"So in Love" is a 1985 song by English

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

band

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Co ...

(OMD), released as the first single from their album '' Crush''. It reached the top 30 of both 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 ...

and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their first entry on the latter. The track was a top 10 hit in Belgium and Holland. The single's artwork and its accompanying promotional video were influenced by the Mexican

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...

festival.

Song history

Although "So in Love" was the first single from ''Crush'', it was one of the last songs written for the album. It was originally dropped until band member Martin Cooper persuaded

Andy McCluskey George Andrew McCluskey (born 24 June 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded a ...

and

Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for his contributions to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), a new wave band which he founded alongside Andy McCluskey in 1978. ...

to make a demo for the song. Andy McCluskey said it was about the painful end of a relationship. It was their first hit in the United States, after five years of trying to "break" the States, peaking at No. 26 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100. The song reached No. 27 on the

. The single's artwork, by XL Design, and its accompanying promotional video were influenced by the Mexican

festival.

Single and song versions

The first approximately 50,000 copies of the 7" singles were released as a limited edition double-pack in a gatefold sleeve. There were four different 12" singles released, and one of these was also released as a

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics that extend at lea ...

. The first issue had the normal version of the song on the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, with an extended version of "Concrete Hands" on the B-side. Later issues included remixes of "So in Love" on the A-sides. Three remixes were made: the "Extended Version", "New Extended Version", and the "Brand New Extended Version", also known as the "Special American Dance Remix".

Critical reception and legacy

BBC Radio 2 DJ David Hamilton selected "So in Love" as his "Record of the Week", for the week of 13 May 1985. Robin Smith of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' wrote, "How can you resist a song like 'So in Love'? A misty piece of McCluskey romance tinged with sadness before showing its true claws on the chorus." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s Paul Evans retrospectively described the track, and follow-up release "

Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

", as "flawless singles". Dave Thompson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

called the song a "rich and sumptuous number" with "adamant beats, swelling synths, and dense textures". His colleague Tom Schulte identified the track – along with the following year's " If You Leave" – as the "pinnacle" of OMD's musical progression.

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

frontman

Davey Havok David Paden Marchand (born David Paden Passaro, November 20, 1975), known professionally as Davey Havok, is an American singer and musician who is the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band AFI (band), AFI, the synth-pop band Blaqk Audio, the ...

recalled, "I became perpetually stuck to my single speaker cassette player, fingers poised to hit record when So in Love'came on the radio. Its warm croon masked cold sentiment."

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

ranked "So in Love" the 17th-greatest song of 1985; in a poll of 6,852 ''

Slicing Up Eyeballs ''Slicing Up Eyeballs'' is an American website dedicated to rock music, in particular 1980s college rock. Founded in 2009 by journalist and music critic Matt Sebastian, the site publishes content including news, interviews, and polls. It has been ...

'' readers, it was voted the 27th-best track of the year.

B-sides

"Concrete Hands" was released on the B-side of the 7" singles, and an extended version on the B-side of the 12" singles. It was also released on the '' Navigation: The OMD B-Sides'' compilation album in 2001. The lyrics were made of lines written on postcards sent by

to his girlfriend. "Maria Gallante" was an extra song on the 12" releases and can also be found on the second disc of the 7" double pack. Until now, it is not available on CD. The song takes its title from the Caribbean island

Marie-Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 ...

, although the lyrics deal with a girl. "White Trash" is a song from the album ''

Junk Culture ''Junk Culture'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the experimental 1983 album '' Dazzle Ships'', OMD ...

''. This live recording was recorded at

Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...

on 3 October 1984, and was only released on the double 7".

Music video

The official

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was directed by

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. ...

, and filmed on-location in the Province of Almería, in Spain. The daytime scenes were shot in the village of Alhabia Alhabia Wikipedia entry (Spanish) Additional scenes were filmed in the

Tabernas Desert The Tabernas Desert ( es, Desierto de Tabernas) is one of Spain's semi-arid deserts, located within Spain's south-eastern province of Almería. It is in the interior, about north of the provincial capital Almería, in the Tabernas municipalit ...

, with night scenes on city streets filmed in the capital

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city g ...

(specifically El Paseo and Cabo de Gata Avenue.)

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

External links

Lyrics
* {{DEFAULTSORT:So In Love (Omd Song) 1985 songs 1985 singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark songs Song recordings produced by Stephen Hague Virgin Records singles Songs written by Andy McCluskey Songs written by Stephen Hague Songs written by Paul Humphreys