Only Love Can Break a Heart

"Only Love Can Break a Heart" is the title of a popular song from 1962, performed by the American singer-songwriter Gene Pitney. The song was written by Hal David (words) and Burt Bacharach (music) and appears on Pitney's second album Only Love Can Break a Heart.

For the album of the same name, see Only Love Can Break a Heart (album).
Not to be confused with the Neil Young song "Only Love Can Break Your Heart".

"Only Love Can Break a Heart"
Single by Gene Pitney
from the album Only Love Can Break a Heart
B-side"If I Didn't Have a Dime (To Play the Jukebox)"
ReleasedSeptember 1962
GenrePop
Length2:50
LabelMusicor
Songwriter(s)Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Producer(s)Wally Gold, Aaron Schroeder

Gene Pitney version

Pitney had enjoyed some success as a songwriter prior to breaking through as a performer in his own right. He wrote the songs "Hello Mary Lou", "Rubber Ball", and "He's a Rebel", the last a number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit for The Crystals in 1962.[1] Ironically, Pitney's success as a singer was beginning at this time, and, on November 3, 1962, "He's a Rebel" kept "Only Love Can Break a Heart", Pitney's highest charting hit, at No. 2 for one week, from topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[2][3] The song also spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in October and November 1962,[4] while reaching No. 2 on New Zealand's "Lever Hit Parade".[5] Pitney did his own whistling on the song.

Chart performance
Chart (1962) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[2] 2
US Billboard Easy Listening[4] 1
New Zealand – "Lever Hit Parade"[5] 2
Canada – CHUM Hit Parade[6] 11
US Billboard R&B[4] 16

Country music versions

Country music singers Sonny James and Kenny Dale also recorded cover versions of "Only Love Can Break a Heart". Both versions reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart during the 1970s.[4] James' version peaked at No. 2 in March 1972, held out of the top by Freddie Hart's "My Hang-Up Is You." As a result, "Only Love ..." just missed continuing James' record-breaking streak of consecutive number-one singles, which had reached 16.[7] Dale's version of the song reached number seven on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1979 and it was his biggest hit on the country charts.

Other versions

Margaret Whiting charted with the song in 1967. Whiting's version reached No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.[8][9]

Bobby Vinton released the song in 1977, and it reached No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100,[10] while reaching No. 46 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart,[11] and No. 50 on the RPM "Adult Oriented Playlist" in Canada.[12] Vinton's version appears on his album The Name Is Love.

Dionne Warwick released her version of the song as a single in 1977, but it only reached No. 9 on the "Bubbling Under" portion of the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

In 1999, Glen Campbell recorded the song on his album My Hits and Love Songs.

See also

References
  1. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Hits, 5th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  2. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  3. Casey Kasem noted that fact on the May 24, 1986, edition of American Top 40.
  4. Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  5. "Lever Hit Parade" 15-Nov-1962, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed October 21, 2015
  6. "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of October 29, 1962". CHUM. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Chart No. 292.
  7. Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944–2005," 2006.
  8. Margaret Whiting – Chart History – The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed October 21, 2015
  9. Margaret Whiting – Chart History – Adult Contemporary, Billboard.com. Accessed October 21, 2015
  10. Bobby Vinton – Chart History – The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed October 21, 2015
  11. Bobby Vinton – Chart History – Adult Contemporary, Billboard.com. Accessed October 21, 2015
  12. "RPM Adult Oriented Playlist", RPM, Volume 27, Ed. 13, June 25, 1977. p. 27. Accessed October 21, 2015
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