Anything by Kate Bush? Hard to pick 1 song of hers as there are so many, but one of my favourite albums of hers is Sensual World....though I'd be really happy for you to cover any of her records. Thanks!
Yes! It irked me as a 5yr old child that I did not know who sang this and heard it on the radio yrs after it was released. I absolutely love this song- it has a very meditative, etheric feel to it. ❤️❤️❤️
I did one of the last recording sessions in Strawberry Studios in 1993 as engineer and producer. I was there for about a month and on the few late nights when no one was there, I secretly listend to some of the legendary master tapes that were stored there. One of them being "I'm not in love"
1977, my future wife and I were teen agers, riding in my Mercury Marauder, when she remarked that "some couples have 'their song', but we don't". I flicked on the car radio and out came "I'm not in Love". We both busted up laughing! "Honey it's our song!" We're in our 60's now and still in love and still listening to this brilliant piece of music. Also check out the album simply titled L by Godley and Creme.
Dave, to you and our wife and the incomparable 1970's - I'm Not In Love still resonates. Greatest song to come out of those days by a country mile . . .
The spacey sounding choir was just other worldly at the time. It had that ghostly, sad, ethereal feel that still to this day is unique. Another great tune and awesome analysis, Warren!
Still has the same effect to this very day. Has stood the test of time. I was 13 years old when this hit the radio waves, remember it like it was yesterday.
I have seen other videos on "I'm Not in Love." No matter how many times I hear the in depth, it is stunning. Not how 10cc did it, but what technologically they had at hand. No samplers or Pro Tools at all. That's what always gets my respect.
Well, the tape-loop thing had been around since the 1950's, pioneered by Pierre Schaeffer, and was of course at the heart of the Mellotron. But 10cc really took it to a whole new level.
A song produced like no other before (or after) it. So unique. So beautiful. It's hard to believe this song is as old as it is. It still sounds refreshingly uncommon today. What they went through to end up with this glorious tune demonstrates what 4 incredibly talented individuals can achieve with open ideas. Genius!
This ABSOLUTE BELIEF in the song which has driven the band to spend weeks on just one arrangement element is overwhelming. Thanks for the episode, Warren.
I was a 12 year old kid when that jam hit the airwaves in Chicago, Illinois and it was one of those songs that mesmerized me from the first time I heard it. It still mesmerizes me almost 46 years later!😄
Two years older and same feelings, heard this the first time on the radio in the car of a school friend's mother while driving thru woods with raindrop falling from the branches. It was heaven on earth. Bought the album then only because of this song. greetings from Germany.
Same. I often rewatch the various documentaries on how this song came to be and I always marvel at how they did it. This video has really added to my great appreciation for this masterpiece song. Time to go put on the headphones and get lifted up on those voices!
Amazing that you mentioned those 2 songs as both could be inspired by The Byrds! Drone harmony on “if your gone” TTT Album 1965 and the b side to Mr Tambourine Man “I’d like to love you”
There was a melotron in a dark corner of Wessex no 2 studio when the Damned recorded Machine Gun Etiquette.. we were told it belonged to 10cc. Anyway, we fired it up and the lush vocal pads therein became the dreamy backing for I Just Can’t Be Happy Today. Thanks guys! 👍
Hi Captain! Love your band! :-) I once was driving in my car with my then 6- and 8-year-old Sons in the back and with 'Lovely Money' playing on the stereo, when one of them suddenly exclaimed, "He just said the S-Word, Papa!", and the other pointed out the "P*ss off!" bit! :-O And I'd been listening to that song for decades and had *never* picked up on it myself! x-)) And speaking of 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today': That OGWT performance is hilarious! I keep going back from time to time :-)) Greetings from NZ!
@@Producelikeapro - I reckon his input deserves a Damned episode! 'New Rose' or 'Smash It Up'. He was giving an entertaining lesson on how to play Pt.1 not long ago, too! Looks like I'd played it wrong for all those years! x-))
Well, I'll watch "them" (only Graham Gouldman is left of the original four) every time they visit Copenhagen and that's quite often. Sometimes twice a year on the Amager Bio stage.
That song had the "it" factor back then and still does to this day! Loved it from the first time I heard it after it was released in the 70's. Still one of my favorites today.
@@Producelikeapro only knew them for I'm not in Love and thought they were a one hit wonder. Then heard them name-dropped in LCD Soundsystem's Losing My Edge and decided to listen to The Original Soundtrack. Great band.
I've seen plenty of people talk about production techniques employed in songs. Ditto the musical theory behind a song. But I don't think I've ever seen someone put both of them together so clearly and so well at the same time. You really are a first rate educator, because you're teaching whilst making it entertaining at the same time. That isn't easy, but you do it all so effortlessly.
@@BrunodeSouzaLino Watch Rick too. Just as entertaining but doesn't present the information as clearly and systematically. Makes this seem more thorough.
A few years ago I watched the documentary on how this song was recorded. I was then as I am now totally awestruck at the ingenuity and technical prowess that brought about this masterpiece.
This is exactly why I have always said that 70's music was the most ambitious music ever produced. There are countless examples. From Peter Frampton to Pink Floyd; The Doobie Brothers; Grand Funk Railroad; The Allman Brothers; The Moody Blues; ELO; Jethro Tull; Donna Summer's "I Feel Love"; Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein"; Blondie; The B-52's; Elton John's "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"; The Cars; DEVO; and so on and so on.
They picked a great band name; 45 years later and I'm still grabbing that song to listen to as it sits at the beginning of my alphabetical list. Song is pure genius, too.
One of the greatest love songs of all time . How the technology of that time still produced such a melancholy and human sound that is timeless and belies the title . A classic !
@@Producelikeapro Why don't you... seriously Warren give us your version, I bet there's plenty of people out there who would love to hear that! Also how did they get that Rhodes sound it's so lush what's going on? I know it's delay and reverb but I just can't get near it. And thank you Warren for this one they should put you on the new years honours list! 👍🏻 🙂
Again, this song just sends you back in time to 70s bars with that wooden bar and the smell of whisky and wine in the air with the cigarette smoke like a mist floating through the atmosphere. This song IS art. So beautiful.
I was a freshman in high school when this song came out. I also remember “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”, by Elton John and “Dream Weaver”, by Gary Wright being popular hits on the radio at the time. Between these three songs, plus many others, my freshman year was very memorable. I’m so glad I grew up when I did, not having to tolerate the garbage that passes for music today!
Agreed! I didn't realize it at the time, but so much of the magic of this song is in the innovative production that is ALL in service of making it a stronger, more compelling experience.
I was in high school and my girlfriend had just broken up with me when this song came out. Oh how it spoke to my pain. I soon after found out she had been dating someone else and so another top song popular that summer, "How Long" (Ace) became the B side to my life. To this day both these songs remain on my top 10 list as they pull at my heart for a lost love... Thanks for this wonderful reveal.
I've gone back to college at the ripe old age of 51 to do audio and music production I remember being 14 and recording my first song in a studio I was fascinated by that ahh sound from this song and Billy Joel and McCartney used it too of course musical tastes have changed so much since then and my teenage fellow students want to rap and lay down beats I'll probably be to old when I get this degree but I'll never stop feeling the thrill of writing and producing
@@jeffblack5024 That's true. Over 30 years playing bars and clubs and recording. I'll be 55 with an honors degree. That's still a good ten years before retirement. I know one thing, the worst thing you can do with your life is nothing.
Wow, just wow. Not because of the very interesting and creative process, but because I was really convinced (until now) it was an 80's song. When this came out, I was 1 yr old, yet I remember knowing this song from the eighties, which means it survived a long time in the radio playlists. For me, it was clearly ahead of its time, awesome ! Really good video, too, thank you so much, Warren, you bring a lot to us !
For years I had no idea that the song was basically hundreds of vocals on tape loops fed through a recording desk like a keyboard. Truly amazing for it's time. This has been in my all time top ten for all long as I can remember. Just brilliant
I was at university - a music student, no less - when this came out. I was mesmerized the first time I heard it and even today will stop what I am doing when it comes on the radio. It was obvious that this was something very different. You could listen to it as a pop tune but you could also dig deeper to try to understand what was going on. I've watched every "making of" video on this tune that I could find, but this video is succinct and clear. Thanks for taking the time to make this!
I stumbled on 10cc as a kid via a full-page ad on the back cover of HIT PARADER or CIRCUS for their 1974 album, “Sheet Music”. It’s turned out to be my favorite album of all time, and my favorite song, “I’m Not In Love”, was to follow shortly thereafter. I was ripe to be musically branded for a lifetime, and that’s exactly what happened. And what a pedigree; Kevin Godley & Lol Creme [inventors of the Gizmotron guitar attachment & directors of rock videos like “Every Breath You Take”, “Girls On Film” & “Rockit”], Eric Stewart singing lead on “Groovy Kind Of Love” with the Mindbenders and Graham Gouldman writing classic British Invasion songs [“For Your Love”, “Bus Stop” & “Heart Full Of Soul”, among others]. They had that fantastic creative tension & high standards the best bands have [as well as the best comedy groups: Monty Python also included 2 writing teams]. The tons of bubblegum music they’d recorded @ Strawberry pre-10cc got their studio thing together much like the Beatles laying their groundwork @ Hamburg’s Star Club. Stewart & Gouldman’s part ownership let them grab the virtually unlimited unbooked studio time [“Sure we’ll work around McCartney & Wings recording “Red Rose Speedway”] so essential to what they achieved. And that custom Helios desk! And knowing exactly what to do with it! Also, thank you for citing the fact that “I’m Not In Love” is very much the vibe-father of Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are”. Two career-making songs born out of one. And from that same “The Original Soundtrack”, album “Un Nuit a Paris” [1974] is a lovely precursor/companion piece to “Bohemian Rhapsody” [1975]. Art rock, art pop...art, for sure. Warren, you guys have once again outdone yourselves. And given the amount of times I lobbied for this song, thank you for not considering a restraining order!
Oh yes! When I was a teen in the 80s I considered this old folks' music, then I became a musician and I love this song, Roxy Music's Avalon album and all that silky smooth adult early 80s sofisticated stuff. Great video! OMD had a great song with choir tapes played with the mixer faders, it's Souvenir and it deserves a video for sure, no?
