Don't Break My Heart Again

1981 single by Whitesnake

"Don't Break My Heart Again"

Single by Whitesnake

from the album Come an' Get It

B-side

"Child of Babylon"

Released

March 1981 ^[1]

Recorded

1980

Genre

Hard rock
blues rock
heavy metal^[2]

Length

4:04

Label

Liberty

Songwriter(s)

David Coverdale

Whitesnake singles chronology

"Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City - Live"
(1980)

"Don't Break My Heart Again"
(1981)

"Would I Lie to You"
(1981)

"Don't Break My Heart Again" is a song by the English rock band Whitesnake from their 1981 studio album Come an' Get It. Written by vocalist David Coverdale, the song was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage.^[3] The guitar solo performed by Bernie Marsden was recorded on the first take. Despite numerous attempts to top it, Marsden eventually conceded and agreed to use the first take.^[4] Guitarist Doug Aldrich (who played with the band from 2003 to 2014) later named "Don't Break My Heart Again" one of his favourite Whitesnake songs.^[5]

Release

The song was released as the lead single from Come an' Get It in March 1981.^[6] The B-side features the track "Child of Babylon", which is also on the album. "Don't Break My Heart Again" reached number 17 on UK Singles Chart.^[7] A music video was also produced and the band performed the song on the German television show Rockpop.^[8]^[9]

Track listing

7" single (UK)

"Don't Break My Heart Again" - 4:04 (David Coverdale)
"Child of Babylon" - 4:50 (Coverdale/Bernie Marsden)

Personnel

David Coverdale – vocals
Micky Moody – guitar, backing vocals
Bernie Marsden – guitar, backing vocals
Neil Murray – bass guitar
Ian Paice – drums
Jon Lord – keyboards
Martin Birch - production, engineering, mixing

Charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)^[10]	17
Ireland (IRMA)^[11]	17

References

^ Hung, Steffen. "Whitesnake - Don't Break My Heart Again". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Some Kind of Monster: Metal". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 570. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
^ "The Snake Bites Again! - A Bailey Brothers interview with David Coverdale!". Rock United. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^ Popoff, Martin (2015). Sail Away: Whitesnake's Fantastic Voyage. Soundcheck Books LLP. p. 79. ISBN 0-9575-7008-2.
^ Parsons, Jim (director) (2006). Live... in the Still of the Night (documentary). AFM Records. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^ Millar, Robbi (September 1981). "Year of the 'Snake". Kerrang!. No. 3. London, England: United Newspapers. p. 10–11.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 14 August 1983 - 20 August 1983". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^ "Whitesnake - Don't Break My Heart Again (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 5 March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^ "Whitesnake - Don't Break My Heart Again (ZDF German TV Show "Rock Pop" 1981)". Rockpop. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021 – via YouTube.
^ "Whitesnake – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2012.