"It's Sad to Belong" was released in May 1977[4] through Big Tree Records, with the b-side "The Time Has Come".[5] It became one of "a string of hit singles" that England Dan & John Ford Coley had in the mid-1970s.[6][7]
The song topped the adult contemporary (then called "easy listening") chart for five consecutive weeks from June 25 to July 23.[8][9] It also appeared on the top 40 "rack singles" list on June 7.[10] On December 24, it ranked #3 on Billboard's end-of-the-year easy listening chart.[11]
Background
"It's Sad to Belong" is the second track on Dowdy Ferry Road. It is one of only two songs on the album not written by either singer.[12]
The song has been called "bittersweet", telling the story of a married man falling in love with another woman and knowing they cannot be together.[1]Dale Van Atta of the Deseret News observed that it is "the universal divorce anthem - about the alleged monotony of monogamy" and that the duo "[reduces] it to a simple, peaceful chorus" (referring to the line, Yes, it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along).[13]
Billboard described the song as a "sweetly catchy ballad."[14]Cash Box said "The strong point is their seamless harmony, easing a catchy chorus through several refrains."[15]Record World said that "the latest single by this duo deals with the 'trying to love two' theme in a way that should find listeners in pop, MOR and country formats in short order."[16]
It is still performed in concerts by the surviving member of the duo, John Ford Coley.[1]
