Sedaka wrote his 1959 hit "Oh! Carol" about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. In 1963, King released a humorous answer entitled "Oh Neil".
The Laughter In the Rain Songfacts says Sedaka's hits dried up when The Beatles arrived, but then he teamed up with the lyricist Philip Cody and had a a number 1 hit with "Laughter In The Rain." It re-ignited Sedaka's career and he had 6 more Top-40 hits in America by 1977.
Sedaka's voice is in the tenor range.
It's Hurts To Be In Love
Neil Sedaka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
turns out to be someone who's not in love with you.
It hurts to love her so
when deep down inside you know,
she will never love you, no matter what you do.
And so you cry a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Oh you die a little bit (hurts to be in love)
It hurts to be in love this way.
How long can I exist?
Wanting lips I've never kissed
She gives all her kisses to somebody else.
She thinks I'm just a friend
now it hurts, I must pretend
The only way to keep her, is to keep it to myself.
And so I cry a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Oh I die a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Day and night, night and day
It hurts to be in love this way.
Yes I cry a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Oh I die a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Day and night, night and day
It hurts to be in love this way.
It hurts to be in love, day and night, night and day
it hurts to be in love. night and day, day and night
it hurts to be in love, day and night, night and day......
The lyrics of Neil Sedaka's song "It Hurts to Be in Love" describe the pain of unrequited love. The song talks about the agony of loving someone deeply who doesn't reciprocate the same feelings. The singer talks about how it hurts to love someone who will never love him back no matter what he does. The lyrics suggest that the singer is helpless and doesn't know what to do about his situation.
He has to keep his feelings to himself and pretend that he is content just being friends. The song reflects the emotional turmoil that people go through when they love someone who cannot or will not love them back. The singer feels like he is dying a little bit inside every day, and can't help crying as he thinks about the person he loves.
The lyrics also suggest that the singer is aware that he needs to move on from this person, but he can't help how he feels. It's as if he is caught in an endless cycle of pain and heartbreak, unable to escape. The song highlights the universal pain of unrequited love and how it can be unbearable at times.
Line by Line Meaning
It hurts to be in love, when the only one you love
turns out to be someone who's not in love with you.
It is painful to be in love with someone who does not share that same sentiment.
It hurts to love her so
when deep down inside you know,
she will never love you, no matter what you do.
Having feelings for someone who will never reciprocate those feelings is heartbreaking and difficult to accept.
And so you cry a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Oh you die a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Day and night, night and day
It hurts to be in love this way.
The pain of unrequited love is so intense that it can cause physical and emotional distress day and night.
How long can I exist?
Wanting lips I've never kissed
She gives all her kisses to somebody else.
Yearning for someone who is in love with someone else can be mentally and emotionally exhausting.
She thinks I'm just a friend
now it hurts, I must pretend
The only way to keep her, is to keep it to myself.
Being forced to hide one's romantic feelings in order to maintain a friendship with someone they love can be incredibly difficult and painful.
Yes I cry a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Oh I die a little bit (hurts to be in love)
Day and night, night and day
It hurts to be in love this way.
The pain of unrequited love is all-consuming and can affect one's emotional and physical well-being on a daily basis.
It hurts to be in love, day and night, night and day
it hurts to be in love. night and day, day and night
it hurts to be in love, day and night, night and day......
The pain of unrequited love is constant and unrelenting, and it can take a toll on one's overall quality of life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOWARD GREENFIELD, HELEN MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ryan12101954
Wow. I'd never heard this track before, the original one, from which Gene Pitney simply recorded his own vocals, replacing Sedaka's, but retained everything else from the original. Even Sedaka's own backing vocals remained, as well as his piano playing, not to mention his arrangement, everything, all because Sedaka's label, RCA, would not release his version because it was not recorded at an RCA studio. Sedaka subsequently tried re-recording it at RCA, but the results did not satisfy the songwriters who then offered it to Pitney. The result was a big hit for him, and because the versions were so similar, the argument is easy to make Sedaka would have had an equally big hit with his version, something he sorely needed at that downward point of his career, but missed out due to RCA's ridiculous stance. Sedaka fails to even receive an "arranged by" credit on Pitney's hit. To really appreciate the uncanny similarity of the two versions, I suggest playing them one after the other, or better yet, if you can start them in sync, and then play them simultaneously. Both are great with great lead vocals, although I do favor Pitney's by a hair, maybe because his vocals are just more familiar. Regardless, Sedaka got screwed.
Jonathan Vernot
@PimpMaster You're right, Pimp.
It doesn't take more than one time through to hear the differences, especially to us old Boomers who know Pitney's hit by heart.
That said, Sedaka's original outshines some of his own hits.
rsands9
So fascinating! Before today I’d never heard this version
PimpMaster
The background vocals are completely different takes! C'mon, maaaaaannnnnn,
The Mystic Gambler
What an incredible back story. Executive egos have also interfered with releases in the movie industry - often shelving great productions because they didn't want credit to go to a competitor.
Robin Wilson
I love them both!
tony tanner
Never heard Neil's version of this song before. He nailed it completely.
Carolyn Stewart
I have searched for this original version and here it is. It's awesome to hear Neil's take on it. It rocks!
cleenlivin
WOW! I'm late to the game on this one! Never knew Neil Sandaka originally sang this great song? I like the Gene Pitney version too but man to hear the original is awesome. Gene Pitney did great not to make any change to an already excellent musical arrangement. 👏👏👍👍
Dawn Eden Goldstein
It's amazing finally to hear this amazing demo--really, a completed master--that I'd heard about for years.
In about 1991, I interviewed Helen Miller at her apartment in New York City (Queens, if I recall). When I asked her about this song, she asked if I could turn off the tape recorder, which I did. She then informed me that she believed that her co-writer Howie Greenfield wrote the song about his unrequited feelings for Neil Sedaka. It makes quite a bit of sense; the song is about the pain of knowing that the desired relationship is never, ever going to happen.