“Love Hurts” by Nazareth is the definitive rock version of the song for most listeners.
Written by Boudleaux Bryant in 1960 (originally recorded by the Everly Brothers as an album track), it was covered by several artists before Nazareth recorded their version. The Scottish hard-rock band’s take, featuring Dan McCafferty’s raw, sandpaper vocals, turned the gentle country-pop original into a powerful, emotional rock ballad.
It appears on their 1975 album Hair of the Dog (the single was released in late 1974). Nazareth made a small but effective lyric change, swapping the original “love is like a stove / it burns you when it’s hot” for “love is like a flame.”
Chart success
- Peaked at #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1976.
- Reached #1 in Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and South Africa.
- In Norway it spent an extraordinary 61 weeks on the chart (14 of them at #1), becoming one of the country’s all-time biggest singles.
The song’s theme is straightforward and universal: love inevitably brings pain, scars, and disappointment, and those who pretend otherwise are fooling themselves. McCafferty’s intense delivery and the band’s hard-edged arrangement made that message hit much harder than earlier versions.
It’s still one of Nazareth’s best-known tracks and a classic-rock radio staple. If you’re looking for the lyrics meaning, a specific live version, comparisons to other covers, or anything else about the song or the band, just let me know.
