Love Hurts Chords: How to Play the Classic Song by Nazareth

Love Hurts is a song that has been recorded by many artists, but perhaps the most famous version is by the Scottish rock band Nazareth, who released it as a single in 1975. The song was written by Boudleaux Bryant, who also wrote many hits for the Everly Brothers. Love Hurts is a ballad that expresses the pain and sorrow of unrequited or lost love.

In this article, we will show you how to play Love Hurts on guitar, using the chords and tabs from Ultimate Guitar. We will also explain some of the techniques and tips that will help you sound more like the original recording.

The Chords

The song is in the key of G major, and uses the following chords:

[Intro]
   G                G                 F    C
e|---------3------|---------3------|--0----0--|
B|-----------0----|-----------0----|--1----1--|
G|-------0-----0--|-------0-----0--|--2----0--|
D|-----0----------|-----0----------|--3----2--|  x2
A|---2------------|---2------------|--0----3--|
E|-3--------------|-3--------------|--0----0--|
 
[Verse 1]
     G           Em          C          D
Love hurts, love scars, love wounds and mars
Cadd9 G          Em       C       D
Any   heart, not tough or strong enough
   Cadd9         G     B             Em
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
B              C                        D
Love is like a cloud, it holds a lot of rain
 
Cadd9 G      F   C        G
Love  hurts, ooh hoo love hurts
 
[Verse 2]
    G        Em        C    D
I'm young, I know, but even so
Cadd9    G        Em     C            D
I know a thing or two, I learned from you
  Cadd9            G    B                Em
I really learned a lot, really learned a lot
B              C                             D
Love is like a flame, it burns you when it's hot
 
Cadd9 G      F   C        G
Love  hurts, ooh hoo love hurts
 
[Bridge]
Em                  B    Em    B       Em    B       Em
Some fools think of happiness, blissfulness, togetherness
A                    A
Some fools, fool themselves, I guess
                    D
They're not foolin' me
  Cadd9         G       B             Em
I know it isn't true, I know it isn't true
B              C                    D
Love is just a lie made to make you blue
Cadd9 G      F   C        G
Love  hurts, ooh hoo love hurts
F   C        G
ooh hoo love hurts
 
[Solo]
(Play end over verse)
 
e|------------------------------|------------------------------|
B|-8---10-8---13-8---12-10---12-|-8---10-8---13--8--12---10-15-|
G|------------------------------|------------------------------|
D|------------------------------|------------------------------|
A|------------------------------|------------------------------|
E|------------------------------|------------------------------|
 
(Rhythm)
| G | Em | C | D  Cadd9 |
| G | Em | C | D  Cadd9 |
 
[Outro]
  Cadd9         G       B             Em
I know it isn't true, I know it isn't true
B              C                    D
Love is just a lie made to make you blue
Cadd9 G      F   C        G
Love  hurts, ooh hoo love hurts
F   C        G      F   C
Ooh ooh love hurts, ooh ooh

You can play these chords with or without a capo, depending on your preference and vocal range. The original recording does not use a capo, but some other versions do. For example, the Everly Brothers use a capo on the third fret.

The Strumming Pattern

The strumming pattern for Love Hurts is fairly simple and consistent throughout the song. You can use a pick or your fingers to strum the chords. The pattern is:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D D U D U D U D U

D = Downstroke U = Upstroke

You can also add some accents and dynamics to make the strumming more expressive and match the mood of the song. For example, you can strum harder on the first beat of each measure, and softer on the other beats. You can also vary the volume and intensity of your strumming depending on the section of the song. For example, you can strum more softly during the verses, and louder during the chorus.

The Verse

The verse of Love Hurts follows a chord progression of G-Em-C-D-Cadd9-G-Em-C-D-Cadd9-G-B-Em-B-C-D-Cadd9-G-F-C-G. You can play these chords using the same strumming pattern as above. Here are the lyrics and chords for the first verse:

G Em C D Love hurts, love scars, love wounds and mars Cadd9 G Em C D Any heart, not tough or strong enough Cadd9 G B Em To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain B C D Love is like a cloud, it holds a lot of rain Cadd9 G F C G Love hurts, ooh hoo love hurts

The Bridge

The bridge of Love Hurts follows a chord progression of Em-B-Em-B-Em-B-Em-A-A-D-Cadd9-G-B-Em-B-C-D-Cadd9-G-F-C-G. You can play these chords using the same strumming pattern as above. Here are the lyrics and chords for the bridge:

Em B Em B Em B Em Some fools think of happiness, blissfulness, togetherness A A Some fools, fool themselves, I guess D They’re not foolin’ me Cadd9 G B Em I know it isn’t true, I know it isn’t true B C D Love is just a lie made to make you blue Cadd9 G F C G Love hurts, ooh hoo love hurts