I've been a big 10cc fan since the beginning and I remember hearing Rubber Bullets and realizing they were not your average pop band. I was fortunate enough to see them live three times. Witty, saucy, and creative beyond their time. I still have all of their vinyl albums.
@@Producelikeapro Thanks man =] If it helps, it's probably the one pop song - as in a song that gets played over and over and over again - that I will genuinely never tire of. I love how it's literally just air and it makes it a very enveloping experience. It's one of the few times where you could release this as an instrumental and get away with it. The lyrics are full of juicy paradoxes that make it something for everyone. On the surface, there's a nasty sardonic quality. But honestly, I think it's just a guy saying "I love you" in his own particular way. The love song for the socially awkward (and I'm sure that was the reason why that song has been used in various TV programmes and films). Finally, I think this could be considered the first pop song that's built on ambient principles, two years prior to Brian Eno articulating them. You can have it as background and it works. But you can also listen to it and definitely get something out of it. Cheers, mate =]
I am old enough to remember this all over the radio in 1975. I was a fan of harder material. But this song was undeniable, it just had a sound that made you like it. I still like it.
I get goosebumps everytime I hear this song ! I love the way this song makes me feel ! I'm a little bit late to the party but I'm here and I love it ! Thank You 10cc for years of happiness with this song !
Saw 10cc live in 2014 Taupo New Zealand summer concert. They weren’t the head liners but completely stole the show...songs still sound fantastic even today
Great reminder on how much effort and time is required to get to the place where your vision leads you. Thanks for the reminder Warren! Song is just immortal.
You reminded us this exceptional masterpiece in such a nice way that I have the vinyl behind me as I type now screaming "play me!". What a band...45 years later still jaw dropping.
I was listening to this album just yesterday and thinking if someone bought it to hear other songs like this one... They would be in for a VERY big surprise!!!! 🤣😂🤣😂
@@petesawchuk A friend of mine played it for me a little over a year ago and I bought a copy right away and listened to it non-stop for about a month. Could not believe I had never heard it before. My first listen I was like “oh these guys liked Zappa... oh wait, they liked Queen... oh, they liked Harry Nilson...” eventually I figured out they liked doing whatever the hell they wanted! The production is fantastic and the song ideas are odd but captivating. Clockwork Creep quickly became a favorite. I am old enough to have started recording on tape, but I love hearing stuff that old and going “how the hell did they do that back then?!?”
10cc…my original favourite band from when I was a young teenager. My love of the band has never diminished. These four guys, all songwriters, singers and musicians (and inventors…remember the Gizmo?) created some lightning in the bottle. I managed to see them play live three times but, unfortunately for me, the first time was on the Deceptive Bends release at the long gone Wembley Arena in 1977, shortly after Kevin Godley and Lol Creme departed. And I say that only because I’ve never seen the original group with Lol and Kevin live . They were still good…really good but the original foursome for me were off the chart. Endlessly creative, lyrical, yet they could rock too (Second Sitting for the Lasst Supper/Silly Love). All their songs were different. One was never predictive of what the next would be. Great video. Thanks.
This song turned me towards prog and alt rock and I am forever grateful. Nothing on the radio was like it at the time! And I learned the wonders of a electric piano lurking in the background like a beautiful ghost.
The combination of the otherworldly production with the ironic, melancholy lyrics create a uniquely haunting, atmospheric sound. I was a kid when it was released and it retains a strong nostalgia for that sci-fi-tinged post-Star-Wars era of pop culture. Which is why it was a brilliant choice to introduce this song to a new generation in Guardians of the Galaxy.
As a young teen, my earliest of influences in the contemporary music scene, were sparked by a friend and his love of the band 10cc (he even gave me a home tape with 10cc's Original Soundtrack on one side and Queen's a Night at the Opera on the other). Before this, I'd heard of the band, but didn't know much about them. Even, back then, he told me stories of how they achieved the sound of INIL - most of which were borne out in later years documentaries - which I found magically fascinating. And so began my own love of the band. By the time the original band had split up, post 'How Dare You' album, my love and interest in the band had all but burnt out, and anyway, Punk had started to blow apart much of what I now saw as dated - I was young, remember, and Punk couldn't be ignored. So, it wasn't exactly 'cool' to like the soft focus, smooth, 'chocolate-box' sounds of 10cc. But, for about 2 years (a long time in the life of a youngster) they were for me, the coolest band on the planet. Add to this, they had great songs, clever lyrics, were all multi-instrumentalists, owned their own studio, and produced this masterpiece of great songwriting and studio craft, this made them a band apart from so many of their contemporaries. There is a great quote in one of the documentaries on this song, from Trevor Horn - no stranger himself to the arcane world of studio mastery - where he says (paraphrasing), when he started to get too enamoured of the work they were doing in the studio, they would listen to 'I'm Not in Love', to remind themselves of what great artistry really was, so they didn't get too big headed. Quite a compliment
Warren, thank you so much for talking (and playing wonderfully on your guitar) about the most beautiful song of the 70s (and probably all the era's after that). This song has always been in my life, ever since I was a little boy. Where ever, when ever I've been listening to it. Thousands of times, always mesmerized by the sound. After watching your video, I've been listening to the song and then again... And then again...
It was so great to grow up in the 70s. This song, along with others, like Year of the Cat, Dream Weaver, and Baby come back, just to name a few, created a magical time for a young boy who loved music.
