I Wanna Learn a Love Song

"I Wanna Learn a Love Song" is a song written and performed by Harry Chapin. The song was included on his 1974 album, Verities & Balderdash. The song is about a guitar teacher who gives guitar lessons to a woman who is falling in love with him.

"I Wanna Learn a Love Song"
Single by Harry Chapin
from the album Verities & Balderdash
B-side"She Sings Songs Without Words"
ReleasedAugust 1974
Recorded1974
GenreFolk rock
Length3:39
LabelElektra Records
Songwriter(s)Harry Chapin
Producer(s)Paul Leka
Harry Chapin singles chronology
"What Made America Famous?"
(1974)		 "I Wanna Learn a Love Song"
(1974)		 "Dreams Go By"
(1975)

Background

The song is a true story about how Chapin met his wife Sandra Chapin. The song starts out showing a guitar teacher who only has his guitar to "Keep his belly still". For each lesson, he got a "crisp ten dollar bill". The woman in the song says that she wants to play the guitar and hear her children sing with her. As the song goes on, he tried to teach her some chords, but she only wants to listen to him and his guitar. He can hear her husband In his den, "playing stud poker with the boys". Finally, she met him at the door when the "den was dark" suggesting her husband had left.[1] Towards the end of the song, it is implied that he and the woman had sex.[2] There was a significant change to the first verse when Harry performed live - the album "Greatest Stories Live" Is an example of this, where the second and fourth lines of the first verse are altered to a more "adult" version. Instead of "Lean and lazy/little bit crazy" the live version Is "Crass and Corny/Little bit horny"[3]

Simple Song

Simple Song is an unreleased version of the song. It was removed from the album, Sniper and Other Love Songs. The song itself is very much similar to "I Wanna Learn a Love Song", with some lyrical changes and is sung in a much softer voice. The song was released in a 2004 double album with Sniper and Other Love Songs and Heads & Tales, but only to Europe. It included a total of 8 unreleased tracks (1 from Heads & Tales and 7 from Sniper and Other Love Songs).[4]

Chart Performance

Weekly Charts
Chart (1974–75) Peak
position
Australia 75
Canada 36 [5]
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 7 [6]
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 44 [6]
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 40

Year-End Charts
Chart (1975) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 276 [7]

Other Uses
  • Donna Fargo created a version of the song with virtually the same lyrics, but from the woman's point of view.
  • José Feliciano covered the song.

References
  1. "Lyrics for I Wanna Learn a Love Song by Harry Chapin - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com.
  2. "Song Facts, I Wanna Learn a Love Song".
  3. "Harry Chapin - I Wanna Learn A Love Song Lyrics | MetroLyrics". www.metrolyrics.com.
  4. "All Music, Heads & Tales and Sniper and Other Love Songs".
  5. "Canadian Music Charts, I Wanna Learn a Love Song at #36".
  6. "Song Database, I Wanna Learn a Love Song".
  7. "1975 Year End".
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