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Lots of links today!
In the 1950s and '60s, the husband and wife songwriting team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote dozens of "Great Songs," both together...and separately.
The Everly Brothers certainly benefitted from their songwriting excellence, by charting with "All I Have to Do is Dream," "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie," and others.
One of the songs Boudleaux wrote on his own and recorded by the Everlys in 1960 was never released as a single...but later became a "Great Song" of the '70s" and was covered by several artists who charted with it somewhere in the world. In fact, the chart history of "Love Hurts" is pretty amazing--if not diverse.
In 1961, Roy Orbison took the song to #5 in Australia.
In 1991, Cher's version went to #8 in Denmark.
But let's back up to 1975, when the Scottish group Nazareth released their version--a definitive worldwide hit, reaching the Top10 in 11 countries, including #1 in Belgium, The Netherlands, South Africa, Norway, and Canada. In the US, it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100. Note: In Norway, it spent a record 61 weeks on the charts--14 weeks at #1!
In Nazareth's version, you could certainly FEEL the "hurt. and that most likely was the reason for its global success.
Note #2: The song has also been covered by the likes of Emmy Lou Harris & Gram Parsons, Jennifer Warnes, Joan Jett, Heart, and Rod Stewart! Whew!
So many versions--all good, with Nazareth's version toppig them all, making "Love Hurts" (written by Boudleaux Bryant) a "Great Song of the ''70s (as well as the '60s and '90s)."
Narareth (1975):
Everly Brothers (1960):
Roy Orbison (1961):
Emmy Lou Harris & Gram Parsons (1974):
Jim Capaldi (1976):
Cher: (1991):
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