So In Love (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Song)
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"So in Love" is a song by the English
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
band
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...
(OMD), released as the first single from their sixth studio album ''
Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
'' (1985). It reached the top 30 of both the UK singles chart 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 () 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. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...
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 ...
and
Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the keyboardist and secondary vocalist of the Electronic music, electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he f ...
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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. The song reached No. 27 on the UK singles chart. The single's artwork, by XL Design, and its accompanying promotional video were influenced by the Mexican
Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () 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. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...
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 record, 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 ...
. 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 vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...
, with an extended version of "Concrete Hands" on the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
. Later issues included
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
es 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 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
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 published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...
'' 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. The magazine was first known fo ...
''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 controver ...
", as "flawless singles". Dave Thompson of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
called the song a "rich and sumptuous number" with "adamant beats, swelling synths, and dense textures". On the other hand, ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
''s John Leland viewed "So in Love" as a "limp romantic ballad" and accused OMD of "aping
the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
without the Smiths' ability to transform their banality into awkward grace".
AFI AFI may refer to: * Actual flip-angle imaging, a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2017 album), the tenth ...
lead vocalist
Davey Havok David Paden Marchand (born David Paden Passaro, November 20, 1975), known professionally as Davey Havok, is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band AFI (band), AFI, the synth-pop band Blaqk Audio, the hardcore pu ...
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." "So in Love" has appeared in lists of the best songs of 1985, and of all time.


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 compilation album '' Navigation: The OMD B-Sides'' (2001). The lyrics were made of lines written on postcards sent by
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 ...
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 (, or ) is one of the dependencies of 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 the total was officially estimated to ...
, although the lyrics deal with a girl. "White Trash" is a song from the band's fifth studio album ''
Junk Culture ''Junk Culture'' is the fifth studio album by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the experimental '' Dazzle Ships'' (1983), OMD ...
'' (1984). This live recording was recorded at
Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...
on 3 October 1984, and was only released on the double 7".


Music video

The official
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
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 Almería (, also ; ) is a province of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It was named after the Arab ruler of Taifa, Banu Al-Miri. It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is the homony ...
, in Spain.OMD official site - "So in Love"
/ref> The daytime scenes were shot in the village of Alhabia. Additional scenes were filmed in the
Tabernas Desert The Tabernas Desert () is a desert located within Spain's south-eastern province of Almería. It is in the interior, about north of the provincial capital Almería, in the Tabernas municipality in Andalusia. It is the only desert in Europe, ...
, with night scenes on city streets filmed in the capital
Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...
(specifically El Paseo and Cabo de Gata Avenue).


Track listings


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


References

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  • 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 cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...


    Notes


    External links


    Lyrics
    * {{DEFAULTSORT:So In Love (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark 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