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Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You (Song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” is an American song written by Benny Davis and Murray Mencher (using the pseudonym Ted Murry). The song was a success for two artists in two different genres: Connie Francis in the pop field in 1962 and Margo Smith as a country version in 1978.
Connie Francis Version
| “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Connie Francis | |
| B-side | “Drop It Joe” |
| Released | January 1962 |
| Recorded | November 2, 1961 |
| Genre | Country pop easy listening |
| Length | 2:58 |
| Label | MGM Records K 13059 |
| Songwriter(s) | Benny Davis, Murray Mencher |
| Producer(s) | Danny Davis, Arnold Maxin |
| Connie Francis singles chronology | |
| “When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)“ (1961)”Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You“ (1962)”Second Hand Love“ (1962) | |
Benny Davis and Murray Mencher (1898-1991) became associated with Connie Francis by suggestion of Francis’ father, George Franconero. The idea was to combine the skills of Tin Pan Alley veterans Davis and Mencher with the current sound of the day. Francis signed Mencher and Davis as regular composers to her own music publishing company, Francon Music Incorporated.
Over the following years, Davis and Mencher wrote further hits for Francis, such as the country ballad The Biggest Sin of All
and the theme song for Francis’ third movie, Follow The Boys,
which she also recorded in French,
Italian,
Spanish,
Japanese,
and German.
Neither of the songs left a big impact on Billboard‘s Pop Charts, but became notable successes on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Francis recorded “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” in a 2 November 1961 session which also produced “I’m Falling in Love With You Tonight,”
“When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)“,
“‘Baby’s First Christmas” (another Davis and Mencher composition),
“‘Mon Cœur est un Violon,”
and “Personne au Monde.”
The ballad, recorded by Francis in two-part harmony with a spoken bridge, is a plea from a heartbroken lover who is trying to understand why her lover is going out of his way to treat her unkindly. The song ends with her begging him not to break her heart.
The Billboard Hot 100 dated 31 March 1962 ranked “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” at No.1, making it Francis’ third and final chart-topper. The Connie Francis recording also went to number one on the easy listening charts.
“Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” charted in the UK in April 1962 without paralleling its US chart impact; rather “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” became Francis’ first single to miss the UK Top 30 with peak position of No.39. The track reached No.1 in New Zealand – where it would be Francis’ last hit – and No.18 in Australia.
Following the success in the US, Francis recorded “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” subsequently also in German (“Tu mir Nicht Weh”),
Spanish (“Mi Corazón te Adora”),
Japanese (泣かせないでね)
and in both regular Italian and the Italian dialect Neapolitan (both as “Un Desiderio Folle”).
The Francis version is heard in the sixth episode (“Hagsploitation”) of the FX television series Feud in the scene where Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford arrives in Baton Rouge to start filming Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte.
Chart performance
| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 39 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Margo Smith Version
| “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Margo Smith | |
| from the album Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You | |
| B-side | “Apt. #4, Sixth Street in Cincinnati” |
| Released | December 1977 |
| Recorded | 1977 |
| Genre | Country |
| Length | 2:57 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Benny Davis, Ted Murry |
| Producer(s) | Norro Wilson |
| Margo Smith singles chronology | |
| “So Close Again” (1977)”Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You“ (1977)”It Only Hurts for a Little While“ (1978) | |
Margo Smith
In 1977, the ballad was recorded by country singer Margo Smith. Her version — featuring a saxophone solo during the musical bridge but not the recitation of Francis’s version — topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in February 1978, and crossed over to the Easy Listening chart peaking at number forty.
Chart performance
| Chart (1977–1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 40 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
Other recordings
“Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” has also been recorded by:
- Arthur Alexander (album You Better Move On/ 1962)
- The Lennon Sisters (album #1 Hits Of The 1960s/ 1964)
- Tatjana Hubinská (“Vieš, Čo Je Žiaľ” Slovak/ 1965) *Dominic Kirwan (album Unconditional Love/ 1999).
- Guy Lombardo recorded a version that appeared on his 1962, Decca album By Special Request.
