Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing

On the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated 2 September 2006, this album's lead-off single "Once in a Lifetime" debuted at number 17, making it the highest-debuting country single in the 62-year history of the Billboard country music charts at the time. This record was later broken in 2007 by Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink" (which debuted at number 16 on the same chart), and then again by Garth Brooks' "More Than a Memory" (which debuted at number 1). "Once in a Lifetime" went on to peak at number 6 on the country charts. The other three singles released from this album are "Stupid Boy", "I Told You So", and "Everybody", which went to numbers 3, 2, and 5 individually, making this Urban's first American album to not produce a single number one hit on the country charts. "Raise the Barn", a duet with Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, was written in response to Hurricane Katrina.^[2]

The song "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a cover of a Leo Sayer song, later covered by Phil Collins in 2002. "Stupid Boy" was originally recorded by Sarah Buxton, who also co-wrote the song.

Notes

• All songs produced by Keith Urban and Dann Huff, except tracks 11 and 13, produced solely by Urban.
• The Japanese edition omits "Raise the Barn" but adds "Gotta Let It Go" as track 13. The international version omits "Raise the Barn".

As listed in liner notes.^[2]

Musicians

• Beth Beeson - French horn (12)
• Tom Bukovac - electric guitar (1–5, 7–10, 12)
• Sarah Buxton - vocal percussion (11)
• The Choristers of Reigate St. Mary - boy sopranos (10)
• Larry Corbett - cello (1)
• Eric Darken - percussion (1–5, 7–10, 12)
• Mark Douthit - tenor saxophone (6)
• Dan Dugmore - steel guitar (10)
• Jerry Flowers - background vocals (2, 5, 8, 10)
• Mike Haynes - trumpet (6)
• Erin Horner - French horn (12)
• Dann Huff - acoustic guitar (2, 4, 5, 10), 12-string electric guitar (3), percussion (3), electric guitar (7, 10, 12)
• Rami Jaffee - Hammond B-3 organ (1, 2, 4, 7, 9)
• Chris McHugh - drums (all tracks except 13), programming (1), percussion (3, 8)
• Tim Lauer - synthesizer (1, 3, 5, 7, 12), accordion (3), harmonium (7), pump organ (7), Hammond B-3 organ (10), piano (12)
• Metro Voices - choir (10)
• Vanessa Millon - "Spanish señorita" (10)
• Doug Moffett - baritone saxophone (6)
• Monty Powell - bass guitar (11)
• Eric Rigler - tin whistle (3), uilleann pipes (3)
• Jimmie Lee Sloas - bass guitar (1–5, 7–10, 12)
• David Stone - upright bass (1)
• Russell Terrell - background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10)
• Keith Urban - vocals, acoustic guitar (1–8, 12), electric guitar (all tracks except 13), EBow (1, 8, 12), piano (1, 2, 5), ganjo (1, 2, 3, 6, 11), mandolin (3), bouzouki (3), slide guitar (3, 8), percussion (3), Papoose (5), bass guitar (6), 12-string acoustic guitar (10), keyboards (13), drum machine (13)
• Joy Worland - French horn (12)
• Jonathan Yudkin - fiddle (3, 9)

Strings on tracks 2, 4, 8, and 12 (Nashville String Machine)

• David Campbell - string arranger, conductor
• Carl Gorodetzky - contractor
• David Angell, David Davidson, Conni Ellisor, Carl Gorodetzsky, Cate Myer, Pam Sixfin, Alan Umstead, Cathy Umstead, Mary Kathryn Vanosdale, and Karen Winkelmann - violins
• Monisa Angell, Gary Vanosdale, and Kris Wilkinson - violas
• Larry Corbett, Anthony LaMarchina, Carole Rabinowitz - cellos

Technical

• Denise Arguijo - art production
• Drew Bollman - recording assistant, mixing assistant
• David Campbell - choir arrangement (10)
• Terry Christian - recording
• Steve Churchyard - recording
• Colourworks - digital images
• Betsy Cook - art direction
• Allen Ditto - recording assistant
• Mike "Frog" Griffith - production coordination
• Mark Hagen - recording, overdubbing
• Michelle Hall - art production
• Dino Herrmann - Pro Tools
• Chris Hicky - photography
• Jimmy Hoyson - recording assistant
• Dann Huff - producer (except 11 and 13), recording
• Jeff Kersey - recording of Ronnie Dunn's vocals (9)
• Scott Kidd - recording assistant
• Matt Lawrence - recording
• Suzy Martinez - production coordination
• Dom Morley - mixing assistant
• Seth Morton - recording assistant
• Sangwook Nam - mastering
• Justin Niebank - recording, mixing
• Jenny O'Grady - choir conductor (10)
• Michael Omartian - horn arrangements (6)
• Rohan Onraet - recording assistant
• Leslie Richter - recording assistant
• Doug Sax - mastering
• Mark Vadukal - photography
• Torne White - art direction, design
• Keith Urban - producer (all tracks)
• Brian David Willis - digital editing