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( June 2009 ) `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' Single by Neil Young and Crazy Horse from the album After the Gold Rush B - side `` Birds '' Released September 19, 1970 October 19, 1970 ( U.S. 7 '' single ) Recorded March 15, 1970 Genre Folk rock Length 3 : 05 Label Reprise Songwriter ( s ) Neil Young Producer ( s ) David Briggs, Neil Young Neil Young and Crazy Horse singles chronology `` Cinnamon Girl '' ( 1970 ) `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' ( 1970 ) `` When You Dance I Can Really Love '' ( 1971 ) `` Cinnamon Girl '' ( 1970 ) `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' ( 1970 ) `` When You Dance I Can Really Love '' ( 1971 ) After the Gold Rush track listing `` After the Gold Rush '' ( 2 ) `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' ( 3 ) `` Southern Man '' ( 4 ) `` 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. Contents 1 Genesis and recording 2 Saint Etienne version 3 Other cover versions 4 Chart performance 4.1 Chart successions 5 References 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. '' Saint Etienne version `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' Single by Saint Etienne featuring Moira Lambert from the album Foxbase Alpha B - side `` The Official Saint Etienne World Cup Theme '' ( UK ) `` Filthy '' ( UK reissue ) `` Stoned to Say the Least '' ( United States ) Released May 1990 Recorded January 1990 Genre Alternative dance, house Length 4 : 29 Label Heavenly - HVN2 / HVN12 ( reissue ) Songwriter ( s ) Neil Young Producer ( s ) Saint Etienne Saint Etienne featuring Moira Lambert singles chronology `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' ( 1990 ) `` Kiss and Make Up '' ( 1990 ) `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' ( 1990 ) `` Kiss and Make Up '' ( 1990 ) In 1990, English band Saint Etienne recorded a cover version of the song, included on their debut album Foxbase Alpha. The vocals are by Moira Lambert, as Sarah Cracknell had not yet joined the band as a permanent member. The band recorded the song in producer Ian Catt 's bedroom studio in Pollards Hill. The recording, made in under two hours, got them a record deal, their first single, and their first hit. Andrew Weatherall later remixed the song, further emphasising its dub bassline : this remix, subtitled `` A Mix of Two Halves '' ( duration 8 : 49 ), was featured on both releases of the single and on the compilation Casino Classics. The U.S. and European releases contained a different extended mix by Flowered Up ( duration 6 : 19 ), issued in the UK only on a flexidisc, though it was mistakenly listed as the `` Mix of Two Halves ''. Weatherall had no involvement with this mix. The song was re-released in the UK as a double A-side with the track `` Filthy '', peaking at number 39 in the UK Singles Chart. The song remains Saint Etienne 's only entry in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 97 in 1992. It did, however, top the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. The U.S. b - side to the single was the Foxbase Alpha album track `` Stoned to Say the Least. '' In 2003, Vibe listed Masters at Work 's remix of the song as one of the `` Top 25 remixes ever created. '' Two videos were released for the single. The original version is mostly in black and white and depicts Lucy from early 90s pop trio Golden miming the vocals ( Lambert refused to appear in the video ). The second features Cracknell miming to Lambert 's vocals and depicts the band entering a cinema in a small French town where they see themselves in a movie. Other cover versions Jackie DeShannon sang it on her Jackie album ( 1972 ). It is a bonus track on the re-released 1972 John Baldry album Everything Stops for Tea as a duet between Baldry and Joyce Everson. British singer Elkie Brooks achieved a UK hit with the song in 1978, which was taken from her Shooting Star album. