🎶 Song Information
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Title: It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)
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Artist: Merle Haggard and The Strangers
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Songwriters: Hank Cochran & Glenn Martin
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Album: It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)
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Release Date: August 28, 1972
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Label: Capitol Records
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Producer: Ken Nelson
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Genre: Country
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Billboard Success: No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
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Notable Awards: One of Haggard’s 38 No. 1 country hits
This song marked Merle Haggard’s fifteenth No. 1 country single, continuing his reign as one of the most influential and relatable voices in American country music during the 1970s.
💔 Song Meaning
“It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)” offers a strikingly honest and emotionally conflicted view of romantic detachment. The narrator has walked away from a past relationship—perhaps a painful one—and now finds himself in a new situation. But instead of romantic bliss or passionate love, he’s settled into something… tolerable. Not ideal, not heart-racing—but “not bad.”
The brilliance of the song lies in its emotional ambiguity. Merle Haggard sings with a resigned calmness that hides deeper layers of pain and survival. The lyrics don’t romanticize loneliness or pretend to be over the past. Instead, they portray a man making peace with a compromise—he’s not in love, but at least he’s not hurting anymore.
Lines like “She’s the kind to hold your hand when you’re feeling blue” suggest that while his new partner might not be the love of his life, she offers stability. It’s a song about moving on, not because you found better, but because you found enough. In a world full of heartbreaks and impossible expectations, “not bad” becomes oddly comforting.
❓Explained: What Does “It’s Not Love” Really Mean?
The song’s central line—“It’s not love, but it’s not bad”—captures a sentiment rarely addressed in romantic music: emotional compromise. Unlike fairy-tale endings, this story shows the gritty realism of adult relationships, where not every connection is earth-shattering, and not every new partner is “The One.”
So what does it really mean?
It means the man is not pretending. He knows this isn’t a passionate romance. But after likely being burned in the past, he finds relief in emotional safety, routine, and companionship. It’s a message to those who’ve loved deeply, lost painfully, and now crave comfort more than chemistry.
There’s also a quiet warning: that settling can feel like healing—but it may also hide unresolved hurt. Haggard doesn’t glorify the relationship; he merely observes it. His tone isn’t joyous, it’s content. There’s a subtle sadness in admitting, “It’s not love”—because love was the standard once. But now, the bar is lower, and that feels… okay.
In essence, the song speaks to anyone who’s grown older, wiser, and perhaps a little more guarded. It’s a truth many won’t say out loud: sometimes, peace is better than passion.