Great job dissecting this song. It's a masterpiece. I was fortunate to see 10CC on their first tour of the US at a little club in New Jersey. I think they only had their first album out and were plugging "Rubber Bullets". They were really good as a live band. There couldn't have been more than 50 people in the place. Great memory. I still love that first album especially wearing headphones and hearing the stereo spread and mix on "Headline Hustler". They were very much studio pioneers.
Amazing stuff, never realised it inspired Billy Joel's just the way you are... Love both songs!! Went to see Graeme Gouldman's 10CC about 3 years back, some great songs and they were fantastic live, albeit without Lol, Kevin and Eric!! Great video :)
It was circa 1978/79, I was 12 or 13 and my Maternal Grandparents were visiting from the UK. They didn't get on with My Dad, so they were staying at the Parkroyal Hotel in Brisbane, which coincidentally, was where most touring artists stayed when they were performing, up the road at Festival Hall... We were playing around the swimming pool, and (you guessed it) Out came 10CC for a dip. I was too shy to say anything, but my younger siblings, most Notably my Younger Sister, were hamming it up, and having Photo's Taken with the Band Members. Flash forward to 2003, and Graham Gouldman was touring Australia as a Solo Act (With an awesome band) and I was the Promotions Manager for a Radio Station in Townsville. He Played the Local Entertainment Centre, and afterwards I joined the Queue to have my Albums Signed. (I SWEAR TO GOD THIS NEXT BIT IS TRUE.) He was making small talk and I asked him if by any chance he recalled meeting a Family of English Children in the Late '70s in Brisbane... He looked thoughtful and said... "Kathy?" I nearly burst into tears. What an incredible Man. (The concert was brilliant BTW and he did all his Herman's Hermits, Yardbirds, Hollies etc etc... Hits.)
Wow! What a beautiful story! I believe it, there are many things I remember that have touched me and others that are special memories like that, things where you connect with people properly! I love that ‘Kathy?’. Beautiful
What a wonderful episode, this reminds of Lol Creme demonstrating the ‘Gizmo’ on ‘Tomorrow’s world’ back in the 70’s. 10cc! what a brilliant combination of talented, dedicated musicians. Thank you Warren.
That's how inventors work. Doing a thing very complicated and when all is finished realising there's already something doing this but better : ) More fun doing it this way though.
@@cornerliston I wouldn’t say a Mellotron would have been better for this. It’s just that it’s the same concept of using looped tapes. A Mellotron would have had a very different effect. I don’t think it would have given the same smooth wall of voices. Plus the Mellotron had been around for over 10 years by the time they recorded this song. The Chamberlin, its predecessor, had been around for over 25 years. The Beatles, Zeppelin, Moody Blues and many others had already used the Mellotron on many hit records. If they wanted a Mellotron they could have used one. The way they did it gave a custom sound and effect. Extremely clever.
@@composerdave68 I should have written “easier” instead of “better.” They should certainly not use the Mellotron because of the ready made tapes-however they could use its playback technique-recording the voices and then transfer it to Mellotron tapes : ) However the sonic quality wouldn't have been quite the same. Using tape loops had already been used by electronic artists for decades at that time-so maybe they were more interested in that kind of discipline. Whatever reason they made one of the most iconic songs ever.
Absolutely the production was key to the success of this song. But man, that vocal line and lyrics really hammer it into your head. Such a fantastic song!
I've seen other videos on the production of this song, but this one was definitely the best. I also really appreciated the harmonic analysis. Well done! Thanks!
What a great video! Love this series. I never made the connection that the same technique was used on Just the Way You Are! Different topic but the sax solo by Phil Woods is awesome.
Great song, I remember hearing it on top-40 AM radio when I was a 1st-grader. Interesting about the song’s influence on Billy Joel; I thought the bossa nova version sounded an awful lot like “Just The Way You Are”. Who would’ve guessed?
Just amazing--the first song I can remember hearing on the radio. Gorgeous melancholy waves that lift ever so slightly at the end, breaking softly like the ripples of a stream, the irony of the lyrics adding just the right amount of tartness to balance out the sweetness: Just an incredible song. I was disappointed other songs on the radio weren't as good until I heard "Sir Duke" one sunny afternoon at the picnic table.
Really love this series. This is such a great song. What about something completly different like Yazoo - Only you or Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams, both minimalistic teknopop songs that really showed the power of the syntheziser in musicproduction.
Which songs would you like to see us cover in this series?
Ac/Dc - Hells Bells 🤟🍺
Bon Iver's 22, A Million...the whole album.
I have to compliment you, you are always looking for cool songs
Anything by Kate Bush? Hard to pick 1 song of hers as there are so many, but one of my favourite albums of hers is Sensual World....though I'd be really happy for you to cover any of her records. Thanks!
If it's in your wheelhouse, "More Than a Feeling" by Boston. Another example of amazing production.
To this day, still one of the most beautiful love songs ever recorded.
Agreed 109%!
it is.
It's up there with Dire Straits Romeo and Juliet.
