First recorded by Rose Royce (US #32/R&B #5/UK #2/IRE #7/NZ #2 1978).
Also recorded by Madonna (1984).
Other hit versions by Jimmy Nail (UK #3 1985), Madonna (US #78/MOR #29/DANCE #16/CAN #24/POL #9 1996).
From the wiki: “”Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield (‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine‘,’War‘,’Smiling Faces Sometimes‘) for Whitfield Records. Lead vocals were sung by Gwen Dickey and the song was released as the second single from Rose Royce’s third studio album Strikes Again.
“The song was developed as a result of producer Whitfield’s interest to work with Paul Buckmaster, the British arranger and composer. Together they asked songwriter Miles Gregory to write a song for them. Gregory’s undergoing medical care for his deteriorating physical health became the inspiration behind the song. ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ was one of the first recordings to make effective use of an electronic drum machine (most likely the Roland CR-78, released in 1977).
“Madonna first covered ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ for her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). The idea to cover the song originated from Michael Ostin, the head of the A&R department of Warner Bros. Records. In author Warren Zanes book Revolutions in Sound: Warner Bros. Records, the First 50 Years, he recalled:
‘I had the good fortune of finding material that Madonna really responded to, ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ for instance, which was the old Rose Royce record. I was driving into work one day and heard it on the radio, I called producer Nile Rodgers and Madonna, they were in the studio. I said, ‘I have an idea,. You know the old Rose Royce record, ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’? Why don’t you try and record a version of it for Like a Virgin?”
“Initially both Rodgers and Madonna were apprehensive of tackling an already well-known ballad, but in the last minute they decided that if Madonna wanted to bring diversity to the album, there could be no better song than ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’. According to Rodgers, although Like a Virgin was mainly driven by Madonna, he was instrumental in adding ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ to the track list.
“‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ was a favorite of Madonna so when, in 1995, she released the ballad compilation album, Something to Remember, she included a reworked version of ‘the song produced by David Reitzas. It was released as the second single from the album in North America and as the third single in Europe and Australia.
“In-between the two Madonna covers, in 1985, Jimmy Nail (born James Michael Aloysius Bradford), an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer, covered ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ in the UK. Although he made his living through acting, Nail’s first love was music. The recording was his first single release, and it peaked at #3 on the UK Singles chart. Nail would later hit #1 with ‘Ain’t No Doubt’ in 1992, from the album Growing Up in Public that featured the work of David Gilmour and George Harrison.
“Madonna’s 1984 arrangement of the song begins with the sound of acoustic guitars and synth strings. The 1995 remix was quite different: It began with the sound of violins and Uilleann pipes, followed by Madonna beginning the first verse.
“The 1995 remix debuted at #91 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Madonna’s 36th entry on the chart, and her first entry with a remake of someone else’s single. The song ultimately reached only a peak of 78, and was present for only eight weeks on the Hot 100 chart. But, the song was one of the breakout tracks for the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, peaking at #16.”
Madonna, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (1984):
Jimmy Nail, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (1985):
Madonna, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (1995):