| "Lotta Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Nicolette Larson | ||||
| from the album Nicolette | ||||
| B-side | "Angels Rejoiced" | |||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Writer(s) | Neil Young | |||
| Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |||
| Nicolette Larson singles chronology | ||||
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| "Lotta Love" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Neil Young from the album Comes a Time | |
| Released | 1978 |
| Length | 2:38 |
| Label | Reprise |
| Writer(s) | Neil Young |
| Producer(s) |
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"Lotta Love" is a song written by Neil Young and recorded by Nicolette Larson in 1978. It reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 8 on the Cash Box Top 100 in February 1979. It also hit No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.
"Lotta Love" was a hit in Australia (No. 11) and New Zealand (No. 22).
Linda Ronstadt, who had sung back-up for Young with Larson, has stated that it was at her [i.e. Ronstadt's] suggestion that Larson recorded "Lotta Love" and that Larson's producer thanked Ronstadt by having a top-of-the-line sound system installed in her Mercedes convertible.
However, Larson's own recollection was that the suggestion she record "Lotta Love" originated with Neil Young, with whom she had formed a personal relationship while backing him vocally on American Stars 'n Bars. The publishers of Neil Young News quoted Larson as saying:
"I got that song off a tape I found lying on the floor of Neil's car. I popped it in the tape player and commented on what a great song it was. Neil said: 'You want it? It's yours.'"
Neil Young did in fact cut a version of "Lotta Love" himself for his Comes a Time album with backing from Crazy Horse. Larson provided background vocals for the album but did not sing on its "Lotta Love" track, a spare version which emphasized the song's melancholy.
Larson's version of "Lotta Love"—which featured a string arrangement by Jimmie Haskell (whose credits include work with Bobbie Gentry), plus a classic soft rock horn riff and a flute solo—presented the song as optimistic. Larson would recall: "It was a very positive song and people don't want to hear how bad the world is all the time. It had a nice sound rhythm and groove."
"Lotta Love" served as lead single for Larson's Ted Templeman-produced Nicolette album. Due to a delay in release, Comes a Time was released on the same day — in October, 1978 — as Nicolette. The release of a single from the Nicolette album was held off until October 31 when it was clear Young's version would not have a single release as an A-side (although Young's "Lotta Love" was released as the B-side of a non-charting "Comes a Time" single).