Hey There Lonely Girl

"Hey There Lonely Girl" is a song released in 1969 by Eddie Holman. The original version, "Hey There Lonely Boy", was recorded in 1963 by Ruby & the Romantics. It was a hit for both of them. It has since been recorded by many other artists.

Ruby and the Romantics version
The group's original recording was a Top 30 hit, peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. "Hey There Lonely Boy" also reached #5 on Billboard's Middle-road singles chart.

Eddie Holman version
In 1969, R&B singer Eddie Holman recorded and released his own version of the song. It charted in the United States in 1970 and in the United Kingdom in 1974. Holman's recording of "Hey There Lonely Girl" is most recognizable by its disconsolate, sentimental and heavyhearted lyrics, with his falsetto voice. Here is a sample of the chorus:

Hey there lonely girl, lonely girl

Let me make your broken heart like new

Oh, my lonely girl, lonely girl

Don't you know this lonely boy loves you

Holman's song peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, behind the double A-side single "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody Is a Star" by Sly and the Family Stone. On the US soul singles chart, it went to #4. This version peaked #1 on the Canadian RPM chart and #42 on the Australian chart. Four years after its US/Canadian release, the single went to #4 on the UK Singles Chart, his highest charting single in each country.

Other versions

 * Shaun Cassidy's 1977 version was a track on his debut LP. It reached # 5 in Australia.
 * Robert John, in 1980, for the album Back on the Street (US #31).
 * Japanese singer Mariko Tone, on her 1987 cover album For You
 * Japanese singer Tatsuro Yamashita, on his 1978 live album "It's A Poppin' Time"
 * British sitcom Benidorm contains a very unusual Karaoke version of the song during Series 2, Episode 2. It was sung by character Mel Harvey played by Geoffrey Hutchings.
 * British boy band Big Fun covered the song for their 1990 album A Pocketful of Dreams, produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, and released it as the fourth single in July 1990, peaking at number 62 in the UK chart. The track was subsequently denounced by band member Phil Creswick. David Giles of Music Week panned this version as being the "SAW worst production", noting Big Fun members' "ridiculous whining voices" and deemed it as unlikely to be a hit.