Love Pains

"Love Pains" is a dance song written by Michael Price, Dan Walsh and Steve Barri. It was originally recorded by Yvonne Elliman in 1979. Both Hazell Dean and Liza Minnelli covered it and had hits in 1989 and 1990 respectively with their versions. There have also been many other cover versions of this song.

"Love Pains"
Single by Yvonne Elliman
from the album Yvonne
B-side	"Rock Me Slowly"
Released	10 September 1979
Recorded	1979
Genre	Disco
Label	RSO Records
Songwriter(s)	Michael Price, Dan Walsh, Steve Barri
Producer(s)	Steve Barri
Yvonne Elliman singles chronology
"Moment by Moment" (1978) "Love Pains" (1979) "Give It to Me All Night Long" (1982)

Yvonne Elliman version

Background

"Love Pains" was a hit for Elliman in 1979, reaching number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100[1] as well as number 75 on the Hot Dance Club Play,[2] and number 33 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Love Pains" would be Elliman's final chart single, Elliman's extended hiatus from the music business commencing soon after the release of the track's parent album Yvonne which was the last release of newly recorded music by Elliman until her 2004 EP Simple Needs.

In 1982, Moby Dick Records were in the process of re-releasing remixes of previous hits for their Gold Standard label when Rob Kimbel presented them with a remix of "Love Pains". The remix was released as a single and sales for the Moby Dick 12" single surpassed sales of the original record.[3]

Track listings

12" vinyl, US 1979 US (RPO 1019)

1. "Love Pains" – 5:45
2. "Love Pains" – 5:45

12" Moby Dick Records 1982 US (MDR 1201)[4]

1. "Love Pains" (Special DJ Edited Version) – 7:56
2. "Love Pains" – 5:45

Chart performance

Chart (1979)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	75
US Billboard Hot 100	34
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	33

Liza Minnelli version

"Love Pains"
Single by Liza Minnelli
from the album Results
B-side	"Rent"
Released	24 February 1990
Recorded	1988-89
Genre	Dance-pop, Euro disco
Length	4:10
Label	Epic - ZEE 4
Songwriter(s)	Price, Walsh, Barri
Producer(s)	Pet Shop Boys, Julian Mendelsohn
Liza Minnelli singles chronology
"So Sorry, I Said" (1989) "Love Pains" (1990) "The Day After That" (1993)
Music video
"Love Pains" (live) on YouTube

Background

"Love Pains" is the fourth and final single from Liza Minnelli's album Results. It was released in the UK in February 1990 by Epic Records.[5] The track was produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Julian Mendelsohn. The single's B-side is Liza's take on the Pet Shop Boys single "Rent", which also features on Results.

Steve "Silk" Hurley was commissioned to create several mixes for "Love Pains" which are spread across the single's various formats. The single almost reached the top 40, stalling at number 41. This was 21 places higher than the last single, "So Sorry, I Said". A performance had been recorded for Top Of The Pops, but was never shown, until a brief clip was shown on Top Of The Pops: The Story Of 1990, which was shown on 2 October 2020.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from Billboard wrote, "Inspired remake of the Yvonne Elliman disco/pop nugget deserves a break. Minnelli's vocal prowess charms and the beat still pumps. Try it out."[6] David Giles from Music Week said that in comparison with Hazell Dean's 1989 version, this song "just twitters away behind Minelli, adding little beside a beat. The song itself is, however, strong enough to make this a hit."[7]

Track listings

7": Epic / ZEE 4 (UK)

1. "Love Pains" (Hurley's radio edit) – 3:54
2. "Love Pains" – 4:10

• • also available on MC (ZEE M4)

12": Epic / ZEE T4 (UK)

1. "Love Pains" (Hurley's mix) – 5:34
2. "Love Pains" (deep dub) – 4:40
3. "Rent" – 3:54

12": Epic / ZEE QT4 (UK)

1. "Love Pains" (deep house pains) – 5:04
2. "Love Pains" (Hurley's radio edit) – 3:54
3. "Rent" – 3:54

• Limited edition gatefold

12": Epic / 49-73166 (US)

1. "Love Pains" (Hurley's mix) – 5:34
2. "Love Pains" (Hurley's radio edit) – 3:54
3. "Love Pains" (Hurley's instrumental) – 4:08
4. "Love Pains" (deep house pains) – 5:04
5. "Love Pains" (deep dub) – 4:40

12": Epic / 655593-6 (Germany)

1. "Love Pains" – 4:10
2. "Rent" – 3:54
3. "Losing My Mind" (Ultimix dub) – 5:07

CD: Epic / ZEE C4 (UK)

1. "Love Pains" – 4:10
2. "Love Pains" (Hurley's mix) – 5:34
3. "Rent" – 3:54

Chart performance

Chart (1990)	Peak position
German Singles Chart[8]	31
Italian Singles Chart[9]	36
UK Singles Chart[10]	41
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[11]	40

Other notable cover versions

Hazell Dean's version, produced by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, peaked at number 48 on the UK Singles chart in August 1989,[12] number 18 in Dutch Tipparade,[13] and number 51 in Dutch Single Top 100.[14] The single release's B-side track is "More Than Words Can Say".

American singer Viola Wills released her own house cover version of the song in 1989 on Music Man Records. She had a hit with it in Belgium where her version peaked at number 27 on the pop charts.[15]

References

1. "Billboard Top 40 Hits (1979) at cyList". Cylist.com. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 88.
3. "Moby Dick Records Remembrance". Mobydickrecords.net. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
4. "Yvonne Elliman : Love Pains [Special DJ Edited Version] (Moby 12")". Discomusic.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 25 February 1990 - 3 March 1990". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
6. Coleman, Bill (1990-05-19). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
7. Giles, David (1990-02-24). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 25. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
8. "Liza Minnelli - Germany - Singles - "Love Pains". Bundesverband Musikindustrie (in German). Media Control Charts. charts.de. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
9. "Liza Minnelli - Italy - Singles - "Love Pains". Federation of the Italian Music Industry (in Italian). FIMI. hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
10. "The Official Charts Company - Love Pains by Liza Minnelli Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
11. "Liza Minnelli - US - Singles - "Love Pains". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 20 August 1989 – 26 August 1989". Official Charts.
13. "Hazell Dean, 'Love Pains'". Top 40 (in Dutch).
14. "Hazell Dean – Love Pains". Dutch Charts.
15. http://hitparade.ch/song/Viola-Wills/Love-Pains-860138