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed the song during their Live Aid set in 1985. British girl group Mint Juleps released a cover of the song on Stiff Records in 1986. Psychic TV played the song on The Bridge : A Tribute to Neil Young in 1989. A sampled portion of the Saint Etienne version was used in a remix for Chez Damier 's 1992 single `` Can You Feel It. '' Everlast covered the song for the 1999 film Big Daddy. The Corrs recorded the song for VH1 Presents : The Corrs, Live in Dublin in 2002 ; The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called their version `` pretty but lightweight. '' Juliana Hatfield recorded the song for her 2002 collection Gold Stars 1992 - 2002. Gwyneth Herbert recorded the song for her debut album Bittersweet and Blue in 2004. Her cover also appears in the film Leap Year. The New Standards recorded the song for their eponymous album released in 2005. Bradford Cox aka Atlas Sound covered the song for his blog in 2007. Damien Leith covered the song on his album Catch the Wind : Songs of a Generation in 2008, which reached number 1 on the ARIA Chart for Australian albums. Nils Lofgren covered the song on his album The Loner -- Nils Sings Neil, released in 2008. Kathleen Edwards recorded the song live for her iTunes exclusive Live Session in 2008. Butch Walker released a live version on his iTunes release, Live from Lollapalooza, in 2008. Angie Hart sang it on her Eat My Shadow album in 2009. The S.I.G.I.T. covered this song for their split EP Hertz Dyslexia in 2009. Jenn Grant covered the song on her album Echoes, released in 2009. I Blame Coco has recorded covers of both the Neil Young and Saint Etienne versions of the song. A cover of Young 's version was released with Fyfe Dangerfield in 2010. A cover of the Saint Etienne version appears on the album The Constant. In 2010, Beccy Cole recorded a version for her album, Preloved. Rickie Lee Jones covered it on her album The Devil You Know album, released in 2012. Ida Sand covered the song on her album Young at Heart, released in 2015. Natalie Imbruglia covered the song on her album Male released in 2015. Asami Zdrenka of Neon Jungle covered the Saint Etienne version as part of her A Cover Trilogy series in 2015. Florence and The Machine covered it for the B Side of their Record Store Day Release of `` Delilah '' in 2016. Chart performance Artist Chart ( 1970 ) Peak position Neil Young U.S. Billboard Hot 100 33 Artist Chart ( 1991 ) Peak position Saint Etienne UK Singles Chart 39 Artist Chart ( 1992 ) Peak position Saint Etienne U.S. Billboard Hot 100 97 Saint Etienne U.S. Hot Dance Club Play Saint Etienne U.S. Modern Rock Tracks 11 Chart successions Preceded by `` A Deeper Love '' by Civiles & Cole Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number - one single ( Saint Etienne version ) February 15 -- 22, 1992 Succeeded by `` We Got a Love Thang '' by CeCe Peniston References Jump up ^ Mason, Stewart. `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' at AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2017. Jump up ^ McDonough, Jimmy ( 2003 ). Shakey : Neil Young 's Biography. Random House. pp. 339 -- 40. ISBN 978 - 0 - 679 - 31193 - 5. Jump up ^ Thompson, Ben ( 1993 - 06 - 27 ). `` Lives of the Great Songs : Soft, strong and not very long : Only Love Can Break Your Heart : It was written by one of Crosby Stills Nash & Young, for another, and later ruined by a third. Ben Thompson compiles the second in our series of song biographies ''. The Independent. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 28. Jump up ^ Lonergan, David F. Hit records, 1950 - 1975. Scarecrow. p. 168. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8108 - 5129 - 0. Jump up ^ McDonough, Jimmy ( 2003 ). Shakey : Neil Young 's Biography. Random House. p. 750. ISBN 978 - 0 - 679 - 31193 - 5. Jump up ^ Echard, William ( 2005 ). Neil Young and the poetics of energy. Indiana University Press. p. 91. ISBN 978 - 0 - 253 - 21768 - 4. Jump up ^ Thompson, Dave ( 2000 ). