Top 10 Gilbert O’Sullivan Songs

Photo: rolli22 Nathan Yakobovitch / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

When one hears the name Gilbert O’Sullivan, the “Along Again Naturally” melody instantly appears in our memories. That is, of course, if you were alive in the early 1970s. If you were, that was a song you heard all the time. Even if you were not, chances are you have still listened to that song somewhere along the line. SiriusXM radio plays it all the time on multiple channels on the satellite network. It’s constantly played on FM oldies stations.

Our Top 10 Gilbert O’Sullivan Songs looks to cover more than just “Alone Again Naturally.” Gilbert O’Sullivan had other hit songs and many great album tracks throughout his career. As we were going through his catalog, we had to repeatedly stop to listen to these songs, as we had forgotten how much great material he released. The list became more challenging to write as there were so many more we wanted to include.

This Gilbert O’Sullivan songs list presents 10 of our favorite Gilbert O’Sullivan songs. They are a little bit Broadway, a little bit Beatles, and throw in a side of Randy Newman. In the end, Gilbert O’Sullivan delivered an incredible catalog of music that was probably underappreciated in the United States. Yet, not from this writer and not from many millions of fans around the globe.

# 10 – Where Did You Go To

We open up our Top 10 Gilbert O’Sullivan songs list with a song from his latest album, released in 2018, entitled simply Gilbert O’ Sullivan. Yes, that’s right. Gilbert O’Sullivan’s new album. After all these years since his debut album in 1971, Gilbert O’Sullivan is still releasing excellent pop music. From 1971 to 2018, Gilbert O’Sullivan continued to release new records. As of this writing in 2020, we look forward to the next one.

# 9 – Matrimony

As we continue our look into Gilbert O’Sullivan’s songs, we go from his latest album to his first. The great song “Matrimony” was released on Gilbert O’Sullivan’s debut album in 1971 entitled Himself. This exciting piece of music shifts tempo and mood throughout, enticing the listener to wonder what’s next. Gilbert O’Sullivan plays piano and sings lead vocals on the track. The song also featured Chris Spedding on guitar and Herbie Flowers on bass. Gilbert O’Sullivan wrote every song on the album. This is a fascinating debut album that we highly recommend picking up.

# 8 – Out Of The Question

Gilbert O’Sullivan’s song “Out Of The Question” was released on the album Back To Front. The album was released in 1972 and served as the follow-up record to his debut a year earlier. The song “Out of the Question” was released as the album’s second single, following the LP’s initial single, “Claire.”  The song was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 17. The song performed exceptionally well on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, reaching number 2.

# 7 – We Will

Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “We Will” is a beautiful ballad released in 1971. “We Will” was released as a stand-alone single. The song was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 17. The song did not appear on the original LP pressings of his debut album Himself. However, it was released on the 2011 CD issue of the album.

# 6 – Nothing Rhymed

As we continue our top 10 Gilbert O’Sullivan songs list, we now focus on a really big one. The song “Nothing Rhymed” was Gilbert O’Sullivan’s first charting single. It also remains a favorite among fans and musicians. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including ex-Guess Who singer Burton Cummings’ excellent cover version. Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Nothing Rhymed” was a smash hit when it was released in 1970. The song was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. It also hit number two in Ireland and went all the way to number one in the Netherlands.

# 5 – Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day

During Gilbert O’Sullivan’s early years, he commonly released non-album singles, just as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many other British rock bands did. It was very common for many songwriters to release music throughout the year. Even Elton John continued that practice into the mid-seventies. Gilbert O’Sullivan’s song “Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day” was released as a non-album single in 1972. The Irish loved Gilbert O’Sullivan and helped him reach number one on the Irish charts with this very cool, fun song.

# 4 – What’s In A Kiss

One of our favorite Gilbert O’Sullivan albums was an LP he released in 1980 entitled Off Centre. It was an excellent record produced by the legendary Gus Dudgeon, who had produced all those brilliant Elton John 1970s albums. The fantastic song “What’s In A Kiss” was released as the album’s first single. It would become one of the first songs Gilbert O’Sullivan ever released to chart. The song hit number four in Ireland in 1980. It would also become the last song Gilbert O Sullivan ever charted in Ireland, a country in which he enjoyed the most success in the charts. “What’s In A Kiss” would also become a top 20 hit in the UK. However, it failed to chart in the United States. Despite its success or lack thereof on the charts, in the end it is simply a fantastic recording and stands as one of our favorite Gilbert O’Sullivan songs of all time.

# 3 – Get Down

When I was twelve years old, I heard this song on the radio and instantly rushed to the store to buy the single. I asked the clerk if he had the song Bad Dogg, and he told me to go to the pet store to find it. Eventually, I found the single on my own in the store.   It was just one of those songs that was incredibly addictive, and so many people never knew its name, even though it was a top-10 hit in the United States. The song hit even bigger in the United Kingdom, where it topped the charts. The song also hit number one in Ireland, Canada, and West Germany. Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods even covered this one.

# 2 – Alone Again Naturally

As we close in on the number one spot on our top 10 Gilbert O’Sullivan song list, we turn to one of the most popular songs of the 1970s. I always found the success of this song fascinating. The song’s melody feels so uplifting and beautiful, yet the lyrics are as depressing as it gets.  “Alone Again Naturally” was Gilbert O’Sullivan’s only number-one single in the United States. You could not go an hour without hearing this one on the radio back in 1972. Interestingly, the U.S. was the only country where it hit number one.

# 1 – Clair

There are not many sweeter songs in pop music history than this one.  “Clair” was Gilbert O’Sullivan’s biggest hit of his career. It’s just one of those 1970s gems that put a smile on your face every time you hear it. The song hit number one in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It just missed the number one spot in the U.S.A., peaking at number two. The song was released on the excellent Back To Front album in 1972.

Updated March 10, 2026

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