Love Is Not Enough

**Producer(s)** | Clampitt

**Love Is Not Enough** is a song by Ashe and is the third track on her album *Ashlyn*.

The song is melancholic with a calming melody and extraordinary vocals. *Variety* described Ashe's vocal performance as "effortlessly [jumping] up an octave before bursting into a big, effervescent chorus".

## Background

Described by critics as "a gentle plea to persevere in love", "pure, unabashed, heartache", "emotionally potent", and a "deeply personal song infused with a delicate balance of dreamy sensitivity and hard-won insight". Sonically, the song uses "borrowed chords", chords that don't necessarily belong in the key of the song, a somewhat staple of this album.

It is one of four songs on *Ashlyn* which details Ashe's complicated relationship with time (see the Trivia section for more).

Analysing the song, Kaitlyn Lunn of *FTPunks* says "The majority of the album is about Ashe letting go and finding peace, but “Love Is Not Enough” is important to the story she’s telling because moving on never comes without pain".

Ashe comments, "’Love Is Not Enough’ is about the fact that ultimately, although love is so important and it’s the thing we dream most about, there’s so much more that goes into a successful relationship: respect, which is a huge one to me. It is really appreciating the other person. I think that when I was younger and I fell in love, I thought that’s all you needed. And now I don’t think it’s all you need. I think there’s a lot more that goes into making love last".

## Meaning

The song explains that while you may both still love each other, it is not always enough to keep a relationship alive, this is a hard pill to swallow.

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

I'm not tryna break the silence

Baby, I'm just tryin' to fix it

I been tryin' to show you the difference

You can slam the door, tell me that I'm like my mother

You don't need to tell me you're sorry

We don't need to talk 'til you're ready

[Pre-Chorus]

It takes a lot more than a rose

More than a kiss, more than a hug

[Chorus]

'Cause love is not enough

But at least we've got that much

Baby, lay your head down

You can sleep at my house

Woah, 'cause love is not enough

But at least I've got your touch

The middle of a long night

We don't need it all right now, no

[Verse 2]

I'm not fragile as you think

Seems like you'vе been walkin' on eggshells

Didn't put them thеre when we first fell in love

When early days have faded

Everything gets complicated

You said you want a girl with a future

But everybody comes with a past

[Pre-Chorus]

It takes a lot more than a ring

More than a vow, more than a promise

[Chorus]

Love is not enough

But at least we've got that much

Baby, lay your head down

You can sleep at my house

Woah, 'cause love is not enough

But at least I've got your touch

The middle of a long night

We don't need it all right now, no

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Chorus]

Love is not enough

But it's all we're dreamin' of

You can lay your head down

You can sleep at my house

Woah, 'cause love is not enough

But at least I've got your touch

The middle of a long night

We don't need it all right now, no

[Outro]

We can take our sweet time

Everything will be just fine

## Trivia

* Although not an official single, it did receive a music video after the release of *Ashlyn*, as did "Not Mad Anymore".
	+ In the music video, many props fall from the ceiling narrowly avoiding Ashe, such as sandbags and light fixtures.
		- In the "behind the scenes" video, it is shown that these were real props and not CGI.
	+ In a Live Q&A, Ashe admitted to only learning the dance routine one day before filming.
	+ Conceptualized by Ashe, the music video was filmed at the exquisite *Million Dollar Theatre* in Los Angeles, California, USA. It follows Ashe through an elegantly choreographed dance sequence, reminiscent of *John Cassavetes* and other mid-70’s American indie cinema.

* Lyrically, "Love Is Not Enough" is the direct opposite to "Always".
	+ This song's goal is love and happiness together, whereas "Always" illustrates love shown by letting your partner go, even though it is not the ideal thing, the same as "Love It Letting Go" from *Rae*.

* "Love Is Not Enough" is one of four *Ashlyn* songs which explore the motif of time. In this song, it is used as a gentle plea to persevere in love, she calls it "sweet".
	+ The other songs with this motif are "When I'm Older", "Ryne's Song", and "Kansas".

* "Love Is Not Enough" has a lyric change: the line "But at least we got that much" becomes "But it's all we're dreaming of" in the final chorus.
	+ Lyric switches are prevalent throughout *Ashlyn*, and are also found in: "Till Forever Falls Apart", "Save Myself", "Taylor", "Always", and "Moral Of The Story".
	+ And on *Rae* can be found in: "Another Man's Jeans" and "Angry Woman".

* The song is one of three whose title begins with the word "Love", the others being: "Love You Need" and "Love Is Letting Go".

* "Love Is Not Enough" is Ashe's favourite song off of *Ashlyn*.

* The song references Ashe's ex-husband in the lines "It takes a lot more than a ring/More than a vow, more than a promise".
	+ She also does in these other *Ashlyn* songs: "When I'm Older", "Me Without You", "Save Myself", "Not Mad Anymore", and "Moral Of The Story".
	+ And from *Rae*: "Another Man's Jeans", "Hope You're Not Happy", "It Can't Be You", and "Loose Ends".

* "Love Is Not Enough" has the slowest tempo on *Ashlyn* at only 74 BPM.

## Navigation

 Ashlyn Tracklist

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://ghsexplosion.com/5424/reviews/ashlyn-ashe/
2. ↑ https://variety.com/2021/music/news/ashe-ashlyn-album-review-1234968587/
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.insider.com/ashe-ashlyn-debut-album-interview-2021-5
4. ↑ https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/6/27/ashe-boston-royale-concert-review-2022/
5. ↑ https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-ashe-love-is-not-enough/
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://imprintent.org/ashe-shares-new-music-video-for-love-is-not-enough/
7. ↑ https://youtu.be/RqCXQ2hZ7iA
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://ftpunks.com/ashlyn-the-breakup-album-everyone-needs/
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0J9PG7ZoaQ
10. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k84ustke-B0