Patty Smyth – Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough ft. Don Henley

About The Song

“Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” is a pop-rock ballad performed by Patty Smyth and Don Henley, released on August 4, 1992, as the lead single from Smyth’s MCA Records album Patty Smyth. Written by Smyth, Glen Burtnik, and Diane Warren, the 4:28 track addresses how love alone isn’t enough to sustain a relationship. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, blocked from No. 1 by Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks. It reached No. 2 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart, No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified gold in the US with over 500,000 copies sold, per the RIAA. The lyrics highlight: “There’s a danger in loving somebody too much / And it’s sad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust.” Smyth told Rolling Stone in 1992: “It’s about love’s limits—Don and I poured our souls into it.”

The song was recorded in early 1992 at The Power Station in New York City, produced by Don Was and Roy Bittan. Musicians included Craig Krampf on drums, Bob Glaub on bass, Roy Bittan on keyboards, and Waddy Wachtel on guitar, per Discogs. The arrangement features acoustic guitar, strings, and steady drums. The main chord progression is C-G-Am, with the chorus line “sometimes love just ain’t enough,” per Chordify. The music video, directed by Jim Shea, shows Smyth and Henley in a warmly lit studio, airing frequently on VH1 and MTV, per Songfacts. A 2010 live version on Live at Daryl’s House and a 2020 acoustic rendition by Smyth on YouTube were released.

Patty Smyth, born June 26, 1957, in New York City, was the lead singer of Scandal, known for “The Warrior” in 1984. Don Henley, born July 22, 1947, in Gilmer, Texas, is a founding member of the Eagles and had solo hits like “The Boys of Summer.” The song was performed live at Smyth’s 1992 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame appearance and Henley’s 1993 solo tour. Covers include Travis Tritt and Tyler Reese Tritt (2013), Donny Osmond (1992), and Carrie Underwood (2018), per SecondHandSongs.

The song aired frequently on pop and adult contemporary radio, remains popular on Spotify, and is often identified by Shazam users. It appeared in Cold Case in 2004 and was mentioned on Reddit’s r/nostalgia in 2024. An X post in 2023 called it “the ultimate breakup song of the 90s.” Smyth told Billboard in 2019: “People still connect to this song because it’s real.”

Video

Lyric

Now, I don’t wanna lose you, but I don’t wanna use you
Just to have somebody by my side
And I don’t wanna hate you, I don’t wanna take you
But I don’t wanna be the one to cry

That don’t really matter to anyone anymore
But like a fool I keep losing my place
And I keep seeing you walk through that door

But there’s a danger in loving somebody too much
And it’s sad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust
There’s a reason why people don’t stay where they are
Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough

Now, I could never change you, I don’t wanna blame you
Baby, you don’t have to take the fall
Yes, I may have hurt you, but I did not desert you
Maybe I just wanna have it all

It makes a sound like thunder, it makes me feel like rain
And like a fool who will never see the truth
I keep thinking something’s gonna change

But there’s a danger in loving somebody too much
And it’s sad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust
There’s a reason why people don’t stay where they are
Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough

And there’s no way home when it’s late at night and you’re all alone
Are there things that you wanted to say?
And do you feel me beside you in your bed
There beside you where I used to lay?

And there’s a danger in loving somebody too much
And it’s sad when you know it’s your heart they can’t touch
There’s a reason why people don’t stay who they are
Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough
Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough