The single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 between late July and early September 1972 in America.

In the first verse, the singer contemplates suicide after having been left at the altar; in the second, he wonders if there is a God; finally, he laments the death of his parents.

The piano technique used on the song is typical to O'Sullivan's playing style with a percussive bass note on the left hand and the chord changes on the right.

[9] Between late July and early September 1972 in America the single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 – interrupted by Looking Glass's "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" – and ranked no.

In a decade-end survey as counted down on syndicated radio show Casey Kasem's American Top 40, using Billboard statistics, "Alone Again (Naturally)" ranked five.