"Hurts to Be in Love" by Gino Vannelli

Song#:  2467
Date:  09/21/1985
Debut:  95
Peak:  57
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Soft Rock



Pop Bits:  Although Vannelli's title-track single to his album Black Cars was a hit in his native Canada getting to #4, when it crossed the border into the States, it just couldn't do as well. The song stalled right before entering the Top 40 at #42. Hoping for something better, this next track was issued out. Once again it did fine in Canada (#14), but ended up floating around the bottom half of the Pop chart for a few months. The news was better on the AC front where the song became his third Top 10 hit (#6).

ReduxReview:  This smokey track is a bit reminiscent of Foreigner's #2 hit "Waiting for a Girl Like You" with a little blue-eyed soul tossed in for good measure. It's actually a good song that is well produced, but it just couldn't seduce a broader audience outside of the AC market. I'm not all that surprised as it does have the feel of a late 70s track and that sound wasn't gonna attract the kids. At least it did well at AC.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  When a young Vannelli first set his sights on a music career in Canada, he was able to get signed there to RCA Records. For his first single, Vannelli decided to use a modified version of his last name for the credit and he became Vann-Elli. He recorded two songs for the label and a single was released in 1970. The song "Gina Bold" was the a-side that got promoted. It ended up being a tiny blip on the Canadian chart at #92. With little results coming from the single, Vannelli had to move on and three years later he was able to get signed to A&M Records in L.A. He would record seven albums for A&M before switching to Polydor for Black Cars.

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