"Love or Let Me Be Lonely" by Paul Davis

    Good morning, friends! Today, we point the Dial's receivers toward one of our favorite years to revisit, 1982, as we bring you Paul Davis' mellow hit "Love or Let Me Be Lonely".

“Oh, love… or let me be lonely… part time love I could find any day…”

Stalling at US pop #40, “Love…” was to be Davis’ final hot 100 entry, though it did reach as high as US #11 on the adult contemporary charts. It was the third and final single released from Paul’s 1981 Cool Night LP, as the smooth and romantic title track (US #11, AC #2), and the nostalgic “’65 Love Affair” (US #6, AC #5) preceded the release of “Love…”

 

A remake of a top 10 hit by The Friends of Distinction, the original was released in 1970, and featured a pop-soul arrangement very much in the style of The Fifth Dimension.

 

Davis’s 1982 cover accentuates the doo-wop style backing harmonies from the original, which might trick the unfamiliar listener into assuming that Paul is actually remaking a 1950’s pop song. He also slows the tempo a bit and changes the instrumentation toward a country informed soft rock sound, reducing the original’s sunny and poppy vibe, and revealing the lovelorn desperation behind the lyrics.

 

Despite its successes, Davis didn't appreciate the pure pop direction that his label Arista pushed him in with the Cool Night LP, so he declined to release any more albums of new material. Personally, I consider it a great album for fans of 80s pop and soft rock, and its hit tracks sound great alongside similar material of the era by the likes of Dan Fogelberg, Hall & Oates, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Toto, and Ambrosia.

 

“So don’t defy… Mother Nature’s ways… make it a love… a love that’s here to stay.”

 

As the 80s rolled on, Paul made his mark in the country music field as a duet partner and songwriter with 1986’s “You’re Still New to Me” (with Marie Osmond) and 1988’s “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love” (with Tanya Tucker and Paul Overstreet), both of which reached us #1 on the country singles chart. He also worked with Dan Seals, writing Dan’s country chart toppers “Meet Me In Montana” (’85), and “Bop” (’86), the latter of which just missed the top 40 at #41, and was spotlighted by our very own Radio Dial blog on October 7, 2013!

 

Years after the Cool Night LP had been deleted by Arista, I miraculously found a cassette copy of the album in a discount bin around 2002 at my local Meijer store. Yes, that late! It’s clear that the store was clearing out all of their remaining cassette tapes, and I normally wouldn’t have bothered to look, but I’m glad I did, as I snagged my own copy of this forgotten gem of 80s pop rock. I practically wore the tape out that summer too.

 

Sadly, Mr. Davis passed away one day after his 60th birthday, on April 22, 2008. We salute you, Paul, for the many classic tunes you gave us over the years, from your first hit “A Little Bit of Soap”, through “I Go Crazy” and “Sweet Life”, all the way up to your Cool Night singles, and your country contributions beyond. A hearty tip of the hat to you, sir, and much peace in the afterlife.

 

“I could live without love if I wanted to, in this lonely room…

But I don't want to so I leave it up to you to wash away my gloom."