"Torn Between Two Lovers" is a song written by

Peter Yarrow Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is an American singer and songwriter who found fame for being in the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote (with Leonard Lipton) one of the group's best known hits, " Puff, the Magic Dragon". H ...

(of the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

trio

Peter, Paul & Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repe ...

) and Phillip Jarrell that speaks about a

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with ...

, and laments that "loving both of you is breaking all the rules".

Mary MacGregor Mary MacGregor (born May 6, 1948) is an American singer. She is best known for singing the 1976 song " Torn Between Two Lovers", which topped the ''Billboard'' charts for two weeks. Career MacGregor was born May 6, 1948, in St. Paul, Minnes ...

recorded it at

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own rec ...

in 1976 and it became the title track of her first album.

Chart performance

"Torn Between Two Lovers" reached No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart in February 1977 and achieved the same position on the

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

in the final week of 1976 and first week of 1977. It also hit No. 1 on the Canadian charts, and peaked at No. 3 on the country charts of both nations. In March 1977, it was No. 4 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

In 1977,

Gracie Rivera Gracie may refer to: Names * Gracie (name), a given name and a family name (includes a list of people with that name) * Gracie family, a Brazilian family known for their practice and development of martial arts * Hurricane Gracie, a 1959 Atlantic ...

made "Torn Between Two Lovers" the first track for her first album, ''Gracie''. The song became a hit with Hongkongers and carved her name in their music scene in the 70's. "Torn Between Two Lovers" has also been recorded by

Johnny Rodriguez Juan Raoul Davis "Johnny" Rodriguez (born December 10, 1951) is an American country music singer. He is a Tejano and Texas country music singer, infusing his music with Latin sounds, and even singing verses of songs in Spanish. In the 1970s an ...

for his 1977 album ''Practice Makes Perfect'',

Anna-Lena Löfgren Anna-Lena Löfgren (1 May 1944 – 21 May 2010) was a Swedish singer from Stockholm. During the years 1962 and 1995, more than 40 of her songs made it onto Svensktoppen, the record chart of Sveriges Radio. Löfgren became one of the most best kno ...

for her 1979 album ''Lev Som Du Lär'' and

Anita Meyer Anita Meyer (''Annita Meijer''), born in Rotterdam 29 October 1954, is a Dutch singer. One of her most notable songs is " Why Tell Me Why" that charted for 14 weeks and topped the Dutch singles list for six weeks in 1981. Discography Albums ...

for her 1984 album ''Face to Face''.

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

recorded "Torn Between Two Lovers" for her 1989 album release ''Where the Hits Are'' which was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and contained a number of songs whose original versions were Muscle Shoals recordings.

Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...

recorded a Cantonese version of "Torn Between Two Lovers" ("中間人") for her debut album ''

Shirley Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...

'' in 1989. Joey Sontz recorded his version for his debut album ''Chasing the Dream'' in 2012. "Torn Between Two Lovers" has been rendered in a number of languages, including German, "Zwischen zwei Gefühlen" by

Penny McLean Gertrude Wirschinger, better known as Penny McLean (born 4 November 1948), is an Austrian vocalist who initially gained acclaim with the disco music act Silver Convention, but also had exposure as a single recording artist. As a solo singer, she ...

; Portuguese, "Só, entre dois amores" by

Celly Campello Célia Campello Gomes Chacon, born Célia Benelli Campello, known by her stage name Celly Campello (18 June 1942 – 4 March 2003), was a Brazilian singer and performer, a pioneer in Brazilian rock. She also acted in the telenovela ''Estúpido Cu ...

( pt); Dutch, "Hulpeloos verloren" by

Conny Vandenbos Jacoba Adriana Hollestelle (16 January 1937 – 7 April 2002), known professionally as Conny Vandenbos, was a popular Dutch singer. She had her first radio hit in 1966 and continued to make hit recordings throughout the 1970s. She represented the ...

; Swedish, "Ge mig dina tankar" by

Wizex Wizex is a Swedish dansband (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish term for a band that plays ("dance band music"). ' is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. Th ...

; and Spanish, "Entre dos amores" by Christie Lee. The song was mentioned in the lyrics of

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...

's 1984 country single " God Won't Get You". Filipina singer

Sharon Cuneta Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan ( , ; born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, television host, and socialite. Regarded as one of the most successful and highest-earning individuals in the Philippine entertainment industry, she has ...

also did a take in 2007 for her album, ''Isn't It Romantic 2''.

TV movie

"Torn Between Two Lovers" inspired the title of a television movie aired in 1979, starring

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress ...

George Peppard George Peppard (; October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as struggling writer Paul Varjak in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and for playing commando leader Col. John "Hannibal ...

and

Joseph Bologna Joseph Bologna (December 30, 1934 – August 13, 2017) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter notable for his roles in the comedy films ''My Favorite Year'', ''Blame It on Rio'' and '' Transylvania 6-5000''. Life and career Bolo ...

, in which the song is played.

References

{{Authority control 1976 songs 1976 debut singles Mary MacGregor songs Songs written by Peter Yarrow Song recordings produced by Barry Beckett Ariola Records singles 1970s ballads Pop ballads Songs about infidelity Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles