Love Don’t Come Easy first appeared on the Change album released on 18th September 1989. It was also released as a single on 29th January 1990
It was a time when we played with Bob Dylan in 1988, Throughout the tour Eddie and I wrote a lot of songs and before the tour ended we went to Los Angeles to a studio in East LA for an afternoon and we recorded all our ideas, 22 songs titles just verses and chorus some of them were more finished songs that others. Some songs merged together. But Love Don’t Come Easy wasn’t part of that process, we had a really good body of work to start the process of the next album and we decided to come back to Wales and record at the Kimnel Hall. So I said let’s go back to Wales with the silence to record, so we set up at the mansion. We set up the PA in the gym and playing the songs like it was a gig but on Friday’s all these kids would turn up and start playing badminton in front of us. The sessions became very productive and we recorded more songs than we needed for one album. Love Don’t Come Easy came about in the sessions and Eddie was mucking about on the piano with some chords and it was kind of stompy a bit like Father to Son, kind of a Sladey type thing and I thought there’s going to be a great song in here and started working on some lyrics. When the lyrics came I thought we needed to take it back to the guitar, we didn’t feel there was space in the Change album for a big piano number led song. We recorded it with Tony Visconti down in London and was one of the singles – Mike Peters – Big Night In May 2022
1989 Change album Skylight Suite recording
Running length 4:08
Written by Macdonald / Peters
Musician & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals
Dave Sharp – Electric, 12 String & Slide Acoustic Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Nigel Twist – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Mark Taylor – Piano, Hammond Organ
Tony Visconti – Backing Vocals
Recorded 25th May 1989 at The Skylight Suite, London, England
Mixed at Good Earth Studio, London, England in June/July 1989
Produced & Engineered by Tony Visconti
Alternative studio recordings – Demo, Acoustic, Remastered, Re-imaged
Album appearances and discography of studio recordings
All the following are Worldwide releases except where stated
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18th September 1989 : The Alarm – Change
IRS Records, vinyl IRSAX 1020, cassette IRSAC 1020, CD IRSACD 1020 (UK Release)
Original 1989 Album version
Change was also released on vinyl, cassette and CD in USA, Canada, Vinyl and CD in Europe and Australia,
Vinyl and cassette in Italy, Vinyl only in Brazil, Cassette only in Germany, CD only in Japan
2000 : The Alarm – Change [1989-1990]
Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C015 (CD)
Appearing as part of the Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc
Original 1989 album recording remastered
Single appearances and discography of studio recordings
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UK Releases :
29th January 1990 : 7″ Vinyl single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Croesi’r Afon (live)
IRS Records catalogue number EIRS 134
29th January 1990 : 10″ Vinyl single Picture disc – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Croesi’r Afon (live) / Change II (live)
IRS Records catalogue number EIRSTPB 134
29th January 1990 : 12″ Vinyl single with fold out poster sleeve – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Croesi’r Afon (live) / No Frontiers (live)
IRS Records catalogue number EIRSTPB 134
29th January 1990 : CD single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Croesi’r Afon (live) / No Frontiers (live)
IRS Records catalogue number EIRSCD 134
29th January 1990 : Cassette single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Croesi’r Afon (live)
IRS Records catalogue number EIRSC 134
Australian Release :
1990 : 7″ Vinyl single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Breaking Point
IRS Records catalogue number 102115 7
Canadian Release :
1990 : Cassette single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Corridors Of Power
IRS Records catalogue number IRSC-73007
German Releases :
March 1990 : 7″ Vinyl single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Black Sun
IRS Records catalogue number 006 24 1047 7
March 1990 : 12″ Vinyl single with fold out poster sleeve – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Black Sun / Vigilante Man
IRS Records catalogue number 006 24 1047 7
March 1990 : CD single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Black Sun / Vigilante Man
IRS Records catalogue number 24 1047 2
Italian Releases :
March 1990 : 7″ Vinyl single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Black Sun
IRS Records catalogue number 006 24 1047 7
March 1990 : 12″ Vinyl single with fold out poster sleeve – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Black Sun / Vigilante Man
IRS Records catalogue number 006 24 1047 7
USA Release :
1990 : Promotional CD single – Love Don’t Come Easy
Track listing : Love Don’t Come Easy / Corridors Of Power / Working Class Hero
IRS Records catalogue number IRSD-017
Officially released live recordings – Audio
Officially released live recordings – Video/DVD
Lyrics
Love can give you everything
Then take it all away
She can take you to the water
Make you thirst for days
Tell you what you want to hear
In the same breath she can steal
And that’s why love don’t come easy
Love can take you to the mountain
Love can make it move
Love can shine her burning torchlight
In the bed of fools
Love can be your witness
She is judge as she condemns
And that’s why love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
Love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
Love can make your poverty
Seem rich although your poor
Love can be your honesty
When your conscience comes to call
Love can count you out in ten
When she’s got you down on the floor
And that’s why love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
Love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
Oh no
Love can make the time move quick
Or torture time so slow
Love can heal a gaping wound
Or make the pain explode
Love can be the difference
Between life and a hangman’s rope
And that’s why love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
Love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
And that’s why love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
Love don’t come easy
Sometimes love don’t come at all
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
Everybody (love)
Everybody (love)
Everybody (love)
Everybody have a good time (love)
oh no
Love
Cariad
Alternative Lyrics
Audio & Visual Sources
(Page updated 03/09/2022)