I Just Don't Have the Heart

"I Just Don't Have the Heart" is a song by British singer Cliff Richard, released as the second single from his 1989 album Stronger. It was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) and became another UK top 10 hit for him, peaking at No. 3.[1]

"I Just Don't Have the Heart"
Single by Cliff Richard
from the album Stronger
B-side"Wide Open Space"
ReleasedAugust 14, 1989 (1989-08-14)
RecordedJan-Feb 1989
GenreDance-pop
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Cliff Richard singles chronology
"The Best of Me"
(1989)		 "I Just Don't Have the Heart"
(1989)		 "Lean on You"
(1989)
Music video
"I Just Don't Have the Heart" on YouTube

Background and writing

Richard first approached SAW at a music industry awards lunch, where he complimented them on their work with Rick Astley, and suggested they contact him if they had any more songs as good.[1] After agreeing to work together, Richard had to be convinced to come into the studio without first hearing the song, as SAW did not record demos, and preferred to develop their music while their vocalists were in the recording booth.[1]

Richard only agreed to release the track after his milkman had heard it and deemed it a hit, a process he claimed he used regularly, and always worked.[1]

Critical reception

David Giles of Music Week gave a negative review of "I Just Don't Have the Heart", saying: "Cliff crashes to earth with a bump and teams up with SAW. The result is a standard SAW somp, putting one of pop's great legends on a level with Sonia".[2] A review of Richard's Stronger in the same magazine considered the song as the "worst" track of the album and a "SAW abberation".[3] MTV Australia host Richard Wilkins pulled the video off air mid-play, controversially disparaging both the track and its high-profile producers.[1]

More positively, before releasing his 100th single, Richard invited 2,000 British fans to the London Palladium for a preview of six songs from his album Stronger to choose the one they liked the most as the possible 100th single, and "I Just Don't Have the Heart" ranked at the third position.[4]

Track listing

UK single[5]

  1. "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (3:27)
  2. "Wide Open Space" (4:38)
  3. "I Just Don't Have the Heart" [Instrumental] (4:00)

12" single (12 EMP 101)

  1. "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (Extended Version) (5:54)
  2. "Wide Open Space" (4:38)
  3. "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (4:00)

Charts

Weekly charts
Charts (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 100
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 25
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 11
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 15
France (SNEP)[11] 77
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 67
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 3
West Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 41

Year-end charts
Charts (1989) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 80

References
  1. "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 50: I Just Don't Have The Heart to Can't Forget You on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  2. Giles, David (19 August 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 25. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. "Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 11 November 1989. p. 46 in the PDF. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  4. Edwards, Eileen (June 1989). "Cliff at the Palladium". Dynamite International (124): 1,3.
  5. "I Just Don't Have the Heart". MTV. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  6. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 29 May 2015". Imgur.com. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  7. "Cliff Richard – I Just Don't Have The Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. "Cliff Richard – I Just Don't Have The Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 36. 9 September 1989. p. IV.
  10. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  11. Select Cliff RICHARD from the drop-down selection box and click OK: "French Singles - Artists R". infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Just Don't Have The Heart". Irish Singles Chart.
  13. "Cliff Richard – I Just Don't Have The Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  14. "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Cliff Richard – I Just Don't Have The Heart". GfK Entertainment charts.
  16. "Year End Singles". Record Mirror. 27 January 1990. p. 44.


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