Yes forever
Yes! It irked me as a 5yr old child that I did not know who sang this and heard it on the radio yrs after it was released. I absolutely love this song- it has a very meditative, etheric feel to it. ❤️❤️❤️
I did one of the last recording sessions in Strawberry Studios in 1993 as engineer and producer. I was there for about a month and on the few late nights when no one was there, I secretly listend to some of the legendary master tapes that were stored there. One of them being "I'm not in love"
1977, my future wife and I were teen agers, riding in my Mercury Marauder, when she remarked that "some couples have 'their song', but we don't". I flicked on the car radio and out came "I'm not in Love". We both busted up laughing! "Honey it's our song!" We're in our 60's now and still in love and still listening to this brilliant piece of music. Also check out the album simply titled L by Godley and Creme.
Thanks ever so much for sharing that!
Dave, to you and our wife and the incomparable 1970's - I'm Not In Love still resonates. Greatest song to come out of those days by a country mile . . .
A Mercury Marauder 🤔 … can I ask you if that was a car ? I’ve been googling a bit LoL. Sounds cool, whatever it was. 👍 Those were the days, right ! ❤️
Long may It continue
You guys found what we’re all looking for! So nice to hear!
The spacey sounding choir was just other worldly at the time. It had that ghostly, sad, ethereal feel that still to this day is unique. Another great tune and awesome analysis, Warren!
Agreed, so amazing!!
How can I get this sound
Still has the same effect to this very day. Has stood the test of time. I was 13 years old when this hit the radio waves, remember it like it was yesterday.
@@russcalabrese7561 I still hear this with a 13-year old's ears and heart👍
You had to layer analog tapes like a 100 times. The same effect is heard in 2001 Space Odyssey's ape touching monolith scene.
As a non-musician and non-producer this was thoroughly enjoyable; I can only imagine how thrilling this is for recording artists and audio engineers.
Wow!! Thanks ever so much Frank! That really means a lot!
I have seen other videos on "I'm Not in Love." No matter how many times I hear the in depth, it is stunning. Not how 10cc did it, but what technologically they had at hand. No samplers or Pro Tools at all. That's what always gets my respect.
And it's worlds better than anything that is done today.
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate your wonderful comment!
@@spencergroup it's a masterpiece!
Well, the tape-loop thing had been around since the 1950's, pioneered by Pierre Schaeffer, and was of course at the heart of the Mellotron. But 10cc really took it to a whole new level.
@@somedutchguy7582 yes, they certainly did!
A song produced like no other before (or after) it. So unique. So beautiful. It's hard to believe this song is as old as it is. It still sounds refreshingly uncommon today. What they went through to end up with this glorious tune demonstrates what 4 incredibly talented individuals can achieve with open ideas. Genius!
One word to describe the amazing sound of this song……lush.
It still sounds incredible almost 50 years later. ❤️
Agreed 100%!
This ABSOLUTE BELIEF in the song which has driven the band to spend weeks on just one arrangement element is overwhelming. Thanks for the episode, Warren.
Thanks ever so much! So glad you enjoyed it!
What a magnificent song!
Thanks ever so much Robert! Agreed 100%!
I was a 12 year old kid when that jam hit the airwaves in Chicago, Illinois and it was one of those songs that mesmerized me from the first time I heard it. It still mesmerizes me almost 46 years later!😄
Thanks ever so much for sharing my friend!!
You are welcome. And thank you, for your storyline of incredible songs like this one, By some of the greatest musical artists of all time
One year behind you and equally as mesmerized.
Two years older and same feelings, heard this the first time on the radio in the car of a school friend's mother while driving thru woods with raindrop falling from the branches. It was heaven on earth. Bought the album then only because of this song. greetings from Germany.
Same. I often rewatch the various documentaries on how this song came to be and I always marvel at how they did it. This video has really added to my great appreciation for this masterpiece song. Time to go put on the headphones and get lifted up on those voices!
I'm from Brazil and and proud to see that they mentioned João Giberto as an influence.
Absolutely!!
SUCH an influence. Giberto was a towering figure in music. One of the best of the 20th century.
@@rk41gator agreed 100%!
"I'm Not In Love" and "Nights in White Satin" do it for me. A perfect blend of creativity and passion.
Agreed 100%!
The whole Days of Future Passed album would make a great one!!!!
Amazing that you mentioned those 2 songs as both could be inspired by The Byrds! Drone harmony on “if your gone” TTT Album 1965 and the b side to Mr Tambourine Man “I’d like to love you”
@@sschmidtevalue Yes!!
@@jamesfitzgerald6636 Yes - Yes!!
This is absolutely one of my favorite songs of all time, and a 70s soft rock masterpiece!
There was a melotron in a dark corner of Wessex no 2 studio when the Damned recorded Machine Gun Etiquette.. we were told it belonged to 10cc. Anyway, we fired it up and the lush vocal pads therein became the dreamy backing for I Just Can’t Be Happy Today. Thanks guys! 👍
ay ay captain
Hi Captain! Love your band! :-) I once was driving in my car with my then 6- and 8-year-old Sons in the back and with 'Lovely Money' playing on the stereo, when one of them suddenly exclaimed, "He just said the S-Word, Papa!", and the other pointed out the "P*ss off!" bit! :-O And I'd been listening to that song for decades and had *never* picked up on it myself! x-)) And speaking of 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today': That OGWT performance is hilarious! I keep going back from time to time :-)) Greetings from NZ!
