Introduction
“A Man This Lonely” was penned by Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn together with Tommy Lee James—a Nashville songwriter known for his work with artists like Reba McEntire and Martina McBride . At the time of writing, James was also playing guitar in Brooks & Dunn’s touring band. The two wrote the song while on tour in Canada .
Released on December 9, 1996, the track served as the fourth single from the duo’s fourth studio album, Borderline, which had been released earlier that year on April 16 . That album had already delivered major hits: “My Maria” (a cover that became a #1), “I Am That Man” (#2), and “Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up for Nothing” (peaked at #13) . “A Man This Lonely” returned them to the top, reaching #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart .
Critics responded well—the single received a favorable review from Billboard, praising its “solid lyric” and noting how Ronnie Dunn “wrings every drop of emotion out of each line” . Music video fans might recognize the visuals: directed by Michael Oblowitz, the video was filmed at the CF Ranch in Alpine, Texas .
Country Universe, in a retrospective on 1990s #1 hits, highlighted the song’s strong melody, engaging country instrumentation, and emotionally dynamic vocal performance—from despondent longing to gratitude—with a tempo that keeps things engaging
Video
Lyrics
A man this lonely
A man this blue
A man whose world’s been torn in two
Needs somebody
With a heart that’s true
A man this lonely needs a woman like you
Two arms this empty
Need someone to hold
A man this lost needs somewhere to go
When the nights go on forever
And the days do too
A man this lonely needs a woman like you
I’d lost hope
I was so far down
Here you come turning all that around
I’d come to think
Of love as a lie
All that’s on my mind now
Is you by my side
A man this lonely
A man this blue
A man whose world’s been torn in two
Needs somebody
With a heart that’s true
A man this lonely needs a woman like you
A man this lonely needs a woman like you