The song Owner of a Lonely Heart (from the 1983 album 90125) was conceived in 1979 by South African musician, singer-songwriter, and producer Trevor Rabin. He later recalled that he wrote “the whole thing, from beginning to end” while going to the toilet. Using his home studio equipment, which included a 4-track tape machine, Rabin recorded his ideas. One of these early recordings featured the main verse and chorus riff played on acoustic guitar, accompanied by some vocals.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1981, Rabin included the song in a collection of demos he intended to refine for his fourth solo album. He pitched these demos to several record labels, including Arista Records, but owner Clive Davis rejected them, stating that the songs sounded “too strange and would not be a hit.” Davis suggested that Rabin should “write material more like Foreigner” and return later. Rabin then secured a development deal with Geffen Records, who connected him with other musicians with the intention of forming the band Asia. However, Rabin declined the offer, citing a lack of chemistry and his preference for pursuing a solo album.
The deal with Geffen ended in 1982, but RCA Records’ A&R representative, Ron Fair, was the first to recognise the potential of Rabin’s songs as hits. Fair described “Owner of a Lonely Heart” as “a game changer” and offered Rabin an album deal based on its strength. Despite this, Rabin turned down the offer, choosing instead to join forces with bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White from the progressive rock band Yes. The trio began working on an album under the name Cinema for Atco Records, drawing heavily on Rabin’s demo material, including tracks like “Hold On” and “Changes,” which showcased a more pop-oriented sound than Yes’s previous work. The group brought in former Yes vocalist Trevor Horn as producer to help shape the new direction.
Horn recognised the song’s “powerful” introduction, with its “snap jump cut” into the main riff and strong chorus hook, as having the potential to be a hit single. However, he was less enthusiastic about the verses, describing them as “so awful” that he felt compelled to add “loads of whizzbangs and gags” to keep listeners engaged.
Horn recalled pleading with the band to record the song, arguing that they needed a hit single, despite their initial reluctance. He and Squire then made several musical and lyrical adjustments, and for days the group experimented with different arrangements. Frustrated by the addition of unnecessary drum fills and complex sections, Horn insisted on a “straight and simple” approach, preserving the original riff. Rabin agreed to this direction but wanted to maintain “very loud” sound levels, which Horn fully supported.
It took Horn around seven months to convince Rabin to rewrite the lyrics. Once Rabin agreed, multiple versions were developed, including Horn’s contribution to the verses, such as the line: “Move yourself, you always live your life…”
To get that classic guitar sound that is the hallmark of the song, Rabin split his Strat’s signal, which was boosted by a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal before the splitter, and routed it to a pair of 100-watt Marshall 2203 half stacks. The two 4×12 cabinets were positioned about a foot apart, facing each other, with separate dynamic microphones placed on each cabinet.
In Rabin’s setup, one head amplified the straight guitar tone, while the other head processed the signal through the MXR Model 129 Pitch Transposer, with its mix control set to fully wet (100 percent effect). Compression and reverb were then applied to the signal through the mixing board to shape the overall tone further.