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 605. ISBN 978 - 0 - 879 - 30607 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Saint Etienne Music Biography, Streaming Radio and Discography ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Jump up ^ Kelly, N ( 2009 - 05 - 30 ). `` Pop 's never - never band return to the source ''. Irish Independent. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart ''. Saint Etienne. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Jump up ^ Hodgkinson, Will ( 2008 ). Song Man : A Melodic Adventure, Or, My Single - Minded Approach to Songwriting. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 306 - 81581 - 2. Jump up ^ Warwick, Neil ; Tony Brown ; Jon Kutner ( 2004 ). The complete book of the British charts : singles & albums. Omnibus. p. 950. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84449 - 058 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Second Time Around ''. Vibe. March 2003. p. 160. Jump up ^ `` Golden - Golden 's Photos ''. Facebook. 2012 - 12 - 08. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Jump up ^ `` The Ultimate Stiff Record ''. Buythehour.se. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ Brackett, Nathan ; Christian David Hoard ( 2004 ). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide : Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. p. 193. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7432 - 0169 - 8. Jump up ^ Cox, Bradford ( August 13, 2007 ). `` Atlas Sound - Only Love Can Break Your Heart ( N. Young / Psychic TV Cover ) ''. deerhunter / atlas sound / lotus plaza blog. Retrieved October 17, 2009. Jump up ^ `` A COVER TRILOGY : Asami Zdrenka - Only Love Can Break Your Heart ( Saint Etienne / Neil Young cover ) ''. YouTube. 2015 - 08 - 26. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Florence + The Machine ''. recordstoreday.co.uk. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Foxbase Alpha - Saint Etienne Awards ''. AllMusic. 1992 - 01 - 14. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Neil Young Crazy Horse The Stray Gators Promise of the Real Studio albums Neil Young Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere After the Gold Rush Harvest On the Beach Tonight 's the Night Zuma American Stars ' n Bars Comes a Time Hawks & Doves Re ac tor Trans Everybody 's Rockin ' Old Ways Landing on Water This Note 's for You Freedom Ragged Glory Harvest Moon Sleeps with Angels Mirror Ball Broken Arrow Silver & Gold Are You Passionate ? Greendale Prairie Wind Living with War Chrome Dreams II Fork in the Road Le Noise Americana Psychedelic Pill A Letter Home Storytone The Monsanto Years Peace Trail Hitchhiker EPs Eldorado Live albums Time Fades Away Rust Never Sleeps Live Rust Life Arc Weld Unplugged Year of the Horse Road Rock Vol. 1 Earth Soundtracks Journey Through the Past Where the Buffalo Roam Philadelphia Dead Man Compilations Decade Lucky Thirteen Greatest Hits Archives series The Archives Vol. 1 1963 -- 1972 Archives Performance series Live at the Fillmore East Live at Massey Hall 1971 Sugar Mountain -- Live at Canterbury House 1968 Live at the Riverboat 1969 Dreamin ' Man Live ' 92 A Treasure Live at the Cellar Door Bluenote Café Unreleased albums Homegrown Chrome Dreams Songs `` Mr. Soul '' `` Broken Arrow '' `` Expecting to Fly '' `` Sugar Mountain '' `` The Loner '' `` I 've Been Waiting for You '' `` Cinnamon Girl '' `` Down by the River '' `` Cowgirl in the Sand '' `` Helpless '' `` Ohio '' `` Tell Me Why '' `` After the Gold Rush '' `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' `` Southern Man '' `` Do n't Let It Bring You Down '' `` When You Dance I Can Really Love '' `` Bad Fog of Loneliness '' `` A Man Needs a Maid '' `` Heart of Gold '' `` Are You Ready for the Country ? '' `` Old Man '' `` The Needle and the Damage Done '' `` Cortez the Killer '' `` Will to Love '' `` Like a Hurricane '' `` Love Is a Rose '' `` Lotta Love '' `` Hey