
Peak
1
Weeks
23
Score
4,701
Chart Year
1984
The song's music video was shown frequently on MTV,[31] introducing the revamped Yes lineup and sound to a new generation of fans largely unfamiliar with the band's earlier progressive rock style. The music video was directed by graphic designer Storm Thorgerson[32] who, as part of Hipgnosis, had previously designed the covers for the band's albums Going for the One and Tormato. The video starred actor Danny Webb. Keyboardist Tony Kaye does not appear in the video as at the time of the video shoot, Eddie Jobson was standing in as the band's keyboardist. Jobson can be seen briefly in a few quick shots in the beginning band scene and from behind during the rooftop scene, but he was not part of the video's "animal transformation" scene in which the other four band members take part; the video was edited to remove as much of his appearance as possible. Ultimately, Kaye returned to the lineup and Jobson never recorded any material with the band.[33] The video was filmed in London, with some scenes filmed on top of various buildings. Scenes of the band playing are also present.
This song describes the paradox of loneliness. Once you've been hurt, loneliness is better than a broken heart. This is the first single from 90125, and was the group's one and only #1 charting hit. The album was a drastic departure from Yes' progressive sound in the '70s, containing distorted guitar and synthesizers that were popular at the time. With help from MTV, Yes suddenly found a new audience, who were sometimes shocked to learn that much of their back catalog consisted of complex pieces that would often run well over 10 minutes. Those familiar with the Yes catalog were shocked to hear this tightly packaged concoction from the band that once released a double album containing just four songs (Tales from Topographic Oceans). This was a different variation of the band, however, and they weren't opposed to chasing a hit. "It was already deemed to be a hit record," Jon Anderson said in a Songfacts interview. "The record company had invested a lot of money in making a record. They brought me in to make it Yes. They said, 'This is going to be a hit, and we're going to make sure.' They promoted it like crazy and did a good video - MTV had just started up. So everything just sort of happened at the same time." The driving force at Yes' label, Atlantic Records, was Ahmet Ertegun, who insisted that this song be a hit. Ertegun held considerable sway, having guided the careers of Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, and many other major acts. This was written by Yes members Jon Anderson, Trevor Horn, Trevor Rabin and Chris Squire. It was sung by Anderson, who had just returned to the group since leaving in 1980. He told Songfacts about his role in writing it: "The song was already finished, but there were no verses. They had tried some verses and it really wasn't working. They had the chorus, they had the arrangement. I came in and all the songs were virtually put together, but there was a lack of choruses here, verses there. I went in for three weeks with Trevor and sort of filled everything in. I remember sitting with Trevor Rabin and we started off, 'Move yourself, you always live your life never thinking of the future.' That was the line I wrote. And then he'd say, 'Prove yourself, win or loser.' And then he said, 'Jon, I've got to go. You carry on.' So I just carried on writing the lyrics to the verses. The chorus was already well organized by Trevor." According to Trevor Rabin on the DVD Yes Video Hits, he wrote the bass line to this song and came up with the title in his bathroom (which had very good acoustics), during a "particularly long visit." Rabin says he often sings in the loo. >> Trevor Horn, formerly of the Buggles, produced the 90125 album. Horn took over for Jon Anderson as lead singer of Yes for for their 1980 album Drama, and after a tour to support the album the band broke up and Horn focused on production work. When Yes re-formed for 90125, Anderson returned along with Tony Kaye, Chris Squire and Alan White, and Horn produced the album. This song hit #1 in the US the week of January 21, 1984, and held the position the following week, when in the UK another Horn-produced song, "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, claimed the top spot. This made Horn the only producer to have simultaneous #1 hits in both the UK and the US with different songs by different artists. This song is possibly the first rock hit to use a sample. The drum break at the beginning and the horn stab that shows up a few times in the song sound very similar to a short section of the 1971 song "Kool Is Back" by Funk, Inc. It was a rather subtle sample, as producer Trevor Horn used just a tiny bit and processed it considerably, so there is no case for attribution. At the time, there was also no precedent for clearing samples. The video was directed by the team of Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson, who went by "Po & Storm." In it's full form, the video runs 6:46 and contains various non-musical scenes where the band members transform into different animals. MTV usually played the condensed version, but they played it often, as they were especially keen on rock bands in their early years. Storm Thorgerson is the same guy who did the artwork for Pink Floyd, including the Dark Side of the Moon album cover. He died on April 18, 2013. 