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

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.