You're Only Lonely

A voice filled with sorrow and darkness that, once heard, cannot be forgotten; songs so bittersweet that the single word ‘sentimental’ could never cover them. To me, they were surely among the outstanding achievements of the 1970s West Coast scene. David Geffen sent J. D. Souther into the world as one of Asylum's three leading figures, alongside Jackson Browne and the Eagles. Released just after his move to Columbia in 1979, this album's lyrical title song, dedicated to the Roy Orbison he revered, became a No. 7 American hit.

There is also a harder side, seemingly mindful of the Eagles. But Souther's real value lies in the exquisite sorrow of slow ballads such as ‘The Last in Love,’ ‘White Rhythm and Blues’ and ‘Songs of Love.’ Japanese singer-songwriter enthusiasts did not necessarily rate him highest at the time, because they praised social messages or young people's anguish and spoke of them with lyrical fervour. Yet among the musicians of that era, I feel the refined world of J. D., a man who sings nothing but love songs, is ultimately the one most suited to this book's purpose.