Masterpieces of Pop: “I’m Not In Love”

For this installment of "Masterpieces of Pop," we find ourselves traveling back to the 70s for a magnificent song by the English group 10cc. Called “I’m Not In Love,” the song added tremendous color and texture to the pop landscape of that period. Although the 70s hosted several different genres of music (the rise of heavy metal and disco, and at the end of the decade, the rise of punk, for example), there was a mid-decade tendency toward a specific laid back, smooth rock sound—just listen to songs like “Jackie Blue” by Ozark Mountain Daredevils, “Hello, It’s Me” by Todd Rundgren, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” by England Dan and John Ford Coley, or the spectacular “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Croft. There is no way any of those songs could have come from any other decade.

But topping this particular genre is 10cc’s ode to denial, “I’m Not In Love.” The narrator spends the entire song insisting that he is not in love although it is obvious to us, his listeners, that he is. It is a charming, witty approach to a classic love song, but instead of coming off as simply ironic, somehow the tone of the song touches on very deep emotions. And what helps that is the then-ground-breaking technology involved in the music itself.


“I’m Not In Love” was written by two members of the quartet, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, and originally intended to be a bossa nova. But thankfully, the remaining two band members gave their input. Lol Creme suggested slowing the song down and Kevin Godley came up with the brilliant, heavenly chorus that makes this song what it is. The members of the band recorded themselves singing the same note for all of the chords, then mixed and dubbed these multi-tracks down onto a 16 track, and laboriously repeated this process, building up the sound until they had a 256 voice choir. These multi-tracks were then made into endless loops that could be played using the fader on the mixing board, much like a keyboard. Ingenious! Now, keep in mind that all of this was pre-digital, pre-sampler: the Fairlight CMI had yet to be invented! The result of their work is a rich, dense sea of ethereal voices, floating and shimmering, carrying the song aloft on a thick gossamer texture.

“I'm not in love, so don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through
And just because I call you up
Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it made
I'm not in love, no, no
(It's because...)

I like to see you, but then again
that doesn't mean you mean that much to me
So if I call you, don't make a fuss
Don't tell your friends about the two of us
I'm not in love, no, no
(It's because...)

(Be quiet, big boys don't cry, big boys don’t cry…)

I keep your picture upon the wall
It hides a nasty stain that's lyin' there
So don't you ask me to give it back
I know you know it doesn't mean that much to me
I'm not in love, no, no
(It's because...)

Ooh, you'll wait a long time for me
Ooh, you'll wait a long time

Ooh, you'll wait a long time for me
Ooh, you'll wait a long time

I'm not in love, so don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through
And just because I call you up
Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it made, ooh

I'm not in love, I'm not in love...”

As I mentioned earlier, on paper the concept of the song could be almost comical, but supported by the glorious wall of voices, the introspective tone of the arrangement, and lead vocalist Eric Stewart’s gentle and emotional take on the lyrics, the song becomes a melancholy exploration of denial. It is clear that our narrator is in some kind of anguish, truly struggling with his feelings, trying and failing to push away these emotions that threaten to destabilize his life. It’s touching to be let in on these delicate, private thoughts… and to hear, in the drifting, dreamy, slow motion break in the middle of the song, a female voice whisper to him, as if from a half forgotten memory, “Big boys don’t cry…”, only to be swallowed up by the swell of voices.

This is the fourth installment of my ongoing "Masterpieces of Pop" series. You can read the other essays here:

Masterpieces of Pop: "Ode To Billie Joe"
Masterpieces of Pop: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"
Masterpieces of Pop: "I Only Have Eyes For You"