- Bernie Leighton
- Billy Vaughn
- Tommy James & Shondells
- Karaoke Star Explosion
Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You (Album)
| Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Margo Smith | |
| Released | May 1978 |
| Recorded | November 1977 – January 1978 |
| Studio | Columbia Recording Studio |
| Genre | Countrycountry pop |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Producer | Norro Wilson |
| Margo Smith chronology | |
| Happiness (1977)Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You (1978)A Woman (1979) | |
| Singles from Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You | |
| “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You“ Released: December 1977″It Only Hurts for a Little While“ Released: March 1978″Little Things Mean a Lot“ Released: August 1978 | |
Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You is a studio album by American country music artist Margo Smith. It was released in May 1978 via Warner Bros. Records and contained ten tracks. The album included a mixture of new recordings and covers of original hits by other artists. It was the fifth studio release of Smith’s career and spawned three major hits, including the number one country songs “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” and “It Only Hurts for a Little While.”
Background and content
Margo Smith had several years of country hits after signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1976 with such songs as “Take My Breath Away.”
Between November 1977 and January 1978, Smith went into the studio to cut her third studio recording for Warner Bros. The sessions were produced by Norro Wilson, who had also worked with Smith on her two previous studio offerings. The sessions were held at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You contained a total of ten tracks. It included a mixture of new recordings and cover versions of previously-released material. Of the new cuts were two songs penned by Smith herself titled “Make Love the Way We Used To” and “Ode to a Cheater.” Of the covers were two songs first made pop hits by Connie Francis: the title track and “Breakin’ in a Brand New Broken Heart.” Other covers included “Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms),” “Memories Are Made of This” and the Ames Brothers‘ “It Only Hurts for a Little While.”
Release and reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You was released in May 1978 on Warner Bros. Records. It became the fifth studio album of Smith’s career and her third for the Warner label. It was originally offered as a vinyl LP containing five songs on each side of the record. In similar format, it was issued via cassette. The album peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was Smith’s highest-peaking LP on the chart. Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You received a three-star rating from AllMusic.
The project also spawned three singles. The first was the title track (issued as a single in December 1977), which became Smith’s first number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Its second single was released in March 1978, which was a cover of “It Only Hurts for a Little While.” It became Smith’s second number hit on the Billboard country chart later that year. The third and final single issued from the LP was Smith’s cover of Kitty Kallen‘s “Little Things Mean a Lot” (issued in August 1978). The song reached number three on the same chart. In addition, two singles reached the top ten of the RPM country singles chart in Canada. “It Only Hurts for a Little While” reached the top spot of the chart.
Track listing
Vinyl and cassette versions
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You“ | Benny Davis Ted Murry | 2:52 |
| 3. | “Little Things Mean a Lot“ | Edith LindemanCarl Stutz | 2:52 |
|---|
| 4. | “Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)“ | Virgil “Pappy” Stewart | 2:34 |
|---|
| 5. | “Make Love the Way We Used To” | Margo SmithNorris D. Wilson | 2:56 |
|---|
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Ode to a Cheater” | Smith | 2:37 |
| 2. | “Your Sweet Lies” | David ChamberlainJames Vest | 2:40 |
|---|
| 3. | “Don’t Squeeze My Charlie” | Curtis Allen | 2:55 |
|---|
| 4. | “Memories Are Made of This“ | Richard DehrTerry GilkysonFrank Miller | 2:56 |
|---|
Personnel
All credits are adapted from the original liner notes of Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You.
Musical personnel
- Tommy Allsup – musician
- Kenneth Buttrey – musician
- Jimmy Capps – musician
- Jerry Carrigan – musician
- Curly Chalker – musician
- Tommy Cogbill – musician
- Pete Drake – musician
- Ray Edenton – musician
- Buddy Emmons – musician
- Steve Gibson – musician
- Kenny Malone – musician
- Grady Martin – musician
- Charlie McCoy – musician
- Farrell Morris – musician
- Billy Puett – musician
- Hargus “Pig” Robbins – musician
- Billy Sanford – musician
- Margo Smith – lead vocals
- Henry Strzelecki – musician
- Pete Wade – musician
- Bobby Wood – musician
Technical personnel
- Lou Bradley – engineer
- Sound Seventy – backing vocals
- Ed Thrasher – photography
- Bergen White – string arrangement
- Norro Wilson – producer
Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 27 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | May 1978 | Vinyl | Warner Bros. Records |
| Cassette |
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