Justice for “Song For The Unloved”

This is a song for the unloved,
This is the music for one last cry,
This is a prayer that tomorrow will
Help me leave the past behind,
It’s a song for the unloved…

Tomorrow the sun will shine
And dry the tears in your eyes,
Suddenly love comes alive…
For one last cry, just one last cry.

Let me just start off with saying, I love this song.

I have so many ideas lined up and not enough time to write them but I was in the shower, and this song came on my shuffle. Because I’m an avid shower singer. And I haven’t listened to this particular song in a minute for some reason or another. I was listening to the lyrics and it hit me just how wonderful this song really is. I hadn’t forgotten it, in fact I know I’ve talked about it casually on here before. That said, the song just has a way of speaking to you. Especially right now in 2020. This year hasn’t been easy for anyone. And this song? Well, it makes me feel less alone. We all feel alone sometimes. Many of us are scared and with good reason. Listening to Song For The Unloved almost felt like an impromptu therapy session in the shower. It’s a song that is powerful, emotional and can strike so many chords within you.

It’s pretty damn frustrating it never got released.

For those who may not know the song I’m talking about since there’s definitely more casual fans who aren’t as hardcore (or you know crazy haha) as I am, I can give a mini-history lesson. You see back in 2005 the Backstreet Boys released Never Gone. The album went through a very lengthy recording period where they made over forty songs if I remember correctly. Many of the songs chosen to be left off the album leaked. There’s a few versions of how it happened but the biggest rumor was always that Nick accidentally left a CD with them in a hotel room, a fan working there got a hold of it and leaked it. Another version of that story blames AJ for losing it. Who was it? Who knows. Is it even true? You can’t see me but I’m shrugging. I honestly don’t know though I’d love to ask. Then again they probably don’t remember. To be fair, it’s been fifteen years.

One of the songs on that infamous CD was Song For The Unloved. It’s widely recognized within the fandom to have been one of the best songs they’ve done and many to this day, myself included are angry it never got released. Technically in Japan on some deluxe versions it made it as a bonus track but that was the extent of it. They made two versions of this song, one more upbeat and in someways making you want to scream it to the rooftops. Then there’s the slower r&b version where it’s incredibly haunting and AJ’s simply soars on throughout it. It’s in essence the perfect song. Not just musically but vocally, and lyrically it’s just so far above anything else they released up until that point.

Sometimes I wonder if this would’ve been the song that could’ve gotten them a Grammy had they released it. I know that sounds dramatic but given the subject matter and the beautiful vocals throughout it, I can’t imagine any other result. Why was this song left off the album? How could anyone decide to scrap this? I suspect it was likely a victim of Jive’s bad decision making but, who knows? Fans would ask them at soundchecks repeatedly to sing this, so I know the Boys knew fans loved it. I wish we could see it done live and done right.

Imagine the music video it could have?

Did you know that Britney Spears, as a thank you to fans released a song officially when they got an album of hers up to number one on iTunes in it’s anniversary. The song, Mood Ring was similar in that it was just a bonus track in Japan before that. Christina Aguilera released behind the scenes stuff as a thank you to fans for doing the same for her album Bionic. I wonder if the Boys ever really considered releasing their old material? I know fans have asked enough times – I even did a post pleading the case – but with coronavirus making so many things come to a screeching halt, maybe now’s the time to start again. What could it hurt?

This song could easily sound like it was made for right now.

Hell, maybe we could convince them to do an acoustic version of this song and release that.

You never know.

I suppose in the end I’m just glad this song did get into the hands of fans, the biggest tragedy would’ve been if this was like the many many unheard songs locked in the music vaults. I know for me, when things get hard, this song is one of a few from the Boys I choose to turn to. So thank you BSB, for at least bringing it into existence. Really.

Now…if it’s not too much to ask, please find a way to give Song For The Unloved the justice it deserves.