It looks like talent runs deep in the Tritt family!
In 2013, country singer Travis Tritt and his daughter Tyler Reese recorded a beautiful duet of “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” by American singers Don Henley and Patty Smyth. The father-daughter country duo joined forces for the re-release of Tritt’s 2007 album The Storm.
As expected, Tyler Reese performed with complete grace. She got the same Tritt skill and vocal talent you will hear in her superstar father.
Well, there’s no doubt about that. Growing up in a house with a country music star father, it seemed pretty inevitable that one of Tritt’s children would show a passion for singing. At an early age, Tyler Reese was already showing signs that she has what it takes to follow in her father’s footsteps. She would often join her dad on stage and prove that she has inherited some of his musical talents.
The Story Behind The Song
Written by Patty Smyth and Glen Burtnik, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” tells the tale of a couple on the verge of breaking up. Recorded as a duet, we get to hear both sides of the story as they take a sad look at what happens when love is no longer enough to keep a couple together.
“But there’s a danger in loving somebody too much, and it’s sad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust. There’s a reason why people don’t stay where they are. Baby, sometimes, love just ain’t enough,” the song goes.
“Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” was first released as a single in 1992, and it reached No. 1 in Canada, where it was the most successful single of 1992. It also peaked at No. 2 in Ireland and on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Indeed, it is a powerful song. In fact, Smyth even wept after writing the emotional bridge section.
The late 1980s was a big whirlwind time of change for Smyth, who used to be the lead singer for the band Scandal. However, her band had broken up, and she was disappointed with the production and song arrangements on her then-recently released record, Never Enough in 1987.
Her personal life wasn’t going on her way too! Smyth had an 18-month old baby, while her two-year marriage to innovative punk singer Richard Hell was falling apart.
“I had this profound thought that what happens when you love someone so much that it’s so scary it’s dangerous? That idea- there’s a danger in loving somebody so much- kept rolling around in my head,” she revealed to American Songwriter. “When Glen sat down at the piano, that was the first place I went because it was the seed I was working on. There was so much going on. I was getting divorced. It was about my baby, dad, you name it, everyone.”
Smyth then started singing words to Burtnik’s chords right away. She has already written the first verse and chorus that day. “I remember writing the bridge in my apartment in New York on 5th Avenue and 10th Street, weeping while I wrote it. It was weird that I choked myself up because that never happens,” Smyth recalled.
When it’s time for the chorus, Burtnik used the idea he once wrote in high school. “Musically, I had all the ingredients there. There’s a couple play on words. We worked on the song on and off over the phone. It wasn’t a one day write but lyrically, Patty took over.” And the rest was history!
Tune in and enjoy Travis Tritt and his daughter’s remarkable performance of the song in the video below.