Love Really Hurts Without You

Album: Billy Ocean (1976)
Charted: 2 22
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Love Really Hurts Without You" was Billy Ocean's first hit. It's an upbeat tune with a sad heartbreak story in the tradition of Motown classics like "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On." The intro is very similar to "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops.

    Ocean is a huge Motown fan and he needed a hit, so he followed their tried-and-true formula, which in 1976 had a retro appeal. The song went all the way to #2 in the UK, where he was based, and it also climbed to #22 in America.
  • Ocean wrote this song with his producer, Ben Findon, who in the '80s had a number of UK hits with The Dooleys.
  • Ocean just 26 when this song was released, but he had been already been around the block a few times. Born in Trinidad in 1950, he settled with him family in London at age 10. Instead of going to college like his parents wanted, he took a day job going tailoring and played music at night, first with the bands Shades Of Midnight and Dry Ice, then as a solo artist. He released a few singles using his real name, Les Charles, but they didn't do any damage. After signing with GTO Records in 1975, he started using Billy Ocean as a stage name and released "Love Really Hurts Without You" as his first single on the label. The follow-up, "L.O.D. (Love on Delivery)," made #106 in the US and was his last chart entry there until "Night (Feel Like Getting Down)" reached #102 in 1981. His downward trend abruptly reversed in 1984 with "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)," a #1 hit. He went on to land two more: "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car." His only UK chart-topper came in 1986 with "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

George Clinton

George ClintonSongwriter Interviews

When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.