"Young Love" is a song by the American rock band Ric Cartey with the Jiva-Tones. Cartey wrote the song with Carole Joyner, who was his girlfriend at the time. The song was recorded on November 24, 1956, and released by Stars Inc. shortly after. Stars Records released it in 1956 with catalog number 539, and one month later, RCA Records released it with catalog number 47-6751.

The song became a hit multiple times over the years. In 1957, three versions were released around the same time by Sonny James, Tab Hunter, and the Crew-Cuts. Later, Lesley Gore released a hit version in 1965, and Donny Osmond released a hit version in 1973. The versions by James, Hunter, and Osmond all reached number one on charts: James's version topped the country and radio airplay charts, Hunter's version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent seven weeks at number one in the UK, and Osmond's version reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.

Sonny James version

The recording by American country singer Sonny James was released by Capitol Records with catalog number 3602. It first appeared on the Billboard chart on January 5, 1957. The song reached No. 1 on the Disk Jockey chart and the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It reached No. 4 on the Juke Box chart and No. 2 on the composite chart of the top 100 songs. On Billboard’s country music charts, the song was No. 1 for nine weeks and remained the longest-reigning of James’s 23 chart-topping songs. Billboard ranked it as the No. 8 song of the year for 1957.

The recording was produced by Ken Nelson and made on October 30, 1956, at Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Harlan Powell, a member of James’s band at the time, Gordon Stoker, and another person provided vocal backing. The Jordanaires supported James on several songs in the late 1950s and on some songs when he returned to Capitol in 1963. However, The Southern Gentlemen, who joined James in August 1964, provided his vocal background until 1971.

The flip side of James’s version of “Young Love” was a song called “You’re the Reason I’m in Love.” This song reached the Top 10 on the Billboard country charts in early 1957. In 1971, 14 years after the original, James re-recorded the song with a faster tempo and more horns, renaming it “That’s Why I Love You Like I Do.” The original version had an electric guitar solo. The new version was released as a single and reached No. 1 in June 1972.

In the book Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, James’s version of this song is mentioned as being frequently played on the radio at the Spahn Ranch. It was also a term of endearment used by Charles Manson for his female followers.

In 2020, this version of the song was featured in the Netflix psychological thriller film The Devil All the Time.

Tab Hunter version

In December 1956, American actor Tab Hunter recorded a cover of the song "Young Love" as his first single. The recording was released by Dot Records on December 25, 1956. Randy Wood, who was the president of Dot Records, thought that Sonny James’s version of the song would be popular on country music charts, and that a pop version might help the song reach more people. Wood asked Hunter to record the song, and Hunter, even though he had little singing experience, liked the song and agreed to record it.

The song first appeared on the Billboard charts on January 19, 1957. It reached the top position on several charts, including the Disk Jockey chart, the Best Seller chart, the Juke Box chart, and the combined chart of the top 100 songs. This version of the song stayed at No. 1 for six weeks and was later certified as a gold record. Billboard listed this version as the No. 4 song of 1957. The success of the record led Warner Bros., where Hunter was under contract, to start Warner Bros. Records.

A writer for Cashbox magazine described Hunter’s version of the song as "impressive," especially praising his deep, rich voice.

On February 2, 1957, Hunter performed the song on The Perry Como Show.

The success of the song helped lead to the creation of Warner Records.

The Crew-Cuts version

The recording by the Canadian vocal group The Crew-Cuts was released by Mercury Records with catalog number 71022. It first appeared on the Billboard chart on January 26, 1957. On the Disk Jockey chart, it reached the highest position of No. 17; on the Juke Box chart, it also reached No. 17. On the combined top 100 songs chart, it reached No. 24.

Lesley Gore version

In late 1965, American pop singer Lesley Gore recorded a version of the song "Young Love" for Mercury Records. This version was included on her sixth studio album, Lesley Gore Sings All About Love, which was released on January 11, 1966. In March 1966, after the first two singles from the album did not reach the top 50 on the charts, Gore's recording of "Young Love" was released as the third and final single from the album, with catalog number 72553. The single first appeared on the Billboard chart on March 26, 1966, and reached a peak position of #50. It also reached #24 in Australia and #43 in Canada. This was Lesley Gore's most successful song of 1966. She did not have another chart hit until February 1967, when her song "California Nights" was released.

Donny Osmond version

In 1973, the song was reintroduced by American teen singer Donny Osmond on MGM Records. His version included a spoken part in the first half of the second verse. The version produced by Mike Curb and Don Costa became popular worldwide. It reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and stayed at the top for four weeks in August 1973. It also reached number 4 on the Canadian RPM Magazine Top 100 chart.

Other versions

• In 1969, country music singers Connie Smith and Nat Stuckey recorded a duet version of the song. Their version reached number 20 on the Country Music charts.
• In 1976, Ray Stevens recorded the song. It reached number 48 on Billboard's country chart and number 93 on the pop chart.
• In 1993, Twister Alley covered the song on their self-titled album and released it as a single. The song reached number 70 on the US Country singles chart. The song was also recorded by Frankie Avalon, Tommy Steele, and Frank Ifield.