Love or Let Me Be Lonely
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| "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by the Friends of Distinction | ||||
| from the album Real Friends | ||||
| B-side | "This Generation" | |||
| Released | March 1970 | |||
| Studio | RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, CA, US | |||
| Genre | Pop, R&B | |||
| Length | 3:14 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriters | Skip Scarborough, Jerry Peters, Anita Poree | |||
| Producers | Ray Cork, Jr. | |||
| The Friends of Distinction singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Love or Let Me Be Lonely" is a pop song recorded by the soul group The Friends of Distinction and released as a single in early 1970. The song was a multi-format success, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1970.[1] It also reached #13 on the R&B chart,[2] and #9 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart.[3] The song is ranked as No. 63 on the Hot 100 singles of 1970.[4]
The song was written by Skip Scarborough, Jerry Peters and Anita Poree. The Friends of Distinction version features Charlene Gibson singing the lead vocals. In the lyrics, the singer is unsure of her future with her love interest. She wants a full commitment; either love her fully or she'd rather be lonely. "Part time love, I can find any day," she sings.[5]
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Paul Davis version
| "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Paul Davis | ||||
| from the album Cool Night | ||||
| B-side | "Oriental Eyes" | |||
| Released | July 13, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1980–1981 | |||
| Studio | Web IV Studios, Atlanta, GA, US | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriters | Skip Scarborough, Jerry Peters, Anita Poree | |||
| Producers | Ed Seay, Paul Davis | |||
| Paul Davis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song returned to the charts in the summer of 1982 in a version by American singer-songwriter Paul Davis. It was the third and final single from his 1981 album Cool Night (Davis' seventh, final, and breakthrough album). Davis' version of "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" reached number 40 on the Hot 100.[12] It hit number 11 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart.
This would be Davis' final single as the lead artist and last single overall for five years until he was featured on Marie Osmond's "You're Still New to Me", Davis would retire from music altogether in 1988 and died in 2008.[13] As with all tracks on Cool Night, Davis' version was co-produced by Davis himself and keyboardist Ed Seay.
Chart performance
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[14] | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[15] | 40 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 11 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 41 |
