Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Song facts

Paul McCartney performed this song live, along with Neil Young, during the 18th Annual Bridge School Benefit concert, on October 23rd 2004 – an event organised by Neil Young.

From Wikipedia:

“Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is a song written by Neil Young. It has been covered by many bands, including a 1990 single by Saint Etienne.

Genesis and recording

The song is the third track on Neil Young’s album After the Gold Rush. The song was supposedly written for Graham Nash after Nash’s split from Joni Mitchell, though Young in interviews has been somewhat tentative in admitting or remembering this. Released as a single in October 1970, it became Young’s first top 40 hit as a solo artist, peaking at number 33 in the U.S. The single was issued with a Crazy Horse version of “Birds” (rather than the solo piano version of the album) on the B-side, apparently accidentally. The song is praised as a “seemingly simple song which display[s] considerable attention to detail in the deployment of instruments.” […]

Last updated on November 30, 2016

Lyrics