It's Sad to Belong
1977 single by England Dan & John Ford Coley
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"It's Sad to Belong" is a song written by Randy Goodrum and performed by England Dan & John Ford Coley on their 1977 album, Dowdy Ferry Road. Called a "timeless classic",[1] it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.[2] It was one of the earlier pop hits in Goodrum's career.[3]
| "It's Sad to Belong" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by England Dan & John Ford Coley | ||||
| from the album Dowdy Ferry Road | ||||
| B-side | "The Time Has Come" | |||
| Released | April 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Big Tree Records | |||
| Songwriter | Randy Goodrum | |||
| Producer | Kyle Lehning | |||
| England Dan & John Ford Coley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "It's Sad to Belong" on YouTube | ||||
"It's Sad to Belong" was released in May 1977[4] through Big Tree Records, with the B-side "The Time Has Come".[5] It became one of "a string of hit singles" that England Dan & John Ford Coley had in the mid-1970s.[6][7]
The song topped the Adult Contemporary (then called "Easy Listening") chart for five consecutive weeks from June 25 to July 23.[8][9] It also appeared on the top 40 "rack singles" list on June 7.[10] On December 24, it ranked No. 3 on Billboard's end-of-the-year easy listening chart.[11]
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.[12]
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.[1] Dale Van Atta of the Deseret News observed that it is "the universal divorce anthem - about the alleged monotony of monogamy" and that the duo "[reduces] it to a simple, peaceful chorus" (referring to the line, Yes, it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along).[13]
Billboard described the song as a "sweetly catchy ballad."[14] Cash Box said "The strong point is their seamless harmony, easing a catchy chorus through several refrains."[15] Record World 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."[16]
It is still performed in concerts by the surviving member of the duo, John Ford Coley.[1]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other versions
B.J. Thomas recorded a version of "It's Sad to Belong" in 1977 on his eponymous LP.[24]