"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" is a duet between American singers Patty Smyth and Don Henley. The rock ballad was written by Smyth and Glen Burtnik and was released as a single in July 1992 by MCA Records. It reached 1 in Canada, where it was the most successful single of 1992, and peaked at No. 2 in both the United States and Ireland.

History Smyth is the lead singer for the band Scandal, whose hits included "The Warrior" and "Goodbye to You"; Henley is a longtime member of the Eagles (singing lead vocals on "Desperado", "Hotel California", among many others) as well as a successful solo artist ("The Boys of Summer", "Dirty Laundry"). Smyth had previously provided backing vocals on Henley's solo albums Building the Perfect Beast (1984) and The End of the Innocence (1989). "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" was written by Smyth and Glen Burtnik and would appear on her self-titled 1992 album.

Reception The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spent six weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1992. It remained in the top 40 for 20 weeks.Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 555. The duet also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary for four weeks.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 380. In Canada, "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, becoming the best-performing single of 1992, while in the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. In Ireland, it reached number two. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Pop Vocal, Duo or Group.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peakpositionscope="row" scope="row" scope="row" scope="row" scope="row" Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 36Europe (European Hit Radio) 5scope="row" scope="row" Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) 4scope="row" scope="row" scope="row" scope="row" scope="row" UK Airplay (Music Week) 11scope="row" scope="row" scope="row" US Cash Box Top 100 2

Year-end charts Chart (1992)PositionAustralia (ARIA) 23Canada Top Singles (RPM) 1Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) 10Europe (European Hit Radio) 32 US Billboard Hot 100 22US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 13US Cash Box Top 100 26

Certifications

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesJuly 1992MCAAustraliaAugust 31, 1992United KingdomSeptember 21, 1992

Cover versions Filipino diva-actress Jennylyn Mercado revived it as a carrier single of her third album Love Is (2010). Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun also covered the song for her fourth album Start (2002). In 2013, country singer Travis Tritt and his daughter Tyler Reese recorded a version for the re-release of Tritt's album The Storm (2007). The re-released album was titled The Calm After... and released on Tritt's own Post Oak Records on July 9, 2013. Tritt's version was released as a single in June 2013. Dave Moffatt of The Moffatts recorded his version as a single in 2026.Moffatt, Dave. (2026) Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough. [online] Spotify. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/track/5rn1sKziNCzRIGHnwsqtKv (Accessed May 6th 2026).

References