About The Song
“A Woman Left Lonely” is a soulful country ballad recorded by American singer Charlie Rich. Written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn, the track was first cut by Rich in 1970 and released as the B-side to his single “Life’s Little Ups and Downs” (Epic 5-10622) in August 1970. It later became the opening track and second single (January 1971, Epic 5-10695) from his album Love and War (also titled Boss Man in some markets). Running 3:14, the song showcases Rich’s deep, emotive baritone over a slow-burning Memphis-meets-Nashville arrangement.
The single entered the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart at No. 79 in late January 1971 and steadily climbed, peaking at No. 19 during the week of April 10, 1971, spending 12 weeks on the chart. It did not cross over to the Hot 100 but became a staple on country and adult-contemporary radio. In Canada, it reached No. 24 on the RPM Country Tracks chart. Cash Box listed it at No. 18 on its Country Top 100.
Recording took place in late 1970 at American Sound Studio in Memphis, produced by Billy Sherrill in one of his rare sessions outside Nashville. The session featured the famed Memphis Boys rhythm section: Reggie Young on guitar, Bobby Emmons on organ, Mike Leech on bass, Gene Chrisman on drums, and the Memphis Horns (Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love, Ed Logan). Background vocals were supplied by The Holladay Sisters. Rich delivered his lead vocal in two takes, using his signature breathy phrasing and subtle falsetto breaks. The B-side of the single release was “Big Boss Man” (a cover of the Jimmy Reed classic).
Epic Records promoted the single as part of Rich’s deliberate shift toward a more soul-influenced sound following his 1968–1969 country hits. Initial pressings shipped approximately 150,000 copies, with the distinctive orange Epic label. The track was included on the 1971 album Boss Man (E 30372), which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and remained listed for 20 weeks.
Structurally in the key of G minor, the song builds from a sparse piano-and-organ intro to a dramatic horn-filled climax, featuring a key change to A-flat in the final chorus. The arrangement is often cited as one of the finest examples of early-1970s “country soul.” Publishing was handled through Screen Gems-Columbia Music (BMI).
The song gained wider recognition when Janis Joplin recorded a powerful version for her 1971 posthumous album Pearl, but Rich’s original remained the definitive country interpretation. Reissues preserved his take on Rhino’s 1997 Feel Like Going Home: The Essential Charlie Rich, the 2009 Bear Family box set The Ballads of Charlie Rich, and the 2015 Real Gone Music collection So Lonesome I Could Cry.
Covers include versions by Bobby “Blue” Bland (1972), Percy Sledge (1973), and later by Etta James and Billie Jo Spears. The original 1971 Epic 45 is collectible, valued at $15–35 in near-mint condition, especially with the picture sleeve showing Rich in a dark turtleneck.
Video
Lyric
[Verse 1]
A woman left lonely will soon grow tired of waitin’
She’ll do crazy things, yeah, on lonely occasions
A simple conversation with a new man now and then
Makes a woman feel like a woman again[Verse 2]
I’ve seen it happen time and time again
A woman left lonely, Lord, she’s easy to win
She’ll take almost anything just to feel like a woman again[Chorus]
A woman left lonely is a woman left sad
But a woman left lonely, Lord, that can soon turn bad
She’ll drink too much, stay out too late
Trying to find someone to take her heartache away[Verse 3]
So if you see a woman who’s crying alone
Don’t pass her by, take her home
Give her love and understanding
Make her feel like a woman again[Outro]
Make her feel like a woman again
Make her feel like a woman again
(Fade out)