A Stranger in My Own Back Yard is the fourth studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan, originally released in October 1974 by MAM Records.

After the funk-inflected I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter, A Stranger in My Own Back Yard marked a return to the style of O'Sullivan's first two albums.

Union Square Music reissued the album on the Salvo label in 2012 as part of the Gilbert O'Sullivan - A Singer & His Songs collection.

With a style often marked by his distinctive, percussive piano playing style[1] and observational lyrics using word play,[2] O'Sullivan scored a string of major international hits between 1970 and 1973 including "Alone Again (Naturally)", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six non-consecutive weeks in 1972 and UK chart-toppers "Clair" and "Get Down".

[8] As with Gilbert O'Sullivan's previous albums, A Stranger in My Own Back Yard was produced by Gordon Mills and arranged by Johnnie Spence.

[10] Eventually, in May 1982, the court found in O'Sullivan's favour, describing him as a "patently honest and decent man", who had not received a just proportion of the vast income his songs had generated.

[11] Musically, the song was compared to O'Sullivan's number-one hit "Get Down",[11] but the lyric ("I believe / A woman's place is in the home") proved unpopular and was seen by some as sexist.

Singer and songwriter Tony Hazzard owned this recording on an acetate at one time, describing it as "great just with the piano in his shed.

[6] Upon its release, Billboard called A Stranger in My Own Back Yard "another set of well done, catchy melodies and words by one of the more talented young singer/songwriters to surface in the last few years", and noted that the album features "some strong rockers" alongside O'Sullivan's trademark ballads.

However, McClintock praised "It's So Easy to Be Sad" and "My Father", comparing O'Sullivan's "witty and well-crafted" songs to those of Harry Nilsson.