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"Don't Break the Heart That Loves You"
#1 weeks: 1
weeks: 1962-03-31
genre: country
artist: Connie Francis
writers: Benny Davis, Ted Murry
producers: Danny Davis, Arnold Maxin
label:
formats: 7" single
lengths: 3:05

"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.