"It Must Be Love" is a song written and originally recorded and released in 1971 by English singer

Labi Siffre Claudius Afolabi Siffre (born 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter and poet. Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998. His best known compositions include " It Must Be Love" which reached number 1 ...

on his 1972 album ''

Crying Laughing Loving Lying ''Crying Laughing Loving Lying'' is a 1972 release by Labi Siffre. All songs were written, performed and produced by Labi Siffre. The album was recorded at Chappell Studios in London. The record contains two of Labi's best known songs: " It Must ...

''. It was also recorded by ska/pop band Madness in 1981.

Labi Siffre original

The original Labi Siffre recording was released as a single in 1971, and reached Number 14 in January 1972 in the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also appeared on his 1972 album ''

''. In 1994, a version of Siffre's original, with altered lyrics, was featured in an advertisement for

Midland Bank Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836. It ...

. In 2007, it was featured in a UK TV advertisement for

Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...

Labi Siffre track listing

#"It Must Be Love" – 3:42 #"To Find Love" – 1:57

Charts

Madness version

Madness's version was originally issued as a standalone single in late-1981, reaching #4 on the UK singles chart, and appeared on their UK number one compilation album ''

Complete Madness ''Complete Madness'' is the first greatest hits album by ska/pop group Madness. It was released in 1982 and included Madness' biggest hits from their first three studio albums and the stand-alone singles. ''Complete Madness'' spent 99 weeks on th ...

'' the following year, and on many other Madness compilations since. In 1983, it peaked in the US '' Billboard'' chart at #33. In 2009, Madness's cover version was featured in an advertisement for

LoveFilm LoveFilm was a United Kingdom–based provider of DVD-by-mail and streaming video on demand in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany. Acquired by Amazon.com in 2011, the service had reached 2 million subscribers. It claimed ...

. In 2012, it was featured in a US advertisement for

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

Passat. In 2012, Madness performed the song with

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...

at V Festival.

Music video

The video mostly shows band members playing in a white room and standing over a grave. It also features guitarist

Chris Foreman Christopher John Foreman (born 8 August 1956), nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the Engli ...

and saxophonist Lee Thompson playing their instruments underwater. A

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

is also seen. Foreman appears at the start of the video warning viewers not to attempt the "very dangerous stunt" they are about to see. Labi Siffre makes a cameo appearance as a violin player. Madness's recording was reissued in 1992, and this time reached #6 in the UK charts. A slightly remixed version with a definite ending instead of the original fade-out, appeared on the 2002 compilation '' Our House: the Original Songs''. In 2007, a remixed version of the Madness cover appeared in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

spoof movie ''Neues vom Wixxer'', along with a new recording called "NW5". As well as the remix to the song, a new video was filmed, including three members of the band (

Suggs Graham McPherson (born 13 January 1961), known primarily by his stage name Suggs, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actor from Hastings, England. In a music career spanning 40 years, he came to prominence in the ...

Chas Smash Cathal Joseph "Carl" Smyth (born 14 January 1959), also known as Chas Smash, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His career spans more than 40 years. Smash came to prominence in the late 1970s as secondary vocalist, trump ...

and

Dan Woodgate Daniel Mark (Woody) Woodgate (born 19 October 1960) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Woodgate came to prominence in the late 1970s as the drummer for the English ska band ...

) along with members of the cast.

Madness version track listing

1981 original issue

#"It Must Be Love" – 3:19 #"Shadow on the House" – 3:20

1981 Dutch issue

#"It Must Be Love" #"Mrs. Hutchinson"

1992 reissue

#"It Must Be Love" – 3:19 #"Bed and Breakfast Man" – 2:33 Two other UK issues of the Madness version appeared but did not chart. In 1987, "It Must Be Love" was released on the re-issue label Old Gold Records, backed with " My Girl"; and, in 1988 Virgin, Madness released a 7" to coincide with the song's appearance in ''

The Tall Guy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', backed with " The Return of the Los Palmas 7".

1992 Virgin reissue

#"It Must Be Love" – 3:19 #"Bed and Breakfast Man" – 2:33 #"Airplane" – 2:59 #"Don't Quote Me on That – 4:35

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

In 1975, the song was covered by New Seekers singer Lyn Paul. In 2019, the song was featured on the Children in Need album ''Got It Covered'', performed by

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman,

Shaun Dooley Shaun Dooley (born 29 March 1974) is an English actor, narrator and voice-over artist. Early life Dooley was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire. He studied at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995. Career Dooley's f ...

Luke Evans Luke George Evans (born 15 April 1979) is a Welsh actor and singer. He began his career on the stage, performing in many of London's West End productions such as ''Rent'', ''Miss Saigon'', and '' Piaf'' before making his film breakthrough in ...

Suranne Jones Sarah Anne Akers (née Jones; born 27 August 1978), known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. She rose to prominence as Karen McDonald in ''Coronation Street'' between 2000 to 2004. Upon leaving, she furthered h ...

Adrian Lester Adrian Anthony Lester (born Anthony Harvey; 14 August 1968) is a British actor, director and writer. He is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for his work on the ...

Himesh Patel Himesh Jitendra Patel (born 13 October 1990) is a British actor, musician, and singer. He is known for portraying Tamwar Masood on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 2007 to 2016, for starring in the 2019 musical romantic comedy film '' Y ...

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

and

Jodie Whittaker Jodie Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress who is best known for portraying the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022) and as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017). She came to prominence ...

In popular culture

The song was featured in the 1989 film ''

'', starring

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...

, Rowan Atkinson, and Emma Thompson.

, lead vocalist of Madness, also appeared in the film while singing this song. *In 2011, a cover by

Newton Faulkner Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner (born 11 January 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. He is known for his percussive style of guitar playing. In 2007 Faulkner's debut studio album ''Hand Built by Robots'' was c ...

was featured in a UK advertisement for the

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

Galaxy S II. *In 2012, a cover by

Lotte Mullan Lotte may refer to: Businesses * Lotte Corporation, a South Korean industrial conglomerate ** Lotte Holdings, a Japanese holding company ** Lotte Capital, a South Korean financial company ** Lotte Card, a South Korean credit card provider ** ...

was featured in a UK advertisement for

. *The song, covered by various artists, including Bruce Heald (of Noise International) and Melanie Horsnell, has been featured in Australian advertisements for

Huggies Huggies is an American company that sells disposable diapers and baby wipes that is marketed by Kimberly-Clark. Huggies were first test marketed in 1968, then introduced to the public in 1978 to replace the Kimbies brand. Products Huggies car ...

nappies. *In 2017, it was performed by a character in '' The Lovers'', and also featured in the film's trailer.

References

External links

''It Must Be Love''
entry on BBC Radio 2's ''Sold on Song'' site {{DEFAULTSORT:It Must Be Love (Labi Siffre Song) 1971 songs 1981 singles 1983 singles Labi Siffre songs Madness (band) songs Songs written by Labi Siffre Pye Records singles Stiff Records singles Virgin Records singles Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley