Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 27, 2026

Only Lonely Sometimes

Only Lonely Sometimes is the twenty-first studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Tammy Wynette. It was released on June 9, 1980, by Epic Records.

Last revised
Jul 27, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Citations
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Only Lonely Sometimes
Studio album by
Tammy Wynette
ReleasedJune 9, 1980
RecordedJan. 1980
Studios
GenreCountry
Length32:38
LabelEpic
ProducerBilly Sherrill
Tammy Wynette chronology
Just Tammy
(1979) 		Only Lonely Sometimes
(1980) 		Together Again
(1980)
Singles from Only Lonely Sometimes
  1. "He Was There (When I Needed You)"
    Released: Mar. 1980
  2. "Starting Over"
    Released: Aug. 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star1

Only Lonely Sometimes is the twenty-first studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Tammy Wynette. It was released on June 9, 1980, by Epic Records.2

Chart performance

The album peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The album's first single, "He Was There (When I Needed You)", peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, and the album's second single, "Starting Over", also peaked at No. 17.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."He Was There (When I Needed You)"Sue Richards3:15
2."I'll Be Thinking of You"Richards3:58
3."You Never Knew"Jerry Taylor, Robert J. Jones2:59
4."Come with Me"Chuck Howard2:56
5."You Needed Me"Randy Goodrum3:22
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Starting Over"Bob McDill3:07
2."Out of the Spotlight"Taylor, Jones3:22
3."Only the Names Have Been Changed"Tammy Wynette, Jan Howard3:11
4."When You Love Me"Taylor, Paul Richey3:16
5."Ozark Mountain Lullaby"Jones3:12

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

  • Phil Baugh - lead guitar
  • Ken Bell - rhythm guitar
  • Lou Bradley - engineer
  • Tom Brannon - background vocals
  • Jimmy Capps - rhythm guitar
  • Jerry Carrigan - drums
  • Boomer Castleman - rhythm guitar
  • C.C. Couch - background vocals
  • Mike Daniel - engineer
  • Chalmers Davis - keyboard
  • Diane Davidson - background vocals
  • Pete Drake - steel guitar
  • Jimmy English - lead guitar
  • Ralph Ezell - bass
  • Johnny Gimble - fiddle
  • Owen Hale - drums
  • Kenny Malone - drums
  • Bill McElhiney - string arrangements
  • Steve Nathan - keyboard
  • Nightstreets - background vocals
  • June Page - background vocals
  • Ron Reynolds - engineer
  • George Richey - keyboard
  • Hargus "Pig" Robbins - keyboard
  • Norman Seeff - photography
  • The Shelly Kurland Strings - strings
  • Billy Sherrill - producer
  • Henry Strzelecki - bass
  • Virginia Team - art direction
  • Pete Wade - rhythm guitar
  • Tammy Wynette - lead vocals
  • Reggie Young - lead guitar

Charts

Album

Year Chart Peak
position
1980 US Country Albums (Billboard)3 37

Singles

Year Single Chart Peak
position
1980 "He Was There (When I Needed You)" Country Singles (Billboard)4 17
1980 "Starting Over" Country Singles (Billboard)5 17
References

References

  1. "Only Lonely Sometimes - Tammy Wynette | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  2. "Only Lonely Sometimes - Tammy Wynette". Tammy Wynette. April 28, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  3. "Billboard Magazine - July 12, 1980" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  4. "Billboard Magazine - June 7, 1980" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  5. "Billboard Magazine - October 4, 1980" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved January 22, 2018.