July 29, 1972 –
Gilbert O’Sullivan topped the charts with his hit Alone Again (Naturally) on this date.
This was Irish-born singer Gilbert O’Sullivan’s only American #1. It sold 2 million copies, spent six weeks at the summit in America and earned him three Grammy Award nominations (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year). It was the second best-selling single of the year in America behind Don McLean’s American Pie. (I will not take responsibility for the following ear worm; listen to the clip at your own risk.)
In 1991, Gilbert O’Sullivan went to court to sue the rapper Biz Markie, who used an unauthorized sample from this song in his track Alone Again, which appeared on Markie’s third album, I Need A Haircut. The judge made a landmark ruling in O’Sullivan’s favor that the rapper’s unauthorized sample was in fact theft. From this point on, artists had to clear samples or be subject to costly lawsuits. (Let’s take a moment to remember the great Biz Markie.)
The Haus of Dcaligari 