Thanks Captain! Wow! Amazing thanks ever so much for sharing that!!
@@Producelikeapro - I reckon his input deserves a Damned episode! 'New Rose' or 'Smash It Up'. He was giving an entertaining lesson on how to play Pt.1 not long ago, too! Looks like I'd played it wrong for all those years! x-))
I came to the comments to see if anyone had mentioned this, glad it came straight from you.
Such a great band who never seem to get the praise they so rightly deserve
I’m a huge fan!!
Well, I'll watch "them" (only Graham Gouldman is left of the original four) every time they visit Copenhagen and that's quite often. Sometimes twice a year on the Amager Bio stage.
That song had the "it" factor back then and still does to this day! Loved it from the first time I heard it after it was released in the 70's. Still one of my favorites today.
Thanks ever so much!
Me too
10cc is such an underrated band. For those who aren't convinced, listen to The Things We Do For Love. Pop geniuses.
That’s one of the greatest songs ever written!!
I could do 30 songs with this band! Huge fan!
@@Producelikeapro only knew them for I'm not in Love and thought they were a one hit wonder. Then heard them name-dropped in LCD Soundsystem's Losing My Edge and decided to listen to The Original Soundtrack. Great band.
No idea who underrates 10cc. If you come from Manchester it's certainly not possible.
@@Producelikeapro I know my fav at the moment is " I wanna rule the world "
What imagination!
I've seen plenty of people talk about production techniques employed in songs. Ditto the musical theory behind a song. But I don't think I've ever seen someone put both of them together so clearly and so well at the same time. You really are a first rate educator, because you're teaching whilst making it entertaining at the same time. That isn't easy, but you do it all so effortlessly.
I get the feeling he might have done something like this before.
Check out Rick Beato's what makes this song great series
@@nelsonnichols922 Been going there for years. This guy is much better in his presenting of influences I think. More systematic. Love Rick though!
Not even Rick Beato?
@@BrunodeSouzaLino Watch Rick too. Just as entertaining but doesn't present the information as clearly and systematically. Makes this seem more thorough.
A few years ago I watched the documentary on how this song was recorded. I was then as I am now totally awestruck at the ingenuity and technical prowess that brought about this masterpiece.
Agree! Amazing
This is exactly why I have always said that 70's music was the most ambitious music ever produced. There are countless examples. From Peter Frampton to Pink Floyd; The Doobie Brothers; Grand Funk Railroad; The Allman Brothers; The Moody Blues; ELO; Jethro Tull; Donna Summer's "I Feel Love"; Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein"; Blondie; The B-52's; Elton John's "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"; The Cars; DEVO; and so on and so on.
They picked a great band name; 45 years later and I'm still grabbing that song to listen to as it sits at the beginning of my alphabetical list. Song is pure genius, too.
Now that I have my own studio I can finally spend time on my passion, bragging about having a studio.
That’s amazing to hear
One of the greatest love songs of all time . How the technology of that time still produced such a melancholy and human sound that is timeless and belies the title . A classic !
Thanks ever so much! Yes, I live this band and this song!!
This song is definitely a time machine. ✨😎✨
Agreed 109%
Absolutely .... same opening chords as How Long by Ace ... takes me straight back to the mid seventies
6:37 Who else was singing along while he was playing the chords?
Marvellous! I thought about singing along myself! Haha
@@Producelikeapro Why don't you... seriously Warren give us your version, I bet there's plenty of people out there who would love to hear that!
Also how did they get that Rhodes sound it's so lush what's going on? I know it's delay and reverb but I just can't get near it.
And thank you Warren for this one they should put you on the new years honours list! 👍🏻 🙂
Its one of those melodies that you just keep singing
Studio innovation aside, please don't forget how well written the lyrics are, where much of the power of the song resides as well.
Absolutely agreed! That’s why we started with the lyrics, they are truly wonderful
Again, this song just sends you back in time to 70s bars with that wooden bar and the smell of whisky and wine in the air with the cigarette smoke like a mist floating through the atmosphere. This song IS art. So beautiful.
Thanks ever so much! Agreed, it is pure Art!
I was a freshman in high school when this song came out. I also remember “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”, by Elton John and “Dream Weaver”, by Gary Wright being popular hits on the radio at the time. Between these three songs, plus many others, my freshman year was very memorable.
I’m so glad I grew up when I did, not having to tolerate the garbage that passes for music today!
Thanks ever so much for sharing Chris!!
I feel you.., grew up in the same era. but as good as music was back then, we did have our share of crap.
@@paradoxward2533 Indeed!
Oh, how did I miss this for 2 weeks? I've been binging 10cc for the last week, what awesome timing.
Thanks ever so much!
I didn't know about the choir part. These smart guys invented it on the spot.
The production on this track is _still_ impressive - even by today’s standards. ...but it must have sounded totally futuristic at the time of release.
Damn straight. Good to see you here!
Agreed! A masterpiece!
@@mikespearwood3914 yes! Amazing!
Agreed! I didn't realize it at the time, but so much of the magic of this song is in the innovative production that is ALL in service of making it a stronger, more compelling experience.
The Original Soundtrack was one of the 70s best albums. Impeccable production, musicianship and song writing. Not a bad song on the record.
this song soundtracked my teenage heartbreaks . . . still haunts me. what a song and production! all-time classic. thanks Warren!
