“Hurts to Love” by Nick Carter

As you may already know, Nick Carter’s “Hurts to Love” is addressed from one brother to another. The addressee is someone who recently passed away at a relatively young age.

In the chorus, the vocalist does sorta imply that the person he’s singing to is deceased, though Nick doesn’t do so directly. Instead he puts forth a sentiment of missing this individual which, if a listener didn’t know the background of this song, can be interpreted in other ways. That is to say that “Hurts to Love” is worded in a way that it possesses a general applicability, even though there is a distinct, and shall we say historical background behind this piece.

For instance, it is never specified in the lyrics that the vocalist and addressee are siblings. But the way the narrative is presented, you can tell that the person Nick is singing to would be someone close to him, like a family member. And that’s because familial relationships, like the one at hand, are often such that participants may have serious gripes with each other but still love one another nonetheless.

The Feud

It is also implied that the reason their relationship is troubled is due to the mannerisms of the addressee. Aaron Carter, who inspired this song, did in fact have some serious beef with Nick, including accusing his older brother of abusing him over his entire life. 

Of course Nick did not take kindly to such allegations, and at one subsequent point, he went as far as to take out a restraining order against Aaron. So it can be deemed that their relationship was even worse than most sibling rivalries or grudges.

It has been reported that Nick and Aaron did make peace before the latter’s passing. So perhaps it can be speculated said that this song is set a bit prior to that. But in any event, what we are met with here is a narrator who, most simply interpreted, is finding it challenging to maintain a loving relationship with the addressee.

It “Hurts to Love”

It can also be put forth that, realistically speaking, the passing of a loved one whom you had considerable issues with doesn’t automatically makes all of the pain and anger associated with that person disappear. 

So another way of looking at what’s being relayed is that even now, after Aaron has left the mortal plan, some of the things he did still ‘hurt’ Nick. But more to the point is the vocalist’s undying love even amidst those challenges. And he was also able to perceive that the addressee was a tortured soul – a reality that would have undoubtedly contributed to Aaron being a less-than-ideal brother.

Conclusively, there’s two primary sentiments being put forth. One revolves around Nick actually sympathizing with what Aaron went through, and readers who are actually familiar with these artists can attest to the fact that he did indeed go through a lot. 

But secondly, the vocalist is letting the addressee know, most simply put, that he loves him.  And what’s further implied is that nothing this person does or did would be able to actually destroy that affection.

Nick and Aaron Carter

Nick Carter made a name for himself as a member of Backstreet Boys, who were not only the most-popular boy band of the 1990s but, as it currently stands, the best-selling one in industry history. He’s also one of the few musicians who could actually boast of having had a sibling who also made it in the game, that being his younger brother, Aaron (1987-2022).

Aaron Carter managed to come out with six studio albums between 1997 and 2022. The first, a self-titled effort, was dropped when he was just nine years old, and the last, “Blacklisted”, was issued posthumously, just a couple of days after he passed away at the age of 34. 

Aaron was apparently one of those types who experienced celebrity too early in life. And even though, as of this writing, his official cause of death has yet to be made public, the prevailing speculation is that it had something to do with drugs. He was known to have had such issues with drugs in the past and for having been a wild boy in general.

Credits for “Hurts to Love”

Nick Carter wrote this song with Tommy Lee James, and its producer is Stuart Crichton.