"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…
- Listen to the two songs.
- Decide which song you like the best.
- Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment with your choice. If you feel like telling us why, feel free.
- Then, visit the other participants and vote in their Battles:
- Stephen at STMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
- Arlee at Tossing It Out
- Mike at Mike’s Ramblings
- Cathy at Curious As A Cathy
- Mary B at Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Ai at Ai Love Music
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!
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
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!
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It’ll be this Sunday, if you want to put it on the calendar…
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I love Chris, but my vote now goes to HIM. I like how it’s “more different” than Neil; that’s always fun in music! ZD
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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
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Nothing compares to Neil Diamond but I’ll go with Chris Issak on this one.
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I’ll vote for HIM. I get swayed by the visuals a lot. Isaac looked like he just had a tooth pulled without novocaine.
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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.
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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.
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If anyone comes close to Diamond it’s Chris Issak!
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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.
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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.
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Chris Isaak, hands-down.
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Of these two, HIM. But I must agree with Fandango, Neil Diamond’s is the best.
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Neither compares, in my opinion, to Neil Diamond’s original, but between these two covers, I’m going with HIM.
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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
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