Thanks ever so much
I was in high school and my girlfriend had just broken up with me when this song came out. Oh how it spoke to my pain. I soon after found out she had been dating someone else and so another top song popular that summer, "How Long" (Ace) became the B side to my life. To this day both these songs remain on my top 10 list as they pull at my heart for a lost love...
Thanks for this wonderful reveal.
@@vmhanlon I love how the music we listen to becomes the soundtrack to our lives!
I've gone back to college at the ripe old age of 51 to do audio and music production I remember being 14 and recording my first song in a studio I was fascinated by that ahh sound from this song and Billy Joel and McCartney used it too of course musical tastes have changed so much since then and my teenage fellow students want to rap and lay down beats I'll probably be to old when I get this degree but I'll never stop feeling the thrill of writing and producing
Hey, I’m knocking on a bit myself, but you’ve got decades of music listening to draw upon. When everybody else zigs, that’s when you zag.
@@jeffblack5024 That's true. Over 30 years playing bars and clubs and recording. I'll be 55 with an honors degree. That's still a good ten years before retirement. I know one thing, the worst thing you can do with your life is nothing.
Wow, just wow.
Not because of the very interesting and creative process, but because I was really convinced (until now) it was an 80's song.
When this came out, I was 1 yr old, yet I remember knowing this song from the eighties, which means it survived a long time in the radio playlists.
For me, it was clearly ahead of its time, awesome !
Really good video, too, thank you so much, Warren, you bring a lot to us !
For years I had no idea that the song was basically hundreds of vocals on tape loops fed through a recording desk like a keyboard. Truly amazing for it's time. This has been in my all time top ten for all long as I can remember. Just brilliant
I was at university - a music student, no less - when this came out. I was mesmerized the first time I heard it and even today will stop what I am doing when it comes on the radio. It was obvious that this was something very different. You could listen to it as a pop tune but you could also dig deeper to try to understand what was going on. I've watched every "making of" video on this tune that I could find, but this video is succinct and clear. Thanks for taking the time to make this!
Wow! Thanks ever so much Ken!
I stumbled on 10cc as a kid via a full-page ad on the back cover of HIT PARADER or CIRCUS for their 1974 album, “Sheet Music”. It’s turned out to be my favorite album of all time, and my favorite song, “I’m Not In Love”, was to follow shortly thereafter. I was ripe to be musically branded for a lifetime, and that’s exactly what happened.
And what a pedigree; Kevin Godley & Lol Creme [inventors of the Gizmotron guitar attachment & directors of rock videos like “Every Breath You Take”, “Girls On Film” & “Rockit”], Eric Stewart singing lead on “Groovy Kind Of Love” with the Mindbenders and Graham Gouldman writing classic British Invasion songs [“For Your Love”, “Bus Stop” & “Heart Full Of Soul”, among others]. They had that fantastic creative tension & high standards the best bands have [as well as the best comedy groups: Monty Python also included 2 writing teams].
The tons of bubblegum music they’d recorded @ Strawberry pre-10cc got their studio thing together much like the Beatles laying their groundwork @ Hamburg’s Star Club. Stewart & Gouldman’s part ownership let them grab the virtually unlimited unbooked studio time [“Sure we’ll work around McCartney & Wings recording “Red Rose Speedway”] so essential to what they achieved. And that custom Helios desk! And knowing exactly what to do with it!
Also, thank you for citing the fact that “I’m Not In Love” is very much the vibe-father of Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are”. Two career-making songs born out of one.
And from that same “The Original Soundtrack”, album “Un Nuit a Paris” [1974] is a lovely precursor/companion piece to “Bohemian Rhapsody” [1975]. Art rock, art pop...art, for sure.
Warren, you guys have once again outdone yourselves. And given the amount of times I lobbied for this song, thank you for not considering a restraining order!
Oh yes! When I was a teen in the 80s I considered this old folks' music, then I became a musician and I love this song, Roxy Music's Avalon album and all that silky smooth adult early 80s sofisticated stuff. Great video!
OMD had a great song with choir tapes played with the mixer faders, it's Souvenir and it deserves a video for sure, no?
i think any of us reading your comment got as far OMD and chord tapes and had sumised souveneir before we read 3 words further :)
@@gimble8638 Souvenir brings back my childhood, along with Classix Nouveaux and Abba . :)
very cool i had never heard of that ..playing the console good one guys
I've been a big 10cc fan since the beginning and I remember hearing Rubber Bullets and realizing they were not your average pop band. I was fortunate enough to see them live three times. Witty, saucy, and creative beyond their time. I still have all of their vinyl albums.
I hope this will pick me up a bit today because not I'm not in love, I'm not in the mood for most anything else.
Wishing you all the best Derek!!
@@Producelikeapro Thanks man =]
If it helps, it's probably the one pop song - as in a song that gets played over and over and over again - that I will genuinely never tire of. I love how it's literally just air and it makes it a very enveloping experience. It's one of the few times where you could release this as an instrumental and get away with it. The lyrics are full of juicy paradoxes that make it something for everyone. On the surface, there's a nasty sardonic quality. But honestly, I think it's just a guy saying "I love you" in his own particular way. The love song for the socially awkward (and I'm sure that was the reason why that song has been used in various TV programmes and films).
