"Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" is an American song
written by Benny Davis and Ted Murry. The song would become a
success for two artists in two different genres: Connie Francis
in the pop field in 1962, and Margo Smith as a country version
in 1978.
Benny Davis and Ted Murry became associated with Connie
Francis by suggestion of Francis' father, George Franconero.
The idea was to combine the skills of Tin Pan Alley veterans
Davis and Murry with the current sound of the day. Francis
signed Murry and Davis as regular composers to her own music
publishing company, Francon Music Incorporated. Over the
following years, Davis and Murry wrote further hits for
Francis, such as the country ballad
The biggest sin of alland the theme song for Francis'
third movie,
Follow The Boys, which she also recorded in French,
Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and German. Neither of the songs
left a bigger impact on
Billboard's Pop Charts, but became notable successes on
the Adult Contemporary Charts.
Francis recorded "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" in a
2 November 1961 session which also produced "I'm Falling in
Love With You Tonight," "When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy
in Your Heart)," "'Baby's First Christmas," "'Mon Cœur est un
Violon," and "Personne au Monde."
The ballad, recorded by Francis in two-part harmony with a
spoken bridge, is a plea from a heartbroken lover who is trying
to understand why her lover is going out of his way to treat
her unkindly. The song ends with her begging him not to break
her heart.
"Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" went to No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 on March 31, 1962 for one week, becoming her
third and final chart-topping single.
The song charted in the UK in April 1962 without paralleling
its US chart impact; rather "Don't Break the Heart That Loves
You" became Francis' first single to miss the UK Top 30 with a
#39 peak.
Following the success in the US, Francis recorded "Don't
Break the Heart That Loves You" subsequently also in German
("Tu mir Nicht Weh"), Spanish ("Mi Corazón te Adora"), Japanese
(Latin writing of Japanese title unknown) and in both regular
Italian and the Italian dialect Neapolitan (both as "Un
Desiderio Folle")
In 1977, the ballad was recorded by country singer Margo
Smith. Her version — featuring a saxophone solo during the
musical bridge but not the recitation of Francis's version —
topped the
BillboardHot Country Singles chart in February 1978, and
crossed over to the Easy Listening chart at #40.