"That's Love" is a song by British singer-songwriter

Jim Capaldi Nicola James Capaldi (2 August 1944 – 28 January 2005) was an English singer-songwriter and drummer. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the progressive rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood with whom he co ...

. It was released as the first single from the 1983 album ''

Fierce Heart ''Fierce Heart'' is the eighth solo album by British musician Jim Capaldi. The album has a far more synth-heavy approach than any of his previous albums, though the songs are mostly in the same aggressive rock/pop vein that Capaldi had long been ...

''. "That's Love" has since been compiled onto both the greatest hits album ''Prince of Darkness'' (1995) and the boxed set ''Dear Mr Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story'' (2011).

Background and lyrical content

"That's Love" was written mostly while Capaldi was in Brazil; it developed further over the course of recording sessions in England.Capaldi, Jim (1983). Song details, ''

'' press kit. The lyrics present two conflicting views of love. The verses are cynical ("Young couple there going insane / Fussing and fighting then they make up again / That's love") while the chorus is idealistic ("You stood by me / All through the good times / And through the bad times"). The backing vocals at the end are by Steve and Nicole Winwood, who were themselves having marriage problems at the time. Steve Winwood also played all the synthesizers, including both solos.

Music video

The song was promoted with a music video involving a mini-love story told through a

montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 201 ...

. The shots alternate between angry arguments, loving embraces, bitter silences and scenes of quiet companionship.

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and

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, married less than a year at the time, played the couple. In contrast to the vast majority of music videos at the time, which would prominently feature the performing artist lip-synching the song, Capaldi appears in the video in a minor acting role only. He and co-producer Steve Winwood portray two friends looking on as the romantic protagonists of the video walk arm-in-arm. Capaldi and Winwood appear together in two brief scenes, and the video ends with a shot of Capaldi entering the frame alone in front of the couple.

Personnel

— lead

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion, Linn drum programming *

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

—

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s, backing vocals, Linn drum programming * Nicole Winwood — backing vocals *

Pete Bonas Girl were an English glam metal band formed in London in 1979. They split up in 1982 with band members going on to join Def Leppard and L.A. Guns, among others. History Girl were formed in 1979 by vocalist Phil Lewis, guitarists Gerry Laffy ...

—

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

Chart performance

The track, a simple arrangement with synthesizers, vocals, a drum machine and an almost inaudible acoustic guitar, became Capaldi's biggest hit in the U.S., peaking at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in summer 1983, while becoming a bigger hit on ''Billboard''‘s AC chart, peaking at No. 3.

References

{{Reflist 1983 singles Jim Capaldi songs Songs written by Jim Capaldi 1983 songs Asylum Records singles