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So in Love (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)

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"So in Love" is a 1985 song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the first single from their album Crush. 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.

"So in Love"
Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
from the album Crush
B-side
  • "Concrete Hands",
  • "Maria Gallante",
  • "White Trash (Live)"
Released13 May 1985 (1985-05-13)
StudioAmazon Studios (Liverpool),
The Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell)
Genre
Length3:29
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephen Hague
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology
"Never Turn Away"
(1984) 		"So in Love"
(1985) 		"Secret"
(1985)
Alternative cover
7" double pack (limited edition)

The single's artwork and its accompanying promotional video were influenced by the Mexican Day of the Dead festival.

Song history edit

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 and Paul Humphreys 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,[1] peaking at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The song reached No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]

The single's artwork, by XL Design, and its accompanying promotional video were influenced by the Mexican Day of the Dead festival.[1]

Single and song versions edit

The first approximately 50,000 copies of the 7" singles were released as a limited edition double-pack in a gatefold sleeve.[1] There were four different 12" singles released, and one of these was also released as a picture disc. The first issue had the normal version of the song on the A-side, 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".[citation needed]

Critical reception and legacy edit

BBC Radio 2 DJ David Hamilton selected "So in Love" as his "Record of the Week", for the week of 13 May 1985.[4] Robin Smith of Record Mirror 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."[5] Rolling Stone's Paul Evans retrospectively described the track, and follow-up release "Secret", as "flawless singles".[6] Dave Thompson of AllMusic called the song a "rich and sumptuous number" with "adamant beats, swelling synths, and dense textures".[7]

On the other hand, Spin's John Leland viewed "So in Love" as a "limp romantic ballad" and accused OMD of "aping the Smiths without the Smiths' ability to transform their banality into awkward grace".[8]

AFI frontman Davey Havok 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."[9] KROQ ranked "So in Love" the 17th-greatest song of 1985;[10] in a poll of 6,852 Slicing Up Eyeballs readers, it was voted the 27th-best track of the year.[11]

B-sides edit

"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 Andy McCluskey to his girlfriend.[1] "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, although the lyrics deal with a girl.[1] "White Trash" is a song from the album Junk Culture. This live recording was recorded at Hammersmith Odeon on 3 October 1984, and was only released on the double 7".

Music video edit

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan,[12] and filmed on-location in the Province of Almería, in Spain.[13] The daytime scenes were shot in the village of Alhabia. Additional scenes were filmed in the Tabernas Desert, with night scenes on city streets filmed in the capital Almería (specifically El Paseo and Cabo de Gata Avenue).

Track listings edit

7" vinyl – UK: Virgin VS 766
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love"3:29
2."Concrete Hands"3:46
2×7" vinyl – UK: Virgin VS 766 (limited edition double pack)
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love"3:29
2."Concrete Hands"3:46
3."Maria Gallante"2:53
4."White Trash" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon)4:44
12" vinyl – #1 UK: Virgin VS 766-12
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love"3:29
2."Concrete Hands" (extended)4:15
3."Maria Gallante"2:53
12" vinyl – #2 UK: Virgin VS 766-12 (same catalogue number, with sticker "New Extended Version")
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love" (extended)5:35
2."Concrete Hands" (extended)4:15
3."Maria Gallante"2:53
12" vinyl – #3 UK: Virgin VS 766-13
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love" (new extended version)5:35
2."Concrete Hands" (extended)4:15
3."Maria Gallante"2:53
12" vinyl – #4 UK: Virgin VS 766-14 / Virgin VSY 766-14 (picture disc)
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love" (brand new extended version)5:35
2."Concrete Hands" (extended)4:15
3."Maria Gallante"2:53
12" vinyl – #1 US: A&M SP-12143 promo
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love" (Special American Dance Remix) (12" version)5:20
2."So in Love" (Special American Dance Remix) (7" version) (actually the album version)3:29
12" vinyl – #2 US: A&M SP-12143
No.TitleLength
1."So in Love" (Special American Dance Remix)5:40
2."Concrete Hands" (extended)3:29

Charts edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Official OMD Website – Discography – So in Love". Archived from the original on 11 February 2001. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  2. ^ Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Chart History at Billboard.com. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b "OMD: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Airplay Action". Music Week. 18 May 1985. p. 18.
  5. ^ Smith, Robin (22 June 1985). "OMD: Crush". Record Mirror. p. 16.
  6. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 607. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ "So in Love" review at AllMusic
  8. ^ John Leland (October 1985). "Singles". Spin. No. 6. p. 39.
  9. ^ Houghton, Richard (2019). OMD: Pretending to See the Future (expanded paperback ed.). This Day in Music Books. p. 455. ISBN 978-1916115620.
  10. ^ "Top 106.7 Songs of 1985". KROQ-FM. 31 December 1985. Retrieved 20 July 2022 – via RadioHitList.com.
  11. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 1985: Slicing Up Eyeballs' Best of the '80s Redux — Part 6". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  12. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – "So in love"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  13. ^ OMD official site - "So in Love"
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 224. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – So in Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  16. ^ "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 24. 17 June 1985. p. 11. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – So in Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  19. ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – So in Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 23, 1985". Cash Box. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – So in Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  24. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1985 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  2. Liner notes

External links edit

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