User:FacesSmall/I Must Be In Love

"I Must Be In Love" is a song written by Anton Wihlborg and William Hoang first recorded by their band The Prelude in 1964. Initially intended as a single, it was ultimately cancelled and wasn't released until almost four months later when it appeared on their first extended play Louie Louie in October of that year. It was instead substituted by "Louie Louie" backed with "Baby, Please Don't Go" which only reached a mediocre twentysixth place on the Tio I Topp chart.

Wihlborg and Hoang have since given varying accounts on how much was composed by either one. The song was mostly met with positive reviews, stating it's beatlesque similarity. Band members has since made several positive comments regarding it, and it's notoriety has been revived by Wihlborg who incorporated it into his repertoire during the mid 2000s. Several group's have stated their pleasure of the song, including the Beatles themselves.

Background
"I Must Be In Love" was compared to many other songs by both the Prelude and contemporary artists, written rather quickly. According to Wihlborg in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone he insisted he wrote it in estimately five to ten minutes. However, this account has since been refuted by Hoang, who claimed it was actually written in two hours. Rolling Stones ironically commented on this issue during the later parts of 2015: "regardless on how long the song took to write, we could still classify it as absolute shit." Initially starting out as a ballad slow ballad reflecting the unnamed protagonist's lament over the loss over a recently deceased lover, it quickly evolved into a standard rock song in which he instead openly declared love for her.

Another disputed factor regarding the song is how much was composed by Hoang or Wihlborg. Hoang states an estimate of approximately sixty/forty job to him while Wihlborg claims that Hoang only contributed slightly with the lyrics. Nonetheless, the pair are still on good terms, and both names are listed as songwriters.

"It's not been as flawless being a songwriter as some claim. Especially regarding claims. For example "I Must Be In Love", Wihlborg claims he wrote the large majority of it. These are issue you often face, you just need to learn to cope with them"

- William Hoang

Recording
The song was recorded on the twenty-fourth of June 1964, at Europafilm Studios in Mariehäll, Stockholm. In three takes, the group managed to achieve the basic rhythm track, with two lead guitar overdubs added by Wihlborg. Compared to all previous recordings made by them, "I Must Be In Love" was their first to use four-track tape as opposed to three-track which was slightly less expensive. The machine had been installed the previous week and the group were the second to use it in a professional recording session. For the session, Victor Friberg had handed his Rickenbacker 360/12 to Wihlborg in order to contribute to the "jangly" sound commonly associated with the instrument. This was the first recording by the group using the instrument, which would become prevalent especially during mid-1965.

Release
Intended for single release, the track quickly had a mono-mix created. However, their record company rejected the mix, along with the song as their debut single. They instead released "Louie Louie" which had been recorded as a sound test in May of that year. "Louie Louie" did not create a huge impact on the singles charts, and therefore disregarded by the band, who ironically did not know about it's release. Friberg often claims that this was the sole reason they left Olga records, and instead signed to Reaction Records in April of 1965.

Following the success of a follow up single, along with their growing fan base, Olga decided to hastily make a stereo mix of the track and authorized a release of an EP. Along with two other tracks recorded specifically for single and album release, plus the aforementioned "Louie Louie" single and "Baby, Please Don't Go", it was compiled into Louie Louie, which was released on 4 October 1964 and coincidentally also reached number twentysix.

Reception
It is often percieved as their best song recorded during 1964. Both Hoang and Wilhborg have had a positive view on the track in retrospective interviews, and so has the remaining members done too. The song was a huge part of their setlist during the latter part of 1964, but later faded in to obscurity. It has seldom been performed since the first few months of 1965. It got a positive reception from the press and media aswell, with Aftonbladet stating it as "among the best Swedish pop songs of 1964, hands down." Expressen also remarked the similarity to the Beatles, but added that it was most likely superficial. In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Tom Furay claims the song is a staple of the Prelude's first year, noting that it's "jangly" sound throughout adds a remarkable amount of nostalgia.

Personnel

 * Anton Wihlborg – lead vocals, 12-string lead guitar
 * Victor Friberg – bass guitar, backing vocals
 * William Hoang – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
 * Brazer Özel – drums