BATTLE OF THE BANDS: “Solitary Man”

Battle of the Bands 1 Minute

"Solitary Man" is a golden oldie from Neil Diamond. He released it first in 1966 and it became a minor hit, reaching #55 on the Hot 100. When he found success on Uni Records, Bang! (his previous record company) released it in the summer of 1970, and it reached #21 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the Easy Listening chart. It’s been covered by Johnny Rivers, Billy Joe Royal and most famously Johnny Cash.

I’ve chosen two of the covers for this battle. I know, you probably have a favorite cover, and you’re welcome to tell me what it is… but it won’t count for anything, so you might want to choose one of my two. Here are the covers I’ve chosen…

Chris Isaak

HIM

Those are our contestants. Here are the instructions…

  1. Listen to the two songs.
  2. Decide which song you like the best.
  3. Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment with your choice. If you feel like telling us why, feel free.
  4. Then, visit the other participants and vote in their Battles:

I’ll count the votes at 12 PM on Monday, May 9, so be sure and vote by then.

The lines are now open. Good luck to Chris Isaak and HIM!

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

17 thoughts on “BATTLE OF THE BANDS: “Solitary Man””

  1. John,

    I missed this battle. I checked a few times but somehow didn’t see it listed. Had I did, I think I would’ve given my vote to HIM. I’ll try not to miss your next one, my friend!

    Like

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  5. I vote for Elvis Presley… er– I mean, Chris Isaak (doing his best Elvis Presley).

    And, thank you, John, for not using Johnny Cash.
    I don’t think this world needs to hear any more “Duh… Duh… Duh… Duh…”.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I’ll vote for HIM. I get swayed by the visuals a lot. Isaac looked like he just had a tooth pulled without novocaine.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. i was here earlier on my phone and for some reason Chris Isaak wasn’t playing. So I have now returned. Glad that I waited to vote. Chis Isaak gets my vote today.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. This is a hard choice, John. I don’t really like either version (mainly because I really like Neil Diamond’s). But, it’s a contest, and I’ll go with Chris Isaak.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. HIM did a credible job of melding metal with melodic melancholy, but my vote goes solidly to Chris Isaak. I found it more moving and convincing.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Hands down Chris Isaak. To be honest the second one sounded like noise and I couldn’t listen all the way through. They are not my cup of tea.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. This really is a great song. I’d forgotten how good this is! And both of these versions are fantastic.

    However for my taste I’m leaning more toward Chris Issak in this Battle.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    Liked by 1 person

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