Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing (stylised as Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing) is the fifth studio album by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It is his fourth album release in the United States, and his fifth for Capitol Nashville. The album was issued on 7 November 2006. It includes four singles with "Once in a Lifetime", "Stupid Boy", "I Told You So" and "Everybody", all of which were top-10 hits on the Billboard country charts. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, CRIA, and ARIA. Urban produced the album with Dann Huff except for "Tu Compañía" and "Got It Right This Time", which Urban produced by himself. It won at the 2007 ARIA Music Awards for Best Country Album.

Content On the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated 2 September 2006, this album's lead-off single "Once in a Lifetime" debuted at number 17, making it the highest-debuting country single in the 62-year history of the Billboard country music charts at the time. This record was later broken in 2007 by Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink" (which debuted at number 16 on the same chart), and then again by Garth Brooks' "More Than a Memory" (which debuted at number 1). "Once in a Lifetime" went on to peak at number 6 on the country charts. The other three singles released from this album are "Stupid Boy", "I Told You So", and "Everybody", which went to numbers 3, 2, and 5 individually, making this Urban's first American album to not produce a single number one hit on the country charts. "Raise the Barn", a duet with Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, was written in response to Hurricane Katrina.

The song "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a cover of a Leo Sayer song, later covered by Phil Collins in 2002. "Stupid Boy" was originally recorded by Sarah Buxton, who also co-wrote the song.

Track listing

Notes All songs produced by Keith Urban and Dann Huff, except tracks 11 and 13, produced solely by Urban. The Japanese edition omits "Raise the Barn" but adds "Gotta Let It Go" as track 13. The international version omits "Raise the Barn".

Personnel As listed in liner notes.

Musicians Beth Beeson – French horn (12) Tom Bukovac – electric guitar (1–5, 7–10, 12) Sarah Buxton – vocal percussion (11) The Choristers of Reigate St. Mary – boy sopranos (10) Larry Corbett – cello (1) Eric Darken – percussion (1–5, 7–10, 12) Mark Douthit – tenor saxophone (6) Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (10) Jerry Flowers – background vocals (2, 5, 8, 10) Mike Haynes – trumpet (6) Erin Horner – French horn (12) Dann Huff – acoustic guitar (2, 4, 5, 10), 12-string electric guitar (3), percussion (3), electric guitar (7, 10, 12) Rami Jaffee – Hammond B-3 organ (1, 2, 4, 7, 9) Chris McHugh – drums (all tracks except 13), programming (1), percussion (3, 8) Tim Lauer – synthesizer (1, 3, 5, 7, 12), accordion (3), harmonium (7), pump organ (7), Hammond B-3 organ (10), piano (12) Metro Voices – choir (10) Vanessa Millon – "Spanish señorita" (10) Doug Moffett – baritone saxophone (6) Monty Powell – bass guitar (11) Eric Rigler – tin whistle (3), uilleann pipes (3) Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar (1–5, 7–10, 12) David Stone – upright bass (1) Russell Terrell – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10) Keith Urban – vocals, acoustic guitar (1–8, 12), electric guitar (all tracks except 13), EBow (1, 8, 12), piano (1, 2, 5), ganjo (1, 2, 3, 6, 11), mandolin (3), bouzouki (3), slide guitar (3, 8), percussion (3), Papoose (5), bass guitar (6), 12-string acoustic guitar (10), keyboards (13), drum machine (13) Joy Worland – French horn (12) Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle (3, 9)

Strings on tracks 2, 4, 8, and 12 (Nashville String Machine) David Campbell – string arranger, conductor Carl Gorodetzky – contractor David Angell, David Davidson, Conni Ellisor, Carl Gorodetzsky, Cate Myer, Pam Sixfin, Alan Umstead, Cathy Umstead, Mary Kathryn Vanosdale, and Karen Winkelmann – violins Monisa Angell, Gary Vanosdale, and Kris Wilkinson – violas Larry Corbett, Anthony LaMarchina, Carole Rabinowitz – cellos

Technical Denise Arguijo – art production Drew Bollman – recording assistant, mixing assistant David Campbell – choir arrangement (10) Terry Christian – recording Steve Churchyard – recording Colourworks – digital images Betsy Cook – art direction Allen Ditto – recording assistant Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordination Mark Hagen – recording, overdubbing Michelle Hall – art production Dino Herrmann – Pro Tools Chris Hicky – photography Jimmy Hoyson – recording assistant Dann Huff – producer (except 11 and 13), recording Jeff Kersey – recording of Ronnie Dunn's vocals (9) Scott Kidd – recording assistant Matt Lawrence – recording Suzy Martinez – production coordination Dom Morley – mixing assistant Seth Morton – recording assistant Sangwook Nam – mastering Justin Niebank – recording, mixing Jenny O'Grady – choir conductor (10) Michael Omartian – horn arrangements (6) Rohan Onraet – recording assistant Leslie Richter – recording assistant Doug Sax – mastering Mark Vadukal – photography Torne White – art direction, design Keith Urban – producer (all tracks) Brian David Willis – digital editing

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2006) PeakpositionJapanese Albums (Oricon)174

Year-end charts Chart (2006) PositionAustralian Albums (ARIA)76US Top Country Albums (Billboard)47 Chart (2007) PositionUS Billboard 20026US Top Country Albums (Billboard)4

Singles Year Single Peak chart positions US Country US US AC AUS CAN GER UK 2006 "Once in a Lifetime" 6 31 26 18 — 66 194 2007 "Stupid Boy" 3 43 — — — — — "I Told You So" 2 48 — — 56 — — "Everybody" 5 64 — — 71 — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Certifications

References