"Only Love Can Break a Heart" is the title of a popular song from 1962 (see 1962 in music) 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.
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 latter a number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit for The Crystals in 1962. Ironically, Pitney's success as a singer was beginning at this time, and "He's a Rebel" kept "Only Love Can Break a Heart" from topping the Billboard pop chart, where it spent one week at number two., and two weeks atop the Billboard Easy Listening chart in October and November 1962. "Only Love Can Break a Heart" also reached number 16 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Other artists have recorded cover versions of "Only Love...", including country music singers Sonny James and Kenny Dale. Both versions reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart during the 1970s. 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. 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.
Dionne Warwick released her version of the song as a single in 1977, but it only reached number nine of the "Bubbling Under" portion of the Billboard Hot 100. Bobby Vinton also recorded the song in 1977, and it reached number 99 on the Hot 100. Vinton's version appears on his album The Name Is Love.
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