90125's logo was designed on an Apple IIe computer (very modern at the time,) and would be used on Yes' next album Big Generator. >> Alan White recalled the recording of his drum part for the track to Uncut magazine September 2014: "I started with a full drum kit and Trevor Horn said, 'Take Alan's toms away.' So I had a base and snare, hi-hat and cymbals. Then they took the cymbals away, I was playing along with the track and they took the hi-hat away! I said,'Wait a minute, guys...' Then we layered all the other stuff on top of it." This song was once parodied on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Tom Servo thought Yes didn't go far enough by saying "The owner of a lonely heart is much better than the owner of a broken heart...". He wanted them to come up with a comparison between the owner of a broken heart and the owner of other various other things, like a perfectly functional cheese slicer, a pie, a pencil, etc. >> Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman formed their own group in 2010, which has performed as both ARW and Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" has always been a centerpiece of their performances, with Rabin and Wakeman (using a keytar) often venturing into the audience when they play it in extended form. When Yes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, it was one of two songs they performed at the ceremony (along with "Roundabout"), with Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman sharing the stage with Steve Howe and Alan White, who led the official version of Yes. Hopes for a reconciliation were dashed when the two distinct versions of the band resumed operations soon after the ceremony.
Move yourself You always live your life Never thinking of the future Prove yourself You are the move you make Take your chances, win or loser See yourself You are the steps you take You and you, and that's the only way Shake, shake yourself You're every move you make So the story goes Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart (Much better than a) Owner of a broken heart Owner of a lonely heart Say, you don't want to chance it You've been hurt so before Watch it now The eagle in the sky How he dancin' one and only You, lose yourself No not for pity's sake There's no real reason to be lonely Be yourself Give your free will a chance You've got to want to succeed Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart (Much better than a) Owner of a broken heart Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart After my own indecision They confused me so Owner of a lonely heart My love said never question your will at all In the end you've got to go Look before you leap Owner of a lonely heart And don't you hesitate at all, no no Yow! Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart (Much better than a) Owner of a broken heart Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart (Much better than a) Owner of a broken heart Owner of a lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart Sooner or later each conclusion Will decide the lonely heart Owner of a lonely heart It will excite, it will delight It will give a better start Owner of a lonely heart Don't deceive your free will at all Don't deceive your free will at all Owner of a lonely heart Don't deceive your free will at all Just receive it Just receive it (Owner of a lonely heart) Writer/s: Chris Squire, Jon Anderso
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 5, 1983 | 62 | 64 |
| 2 | Nov 12, 1983 | 45 | 81 |
| 3 | Nov 19, 1983 | 37 | 89 |
| 4 | Nov 26, 1983 | 27 | 99 |
| 5 | Dec 3, 1983 | 14 | 112 |
| 6 | Dec 10, 1983 | 11 | 115 |
| 7 | Dec 17, 1983 | 7 | 119 |
| 8 | Dec 24, 1983 | 4 | 122 |
| 9 | Dec 31, 1983 | 4 | 122 |
| 10 | Jan 7, 1984 | 4 | 122 |
| 11 | Jan 14, 1984 | 2 | 124 |
| 12 | Jan 21, 1984 | 1 | 125 |
| 13 | Jan 28, 1984 | 1 | 125 |
| 14 | Feb 4, 1984 | 2 | 124 |
| 15 | Feb 11, 1984 | 4 | 122 |
| 16 | Feb 18, 1984 | 8 | 118 |
| 17 | Feb 25, 1984 | 19 | 107 |
| 18 | Mar 3, 1984 | 22 | 104 |
| 19 | Mar 10, 1984 | 39 | 87 |
| 20 | Mar 17, 1984 | 57 | 69 |