"I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" is a song written by Pam Sawyer and Laurie Burton in 1965.

"I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" has since been covered by several notable bands, including The Jackson 5 and the Primitives.

[5] According to Burton, "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" was originally intended to be recorded by a British Invasion artist.

[9][10][11] This led the group to quickly garner fans, and as their set-list mostly contained rhythm and blues and soul covers,[12][13] they eventually received a $15,000 contract with Atlantic Records.

[9] As Atlantic's roster at the time only consisted of African American performers, the Young Rascals became the first white band on the label.

[9] Upon the group's first tour to Los Angeles four weeks after the single was released, the band broke attendance record at the Whisky a Go Go and subsequently received airplay on the West Coast as well.

[24] The song has also been released on various compilation albums by the group, most notably Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits, which reached number one on the Billboard 200.

In a review for Billboard, the anonymous critic writes that this "debut of new foursome proves a hot entry for chart action.

[27] In Cashbox, the critic starts by writing that the Young Rascals were one of the most "discussed new groups" from New York City,[28] which led to this "auspicious initial deck".

Unterberger writes that "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" was, together with "Good Lovin'" and "Baby, Let's Wait" one of the highlights on The Young Rascals.

[7] In a review for AllMusic, critic Matthew Greenwald states that this "angst-ridden teenage ballad" was the world's introduction to the Young Rascals.

"[30] Charles Andrews of Santa Monica Daily Press writes that the song is "better stuff than most bands can manage in a year",[31] while Ben Wener of Orange County Register calls it a "stomping garage rock classic.

"[33] Background In late 1992, Australian rock duo Divinyls recorded the song for the soundtrack to the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[38] Writing for BuzzFeed, Summer Ante Burton lists it as her "sleeper favorite" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, writing that it is a fantastic rework of "an amazing and underrated '60s classic",[39] and notes that due to the comedy horror found in the movie,[40] "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" was ironically fitting.