Love Really Hurts Without You by Billy Ocean

Album: Billy Ocean (1976)

Charted: 2 22

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"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."

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