1977 No. 1 Soft Rock Ballad Written By Music Legend Was a Hit Twice
In 1977, Rita Coolidge was all over the radio with "We're All Alone."
Written by music legend Boz Scaggs for his famous 1976 album Silk Degrees, the lush soft rock ballad about letting go of worry appeared on Coolidge's album Anytime…Anywhere the following year.
Coolidge's cover of "We're All Alone" soared to No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart in November 1977 and peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100 that same month.
The singer once explained how the song came to her. In an interview with Country Music People, Coolidge recalled, "When I was with A&M Records, it was like a family. … One day I was in [A&M boss] Jerry Moss's office, and he said that the Boz Scaggs album Silk Degrees was in a million homes and there was a song on it that was perfect for a woman to sing. He said, ‘It's called ‘We're All Alone' and as he's not doing it as a single, I think you ought to record it.'"
Coolidge's cover wasn't the first time "We're All Alone" was a Hot 100 hit. In August 1976, Frankie Valli's version of the song went to No. 78 on the coveted Billboard chart.
Valli knew the song had the potential to be an even bigger hit but felt it was "overlooked" by his record company.
"The funny thing about records during the days when we recorded, and the record business was as big as it was, to become a hit it was important that the record company do the legwork and get radio stations to play it, or try it for two weeks," he told Grammy.com. "For example, I put the single ‘We're All Alone' out, and the record company didn't want to work it. I did mine with the London Symphony Orchestra. Later, Rita Coolidge came out with the same song, and it went to No. 1. Sometimes things like that happen."
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Coolidge felt that "We're All Alone" needed a woman's touch. Speaking with The Aquarian, she explained, "I always felt that there were songs sung by guys that needed to be sung by women. One of those songs was ‘We're All Alone, which was written by Boz Scaggs. I gave those songs new life."
She also reflected on the legacy of "We're all Alone. " A lot of people have fallen in love to that record, and a lot of couples say, 'It is our song,'" she shared with Country Music People. "Whenever I sing it, I see people snuggle up to their partners and reminisce. It continues to be sung at weddings, and I have sung it at weddings myself."
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 2:41 AM.