"Lonely Boy" was recorded in August 1958 and released in April 1959 for the film Girls Town. It became Paul Anka's second biggest smash, after "Diana" two years earlier. The melancholy tune went to no.1 in the United States, short time later it climbed to no.3 in United Kingdom, no.2 in the Netherlands and Belgium and no.8 in Germany. On the year-end list 1959 "Lonely Boy" ranked at the runner-up slot behind Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife".