Vinton, Akon Talk 'Lonely' Collaboration
AP, May 4, 2005 7:14 am PDTDecades after 1960s pop singer Bobby Vinton wrote and recorded the hit "Mr. Lonely," rapper Akon breathed new life into the song by quickening the pace and rapping about a messed-up relationship.
Vinton and Akon, who share songwriting credit on the new version, discussed how ironic it would be if the song won a Grammy Award.
"Akon told me, `If it does win, you're going to be on that stage with me.' I thought that was very gracious of him," Vinton said last week.
Akon originally called the 70-year-old Vinton for permission to use the song.
"I think it's so cool," Vinton said.
The original "Mr. Lonely" has long been a favorite of military personnel.
"I wrote the song when I was in the Army, and when I did my first recording session — which was `Roses Are Red' — the producers asked if I had any songs of my own. I played them `Mr. Lonely' and they loved it," Vinton said.
Eleven hits later, the song finally made it onto a Vinton greatest hits album because producers needed a 12th song.
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