Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" a duet between American singers Patty Smyth and Don Henley. The rock ballad was written by Smyth and Glen Burtnik and was released as a single in August 1992. It reached No. 1 in Canada, where it was the most successful single of 1992, and peaked at No. 2 in Ireland and on the US Billboard Hot 100.

History

Smyth is the lead singer for the band Scandal, whose hits included "The Warrior" and "Goodbye to You"; Henley is a longtime member of the Eagles (singing lead vocals on "Desperado", "Hotel California", among many others) as well as a successful solo artist ("The Boys of Summer", "Dirty Laundry"). Smyth had previously provided backing vocals on Henley's solo albums Building the Perfect Beast (1984) and The End of the Innocence (1989). "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" was written by Smyth and Glen Burtnik and would appear on her self-titled 1992 album.

Reception

The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spending six weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1992 during the 13-week reign at No. 1 of Boyz II Men's song, "End of the Road". It remained in the top 40 for 20 weeks. The duet also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary for four weeks. In Canada, "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, becoming the best-performing single of 1992, while in the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. In Ireland, it reached number two. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Pop Vocal, Duo or Group.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	28
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	47
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)	2
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	36
Germany (GfK)	51
Ireland (IRMA)	2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	49
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	18
Norway (VG-lista)	9
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	33
UK Singles (OCC)	22
US Billboard Hot 100	2
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	1
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1992)	Position
Australia (ARIA)	23
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)	10
US Billboard Hot 100	22
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	13

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000
Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	August 1992	7-inch vinyl CD cassette	MCA
United Kingdom	September 21, 1992	7-inch vinyl CD cassette	MCA

Cover versions

Filipino diva-actress Jennylyn Mercado revived it as a carrier single of her third album Love Is (2010).
Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun also covered the song for her fourth album Start (2002).
In 2013, country singer Travis Tritt and his daughter Tyler Reese recorded a version for the re-release of Tritt's album The Storm (2007). The re-released album was titled The Calm After... and released on Tritt's own Post Oak Records on July 9, 2013. Tritt's version was released as a single in June 2013.

References

"Travis Tritt and Daughter Tyler Reese Duet for "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"". Music News Nashville. June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
^ "Patty Smyth Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 555.
^ "Patty Smyth Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 380.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1940." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 8. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
^ "Patty Smyth with Don Henley: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
"Grammy nominees". The Baltimore Sun. January 8, 1993. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
"Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1939." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 43. October 24, 1992. p. 23. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
"Tipparade-lijst van week 44, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough". Top 40 Singles.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough". VG-lista.
"Patty Smyth with Don Henley – Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough". Singles Top 100.
"Patty Smyth Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1992". ARIA. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
"The RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary tracks of 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
"Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
"1992 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. December 26, 1992. p. YE-38. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
"New Releases: Singles". Music Week. September 19, 1992. p. 19.
^ "Travis Tritt duets with his teenage daughter on new single". MSN. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
Wyland, Sarah (May 24, 2013). "Travis Tritt Releases Duet with Daughter Tyler Reese". Great American Country. Retrieved May 28, 2013.

v t e Patty Smyth
Studio albums	Never Enough (1987) Patty Smyth (1992)
Singles	"Downtown Train" "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"
Related articles	Don Henley Scandal "And the Night Stood Still"

v t e Don Henley
Studio albums	I Can't Stand Still Building the Perfect Beast The End of the Innocence Inside Job Cass County
Compilation albums	Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits The Very Best of Don Henley
Singles	"Johnny Can't Read" "Dirty Laundry" "The Boys of Summer" "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" "Not Enough Love in the World" "Sunset Grill" "The End of the Innocence" "New York Minute" "The Last Worthless Evening" "The Heart of the Matter" "The Garden of Allah" "Everybody Knows" "Taking You Home"
Guest singles	"Leather and Lace" "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" "Walkaway Joe" "Inside Out"
Related articles	Discography Eagles

v t e Travis Tritt singles
Country Club	"Country Club" "Help Me Hold On" "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" "Put Some Drive in Your Country" "Drift Off to Dream"
It's All About to Change	"Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" "Anymore" "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" (With Marty Stuart) "Nothing Short of Dying"
T-R-O-U-B-L-E	"Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" "Can I Trust You with My Heart" "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" "Looking Out for Number One" "Worth Every Mile"
Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof	"Foolish Pride" "Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof" "Between an Old Memory and Me" "Tell Me I Was Dreaming"
Greatest Hits: From the Beginning	"Sometimes She Forgets" "Only You (And You Alone)"
The Restless Kind	"More Than You'll Ever Know" "Where Corn Don't Grow" "She's Going Home with Me" "Helping Me Get Over You" (With Lari White) "Still in Love with You"
No More Looking over My Shoulder	"If I Lost You" "No More Looking Over My Shoulder" "Start the Car"
Down the Road I Go	"Best of Intentions" "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" "Love of a Woman" "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde"
Strong Enough	"Strong Enough to Be Your Man" "Country Ain't Country"
My Honky Tonk History	"The Girl's Gone Wild" "What Say You" (with John Mellencamp) "I See Me"
The Storm	"You Never Take Me Dancing" "Something Stronger Than Me"
The Calm After...	"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (With Tyler Reese)
Other songs	"This One's Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time)" (with Marty Stuart) "Take It Easy" "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia" (With Mark O'Connor, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Cash, and Marty Stuart) "Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best" (With Marty Stuart) "Hope" "Here's Your Sign (Get the Picture)" (With Bill Engvall) "Same Old Train" "Out of Control Raging Fire" (with Patty Loveless) "Southern Boy" (with Charlie Daniels) "Bible Belt" (with Little Feat) "Move It On Over" "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" "Outlaws & Outsiders"

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