Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" is a duet between American singers Patty Smyth and Don Henley. The rock ballad^[1] 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.

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"
Single by Patty Smyth and Don Henley
from the album Patty Smyth
B-side	"Out There"
Released	August 1992
Length	4:28
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	Patty Smyth Glen Burtnik
Producer(s)	Roy Bittan
Patty Smyth singles chronology
"Isn't It Enough" (1987) "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (1992) "No Mistakes" (1992)
Don Henley singles chronology
"New York Minute" (1990) "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (1992) "Walkaway Joe" (1992)

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".^[2] It remained in the top 40 for 20 weeks.^[3] The duet also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary for four weeks.^[4][5] In Canada, "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart,^[6] becoming the best-performing single of 1992,^[7] while in the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart.^[8] In Ireland, it reached number two.^[9] The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Pop Vocal, Duo or Group.^[10]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 5 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 28 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 47 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[14] 2 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 36 Germany (GfK)[16] 51 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[17] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 49 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 18 Norway (VG-lista)[20] 9 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 33 UK Singles (OCC)[8] 22 US Billboard Hot 100[2] 2 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[4] 1 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[22] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position Australia (ARIA)[23] 23 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[24] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 22 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[26] 13

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23]	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			[27]

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).^[28] The re-released album was titled The Calm After... and released on Tritt's own Post Oak Records on July 9, 2013.^[29] Tritt's version was released as a single in June 2013.^[28]