Co-written and first recorded by Bert Kaempfert (1964).
Hit version by Nat “King” Cole (B-side US #89/MOR #17 1965).
From the wiki: “‘L-O-V-E’ was composed by Bert Kaempfert, and was first recorded as an instrumental track on Kaempfert’s album Blue Midnight (1964).
“Nat ‘King’ Cole followed in 1965 with his vocal recording for his album of the same name (1965), with lyrics by Milt Gabler. The trumpet solo on the Cole recording was performed by Bobby Bryant. Released as the B-side to ‘I Don’t Want to See Tomorrow’, ‘L-O-V-E’ peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #17 on the Easy Listening chart.
“The album L-O-V-E was Cole’s last album, recorded in early December 1964 (against his doctor’s wishes) — just a few days before he entered the hospital for cancer treatment — and was released just before he died on February 15, 1965.
“For international versions of the L-O-V-E album, Cole also recorded versions of ‘L-O-V-E’ in Japanese (mixed with English words), Italian, German, Spanish and French (as ‘Je Ne Repartirai Pas’).”
Nat “King” Cole, “L-O-V-E” (1965):
Nat “King” Cole, “L-O-V-E” Japanese version (1965):
Nat “King” Cole, “Je Ne Repartirai Pas” French version (1965):