The song has a bouncy tempo. The instrumentation of "Love Ain't for Keeping" is dominated by multitracked acoustic guitars, played by Townshend, including an acoustic guitar solo. Keith Moon's drumming is more restrained than usual. Moon plays a Ludwig drum kit on this song, rather than his usual Premier kit. John Entwistle's bass playing is also relatively restrained. Allmusic critic Tom Maginnis describes Roger Daltrey's vocal as using a "clear, soaring voice," and singing sweetly for the line "Lay down beside me/Love ain't for keeping." "Love Ain't for Keeping" segues into the following song on "Who's Next", "My Wife."