and number 11 in the United Kingdom. While `` Lonely Boy '' would be Gold 's biggest U.S. hit, his `` Never Let Her Slip Away '' achieved greater success in the U.K. Contents 1 Overview 2 Uses in media and cover versions 3 Chart performance 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 Personnel 5 References 6 External links Overview The song follows the life of a child who feels neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical, yet Gold denied the implication, despite great similarities between the lyrics and his life. Regarding the verses ' first lines : `` He was born on a summer day in 1951 '' matches Andrew 's August 2, 1951 birthday, `` In the summer of ' 53 his mother / Brought him a sister '' matches his sister Martha 's July 22, 1953 birthday, and `` He left home on a winter day, 1969 '' may well match the formation of Bryndle, of which Andrew was a member, in 1969. The second verse of the song features backing vocals provided by Linda Ronstadt, Gold had previously worked with Ronstadt as a producer and backing musician. The song was also released as an edited single, eliminating the vocal bridge and shortening the instrumental finale. Uses in media and cover versions The song was featured in a number of films including Boogie Nights ( 1997 ), The Waterboy ( 1998 ), and The Nice Guys ( 2016 ). It was the final video to be played on the MTV cable channel 's first day of broadcast in the United States, on August 1, 1981. In 1982 Italian singer Ron covered the song adding Italian language lyrics, releasing it as Cosa farò in his album Guarda chi si vede. In 1997 country music band Blackhawk recorded a cover for their third studio album Love & Gravity. In February 2000, the Foo Fighters recorded a cover of the song to be used as a B - side for an upcoming single off their 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose ; however, it was n't used as a B - side as planned. In 2007, the song was covered separately by the bands Farrah and Lazlo Bane. In 2013, rock band The Almost covered this song for their album Fear Inside Our Bones. British - American band The Hoosiers often cover this song when they perform live. Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1977 ) Peak position Australia KMR 32 Canada 7 New Zealand 40 UK 11 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 7 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 38 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Year - end charts Chart ( 1977 ) Rank Canada 78 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 50 U.S. Cash Box 34 Personnel Andrew Gold -- vocals, piano, cowbell, handclaps Waddy Wachtel -- lead guitar Dan Dugmore -- rhythm guitar Kenny Edwards -- bass guitar Brock Walsh -- electric piano, ARP String Ensemble Mike Botts -- drums, percussion, sleigh bells Linda Ronstadt -- backing vocals Peter Asher -- handclaps References Jump up ^ http://www.45cat.com/record/k13076 Jump up ^ `` Explore : Soft Rock Top Songs AllMusic ''. Web.archive.org. 2011 - 12 - 13. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 24. CS1 maint : Unfit url ( link ) Jump up ^ `` VH1 's 40 Most Softsational Soft - Rock Songs ''. Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. ^ Jump up to : Joel Whitburn 's Top Pop Singles 1955 - 1990 - ISBN 0 - 89820 - 089 - X Jump up ^ After 25 Years, MusicMasters Brings Bryndle Debut. Billboard. 1995 - 08 - 12. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Bio ''. Andrewgold.com. Retrieved July 2, 2012. Jump up ^ Nasatasi, Alison, 25 Things You Did n't Know About MTV 's First Broadcast, retrieved 2018 - 03 - 04 Jump up ^ `` Lazlo Bane 's Guilty Pleasures ''. cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ Alex Norton ( 2007 - 11 - 15 ), The Hoosiers - Lonely Boy ( Andrew Gold cover ), retrieved 2016 - 11 - 04 Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. ^ Jump up to : `` Song title 460 - Lonely Boy ''. Tsort.info. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` NZ Top 40 Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ''. Nztop40.co.nz. 1977 - 07 - 10. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1993 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 -- 1993. Record Research. p. 98. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2014 - 12 - 28. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1977 / Top 100 Songs of 1977 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2016 - 03 - 04. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 16. Jump up ^ Andrew Gold - What 's Wrong With this Picture ? vinyl album liner notes. Accessed 12 - 16 - 2011. Jump up ^ Andrew Gold - What 's Wrong With this Picture ? LP @ Discogs.com ( fails to list Andrew Gold as having played piano and cowbell on the track, although he is listed as such on the album credits ) Retrieved 6 - 11 - 2011. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lonely_Boy_(Andrew_Gold_song)&oldid=838448580 '' Categories : 1977 singles Andrew Gold songs Songs written by Andrew Gold 1976 songs Asylum Records singles Songs about loneliness Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Unfit url Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Nederlands Edit links This page was last edited on 27 April 2018, at 02 : 28. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who sang the song oh what a lonely boy
Answer: Andrew Gold; Andrew Gold; Andrew Gold