Take This Tune

Jamie of Take That Tune, in her post "Riffin' on Heartbreak," suggests we post our favorite song about heartbreak.

It took me some time to come up with a favorite song but finally, finally,I came up with Michael McDonald and Patti laBelle performing "On My Own," a perfect song for this meme.

"On My Own" was a hit duet by singers Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald when it was released as a single in 1986. It was released from LaBelle's first platinum album, Winner in You and was written and produced by Burt Bacharach and his former wife Carole Bayer Sager.

The song became the biggest single ever for both singers, both of whom were members of respective funk/R&B groups in the 1970s.

It was often stated the two performers were in separate cities when they recorded their individual parts which were then "married" during mastering. This was reflected in the music video produced to promote the song, which depicted LaBelle and McDonald performing the song simultaneously on different coasts.

The singers were shown on separate sides of a split screen, each singing the song while walking through apartments which had identical layouts but different decor and furniture. The views from their respective perches, where they finished the song, made clear their separation by the continent. At the end of the video, Patti is stands on the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge and when the camera lifts up and sweeps toward Manhattan there are the Twin Towers!

Lyrics

So many times
Said it was forever
Said our love would always be true
Something in my heart always knew
I'd be lying here beside you
On my own
On my own
On my own

So many promises never should be spoken
Now I know what loving you cost
Now we're up to talking divorce
And we weren't even married
On my own
Once again now
One more time
By myself

No one said it was easy
But it once was so easy
Well I believed in love
Now here I stand
I wonder why

I'm on my own
Why did it end this way
On my own
This wasn't how it was supposed to be
On my own
I wish that we could do it all again

So many times
I know I should have told you
Losing you it cut like a knife
You walked out and there went my life
I don't want to live without you
On my own
On my own
On my own
Chorus Repeat

This wasn't how it was supposed to end
I wish that we could do it all again
I never dreamed I'd spend one night alone
On my own, I've got to find where I belong again
I've got to learn how to be strong again
I never dreamed I'd spend one night alone
By myself by myself
I've got to find out what was mine again
My heart is saying that it's my time again
And I have faith that I will shine again
I have faith in me
On my own
On my own
On my own

Go visit Jamie at Take This Tune for other participants.