About The Song
“Have You Ever Been Lonely?” was written in 1932 by Peter DeRose (music) and Billy Hill (lyrics, under the name George Brown). The song became a popular standard and was recorded by many artists over the decades. Both Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline cut their own solo versions of the number in 1961—Cline on August 24 under producer Owen Bradley, and Reeves on November 20 under Chet Atkins.
Neither singer released the song as a major single during their lifetimes. Nearly two decades after their deaths, the two separate vocal tracks were combined into an electronic duet. In 1981 Owen Bradley isolated the original vocals, synchronized them, and recorded a new backing track. The resulting recording was released as a single on October 16, 1981, and appeared on the compilation album *Greatest Hits of Jim Reeves & Patsy Cline*.
The single reached number five on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in early 1982 and climbed to number one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It became one of the better-known posthumous collaborations in country music and helped introduce a new generation of listeners to both artists’ voices side by side.
The lyric is a direct appeal from one person to another, asking whether the listener has ever felt the same loneliness and regret. The singer admits past mistakes, asks for forgiveness, and wonders how life can continue now that the two are apart. Reeves’ smooth baritone and Cline’s distinctive phrasing sit comfortably together, each retaining the individual character of their original performances.
Reeves and Cline never recorded in the same studio. Both died in separate plane crashes—Cline in 1963 and Reeves in 1964—yet their catalogues continued to generate interest long after. The 1981 duet was part of a broader effort by RCA and MCA to re-present their material in new forms, including additional overdubbed tracks that followed.
Within the long histories of both artists’ recordings, “Have You Ever Been Lonely?” stands as a notable example of how their voices could be brought together after the fact. The success of the single confirmed the lasting commercial appeal of their individual styles and the continued demand for carefully produced posthumous material.
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Lyric
Have you ever been lonely?
Have you ever been blue?
Have you ever loved someone?
Just as I love youCan’t you see I’m sorry
For each mistake I’ve made?
Can’t you see I’ve changed dear?
Can’t you see I’ve paidBe a little forgivin’
Take back your heart
How can I go on livin’
Now that we’re apart?If you know what I’ve been through
Well dear, I’m askin’ you
Have you ever been lonely?
Have you ever been blue?If you know what I’ve been through
Well dear, I’m askin’ you
Have you ever been lonely?
Have you ever been blue?