Hey, My My ( Into the Black ) '' `` Pocahontas '' `` Powderfinger '' `` Sedan Delivery '' `` Rockin ' in the Free World '' `` No More '' `` Wrecking Ball '' `` Downtown '' `` Let 's Impeach the President '' `` Angry World '' `` A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop '' Films and Videos Journey Through the Past Human Highway Neil Young in Berlin Solo Trans Year of the Horse Greendale Neil Young : Heart of Gold CSNY / Déjà Vu Neil Young Trunk Show Neil Young Journeys Books Waging Heavy Peace : A Hippie Dream Related Discography The Squires The Mynah Birds Buffalo Springfield Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young The Stills -- Young Band The Bridge : A Tribute to Neil Young Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi Pono Old Black Farm Aid Bridge School Benefit Pegi Young ( former wife ) Carrie Snodgress Portal Saint Etienne Sarah Cracknell Bob Stanley Pete Wiggs Gerard Johnson Ian Catt Studio albums Foxbase Alpha So Tough Tiger Bay Good Humor Sound of Water Finisterre Tales from Turnpike House Words and Music by Saint Etienne Home Counties Soundtrack albums The Misadventures of Saint Etienne What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day ? Compilation albums You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone Fairy Tales from Saint Etienne Too Young to Die : Singles 1990 -- 1995 Casino Classics Continental Interlude Smash the System : Singles and More Travel Edition 1990 -- 2005 London Conversations : The Best of Saint Etienne Extended plays Reserection Places to Visit Singles `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' `` Kiss and Make Up '' `` Nothing Can Stop Us '' `` Join Our Club '' `` Avenue '' `` You 're in a Bad Way '' `` Hobart Paving '' `` Who Do You Think You Are '' `` Xmas 93 '' `` Pale Movie '' `` Like a Motorway '' `` Hug My Soul '' `` He 's on the Phone '' `` Tell Me Why ( The Riddle ) '' `` Shower Scene '' `` A Good Thing '' `` Stars Above Us '' `` Burnt Out Car '' `` Method of Modern Love '' Related articles Discography List of songs recorded by Saint Etienne I Blame Coco Studio albums The Constant Singles `` Caesar '' `` Selfmachine '' Featured singles `` Splash '' Other singles `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' Related Articles Sting Trudie Styler Elkie Brooks Studio albums Rich Man 's Woman ( 1975 ) Two Days Away ( 1977 ) Shooting Star ( 1978 ) Live and Learn ( 1979 ) Pearls ( 1981 ) Pearls II ( 1982 ) Minutes ( 1984 ) Screen Gems ( 1984 ) No More the Fool ( 1986 ) Bookbinder 's Kid ( 1988 ) Inspiration ( 1989 ) Pearls III ( 1991 ) Round Midnight ( 1993 ) Nothin ' but the Blues ( 1994 ) Circles ( 1995 ) Amazing ( 1996 ) Shangri - La ( 2003 ) Trouble in Mind ( with Humphrey Lyttelton ) ( 2003 ) Electric Lady ( 2005 ) Compilation albums The Very Best of Elkie Brooks ( 1986 ) Priceless ( 1991 ) The Very Best of Elkie Brooks ( 1997 ) Live albums The Pearls Concert ( 1997 ) Do n't Cry Out Loud ( 2005 ) Singles `` Pearl 's a Singer '' `` Sunshine After the Rain '' `` Lilac Wine '' `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' `` Do n't Cry Out Loud '' `` Fool ( If You Think It 's Over ) '' `` Nights in White Satin '' `` We 've Got Tonight '' Related Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Only_Love_Can_Break_Your_Heart&oldid=799348118 '' Categories : 1970 singles 1990 singles 1991 singles Neil Young songs Saint Etienne ( band ) songs Billboard Dance Club Songs number - one singles Debut singles Songs about loneliness Songs written by Neil Young Song recordings produced by David Briggs ( producer ) 1970 songs Reprise Records singles Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from June 2009 All articles needing additional references Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Português Edit links This page was last edited on 7 September 2017, at 04 : 16. 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Question: who sang only love can break your heart
Answer: Neil Young