Love Is Hell is the fifth studio album by alternative country artist Ryan Adams, released on May 4, 2004. The album was originally released as two EPs, Love Is Hell pt. 1 and Love Is Hell pt. 2, at the insistence of Lost Highway, who deemed that the album was not commercially viable. A full-length version of the album was released when the EPs proved to be more of a commercial success than anticipated.
The Oasis cover, "Wonderwall", was released as a single in the UK on June 28, 2004. A shorter version of "Anybody Wanna Take Me Home" originally appeared on Rock N Roll. However, the 'longer' version of the song on Love Is Hell does not fade-out/back-in as it does on Rock N Roll. Love Is Hellwas released in Japan on June 27, 2007 with a bonus disc of tracks recorded during the same sessions as the album.
Adams describes the album as sounding "a lot like Heartbreaker, but better and more severe. It's complex and it's damaged," and states that it "was the record [he] needed to make." In a 2007 interview, Adams notes that he loves to play songs from the album live, and that the songs are "usually tunes that The Cardinals and myself get really excited about when they come up in the set." Love Is Hell features guest contributions from Marianne Faithfull (backing vocals on "English Girls Approximately") and Greg Leisz (guitar throughout), and the bonus tracks feature Fabrizio Moretti(drums on "Halloween") and Leona Naess (vocals on "Caterwaul").
Ryan Adams' version of "Wonderwall" can be downloaded for the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
Tracklist
| 1 | Political Scientist (written by Ryan Adams) | 4:33 | |
| 2 | Afraid Not Scared (written by Ryan Adams) | 4:13 | |
| 3 | This House Is Not For Sale (written by Ryan Adams) | 3:53 | |
| 4 | Anybody Wanna Take Me Home (written by Ryan Adams) | 5:31 | |
| 5 | Love Is Hell (written by Ryan Adams) | 3:19 | |
| 6 | Wonderwall (written by Noel Gallagher) | 4:09 | |
| 7 | The Shadowlands (written by Ryan Adams) | 5:18 | |
| 8 | World War 24 (written by Ryan Adams) | 4:17 | |
| 9 | Avalanche (written by Ryan Adams) | 5:09 | |
| 10 | My Blue Manhattan (written by Ryan Adams) | 2:23 | |
| 11 | Please Do Not Let Me Go (written by Ryan Adams) | 3:37 | |
| 12 | City Rain, City Streets (written by Ryan Adams) | 3:49 | |
| 13 | I See Monsters (written by Ryan Adams) | 3:57 | |
| 14 | English Girls Approximately (written by Ryan Adams) | 5:42 | |
| 15 | Thank You Louise (written by Ryan Adams) | 2:52 | |
| 16 | Hotel Chelsea Nights (written by Ryan Adams) | 5:10 |
Bonus tracks
| 17 | Halloween (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 3:52 |
| 18 | Caterwaul (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 5:41 |
| 19 | Fuck The Universe (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 7:29 |
| 20 | Twice As Bad As Love (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 4:14 |
| 21 | Father's Son (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 3:36 |
| 22 | Gimme Sunshine (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 3:55 |
| 23 | Black Clouds (written by Ryan Adams) | Japanese bonus track | 4:48 |
Listen
Performance statistics
| Title | Times played | Debut | Last played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political Scientist | 22 | 2004-01-18 | 2022-12-08 |
| Afraid Not Scared | 14 | 2006-09-22 | 2023-04-21 |
| This House Is Not For Sale | 178 | 2003-11-14 | 2023-04-11 |
| Anybody Wanna Take Me Home | 43 | 2003-11-19 | 2021-09-21 |
| Love Is Hell | 68 | 2003-11-14 | 2021-08-31 |
| Wonderwall | 173 | 2000-10-20 | 2023-04-22 |
| The Shadowlands | 19 | 2002-11-26 | 2004-01-22 |
| World War 24 | 10 | 2002-02-04 | 2021-08-31 |
| Avalanche | 2 | 2003-12-06 | 2021-08-31 |
| My Blue Manhattan | 13 | 2004-01-18 | 2022-11-07 |
| Please Do Not Let Me Go | 300 | 2003-12-06 | 2023-03-15 |
| City Rain, City Streets | Never played live | ||
| I See Monsters | 269 | 2002-11-28 | 2023-04-23 |
| English Girls Approximately | 96 | 2002-10-15 | 2023-04-23 |
| Thank You Louise | 6 | 2002-11-28 | 2004-01-17 |
| Hotel Chelsea Nights | 10 | 2003-01-10 | 2003-07-04 |
| Halloween (bonus track) | 9 | 2011-06-10 | 2022-05-21 |
| Caterwaul (bonus track) | 8 | 2001-02-13 | 2001-04-24 |
| Fuck The Universe (bonus track) | Never played live | ||
| Twice As Bad As Love (bonus track) | 16 | 2002-10-01 | 2003-12-09 |
| Father's Son (bonus track) | Never played live | ||
| Gimme Sunshine (bonus track) | 17 | 2000-09-22 | 2001-02-26 |
| Black Clouds (bonus track) | Never played live |
