You’ve heard it. That massive, lung-bursting note that seems to last forever. Maybe you were crying in your car, or maybe you were watching Bridget Jones struggle with a bottle of wine. It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s been around since the dawn of time, but if you’re trying to figure out who sings the song All by Myself, the answer depends entirely on which decade you grew up in.
Most people immediately shout "Céline Dion!" And they aren’t wrong. Her 1996 cover is a monolithic achievement in pop vocals. But the song actually belongs to Eric Carmen. He wrote it. He sang it first. He basically lived it in 1975.
It’s a weirdly complex story for a pop ballad. It involves 18th-century classical music, a massive copyright realization, and three very different artists who claimed the song as their own.
The Man Who Started It All: Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen wasn't exactly a newcomer when he wrote "All by Myself." He’d already tasted fame with the Raspberries, a power-pop band that gave us "Go All the Way." But by 1975, he was on his own. He was feeling that specific brand of mid-70s isolation.
He sat down at a piano and started messing around. What came out was a seven-minute epic. Most people only know the three-minute radio edit, but the original album version is a sprawling, dramatic masterpiece. It’s moody. It’s lonely. It’s got a massive piano solo in the middle that feels more like a concert hall than a recording studio.
The song hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It was everywhere. But here’s the kicker: Carmen thought the melody he used for the verse was in the public domain.
That Rachmaninoff Problem
Carmen was a classically trained pianist. He loved Sergei Rachmaninoff. Specifically, he loved the second movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. He thought the music was old enough that he could just... use it.
He was wrong.
After the song became a global smash, the Rachmaninoff estate reached out. It turns out the music wasn't in the public domain at all. Carmen ended up having to give the estate a significant percentage of the royalties. If you look at the liner notes on modern pressings, you’ll see Rachmaninoff listed as a co-writer.
It’s a funny thought. A dead Russian composer is technically responsible for one of the biggest soft-rock hits of the 70s. Honestly, it makes sense. The melody has that heavy, Russian romanticism that feels too big for a standard pop song.
The Céline Dion Era: 1996 and Beyond
If Eric Carmen built the house, Céline Dion blew the roof off.
In 1996, she released her album Falling into You. Her producer, David Foster, wanted her to cover "All by Myself." Dion was already a superstar, but this song did something different. It proved she had a vocal power that almost nobody else on the planet could match.
The story goes that during the recording session, Foster surprised her. He wanted her to hit a high F5. That’s a terrifying note for any singer. He didn't tell her until they were in the booth because he wanted that raw, slightly panicked energy.
She nailed it.
That one note turned the song into a vocal athlete’s marathon. Now, when people ask who sings the song All by Myself, they are almost always thinking of that specific moment in the bridge where her voice just soars. It became the definitive version for the MTV generation.
The Sheryl Crow Turn
Most people forget about this one. In the early 2000s, Sheryl Crow recorded a version for the movie The Edge of Reason.
It’s a totally different vibe. Where Carmen was melodramatic and Dion was operatic, Crow was gritty. It felt more like a late-night bar song. It didn't have the big high notes, but it had a lot of "realness." It reminds you that the lyrics are actually quite dark. It’s about the realization that as you get older, friends drift away and "making love is just for fun" doesn't cut it anymore.
Why This Song Actually Works
A lot of ballads from the 70s and 90s feel dated now. They’re "cheesy." But "All by Myself" survives. Why?
Part of it is the structure. It starts so small. Just a few piano chords and a guy talking about his youth. Then it builds. And builds. By the time the drums kick in and the orchestration swells, you’re already emotionally invested.
Also, it’s relatable. Everyone has had that moment at 2:00 AM where they feel like they’re the only person left on earth. Whether it’s Eric Carmen’s soft-rock longing or Céline’s power-ballad catharsis, the song taps into a universal fear of loneliness.
Notable Covers You Might Have Missed
- Frank Sinatra: Believe it or not, Ol' Blue Eyes took a crack at it. It’s very "Vegas." It loses some of the intimacy but gains a lot of swagger.
- Babes in Toyland: If you want to hear a grunge/punk version that sounds like a scream into the void, this is the one.
- Jamie O'Neal: A country version that actually charted quite well in the early 2000s.
How to Listen to It Today
If you really want to appreciate the song, you have to listen to the original Eric Carmen version first. Skip the radio edit. Find the full version from his self-titled 1975 album. Listen to that middle piano section. You can hear the Rachmaninoff influence clear as day.
Then, jump to the Céline Dion version. Focus on the production. David Foster’s arrangement is a masterclass in how to build tension. By the time the final chorus hits, the sound is so thick you can almost feel it.
It’s rare for a song to be a hit twice, twenty years apart, with two completely different styles of singers. It speaks to the strength of the melody.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers
If you’re a fan of this track, there are a few things you should do to deepen your appreciation:
- Listen to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (Adagio sostenuto). You will hear the exact melody of the verses. It’s a "lightbulb" moment for any music fan.
- Compare the bridge. Listen to how Eric Carmen handles the climax versus how Céline Dion does. Carmen uses instrumentation; Dion uses her vocal cords.
- Check out the Raspberries. If you only know Eric Carmen for this ballad, you’re missing out on some of the best power-pop ever made. "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" is a great place to start.
The reality is that who sings the song All by Myself isn't a simple answer. It’s a lineage. It started in Russia in 1901, moved to a lonely apartment in Ohio in 1975, and ended up in a recording studio in Nevada in 1996. It belongs to all of them.