Finally, I think this could be considered the first pop song that's built on ambient principles, two years prior to Brian Eno articulating them. You can have it as background and it works. But you can also listen to it and definitely get something out of it.
Cheers, mate =]
You nailed another one, Warren. "I'm Not In Love" is absolutely a song that changed music - forever. Thank you.
Thanks ever so much Birnie!
Now that’s a history lesson!!!!!
awesome thanks Warren
I always thought the background voices were a mellotron. I stand corrected thank you very much for the video
Thanks ever so much!!
One of my favorite songs of all time and it always hits me in the feels like no other.
I am old enough to remember this all over the radio in 1975. I was a fan of harder material. But this song was undeniable, it just had a sound that made you like it. I still like it.
I get goosebumps everytime I hear this song ! I love the way this song makes me feel ! I'm a little bit late to the party but I'm here and I love it ! Thank You 10cc for years of happiness with this song !
I heard that song TONS of times on the radio as a teenager, but never knew any of the background. Thanks, Warren!
Thanks ever so much!!
Saw 10cc live in 2014 Taupo New Zealand summer concert. They weren’t the head liners but completely stole the show...songs still sound fantastic even today
That's wonderful to hear Sharon!
The best intro bar none - as good now as when I first heard it in '75.
Thanks ever so much Paul!!
Wow! The receptionist is the icing on this video cake.
Haha yes, indeed
Incredible recording,remember when it first came out.
Thanks ever so much AJ!
Love the detailed breakdown, but..., in the end, it's the emotion the song spilled. The lyrics are the hook. Thanks Warren.
Agreed 200%!
Great! You did the song. It came up in the comments a while back and we agreed the production was amazing. Glad you decided to analyze it.
Thanks Greg! Yes, masterpiece of a song!
Great reminder on how much effort and time is required to get to the place where your vision leads you. Thanks for the reminder Warren! Song is just immortal.
You reminded us this exceptional masterpiece in such a nice way that I have the vinyl behind me as I type now screaming "play me!". What a band...45 years later still jaw dropping.
Amazing! Thanks ever so much! Glad to be able to help!
I was listening to this album just yesterday and thinking if someone bought it to hear other songs like this one... They would be in for a VERY big surprise!!!! 🤣😂🤣😂
This song, one of my top 20 faves,, was part of the "Mr. JAWS" mix I had on a 45. Great memory!
We had a guest lecture from Eric Stewart when I was at uni a few years back, hell of an interesting guy and could spin a story or two haha!
Wow! Amazing! Thanks ever so much
Best thing to come out of Stockport.
I literally listened to this record this morning.
Une Nuit a Paris is soooo good.
Sheet Music is an even better 10CC record.
Thanks ever so much Chuck!
+1 re “Sheet Music” - my favorite album, period.
@@petesawchuk A friend of mine played it for me a little over a year ago and I bought a copy right away and listened to it non-stop for about a month. Could not believe I had never heard it before.
My first listen I was like “oh these guys liked Zappa... oh wait, they liked Queen... oh, they liked Harry Nilson...” eventually I figured out they liked doing whatever the hell they wanted! The production is fantastic and the song ideas are odd but captivating. Clockwork Creep quickly became a favorite.
I am old enough to have started recording on tape, but I love hearing stuff that old and going “how the hell did they do that back then?!?”
Their best and most complete. I bought it when it first came out. Still play the record regularly.
@@petesawchuk "It's crazy, A dog up in Beverly Hills". one of my favorite lyrics ever
10cc…my original favourite band from when I was a young teenager. My love of the band has never diminished. These four guys, all songwriters, singers and musicians (and inventors…remember the Gizmo?) created some lightning in the bottle. I managed to see them play live three times but, unfortunately for me, the first time was on the Deceptive Bends release at the long gone Wembley Arena in 1977, shortly after Kevin Godley and Lol Creme departed. And I say that only because I’ve never seen the original group with Lol and Kevin live . They were still good…really good but the original foursome for me were off the chart. Endlessly creative, lyrical, yet they could rock too (Second Sitting for the Lasst Supper/Silly Love). All their songs were different. One was never predictive of what the next would be. Great video. Thanks.
Yes! I remember the Gizmatron very well! Incredible talents! Thanks ever so much
This song turned me towards prog and alt rock and I am forever grateful. Nothing on the radio was like it at the time!
And I learned the wonders of a electric piano lurking in the background like a beautiful ghost.
Thanks ever so much for sharing
Amazing song.. and the way they achieved it.. I wouldn't have had the patience or the light bulb moment in the 1st place.. total genius
Thanks ever so much
Novacane for the soul and 10cc will always be blasting at my work and I love them
“I’m not in love” is not a song.... it’s a hymn !!!
Very well said!
it's a good policy to adhere to lol
@@erock.steady haha indeed!
One of the very rare red pill songs
Barclay James Harvest wrote the best Hymn that I've ever heard. Their Berlin version gives me shivers every time.
The combination of the otherworldly production with the ironic, melancholy lyrics create a uniquely haunting, atmospheric sound. I was a kid when it was released and it retains a strong nostalgia for that sci-fi-tinged post-Star-Wars era of pop culture. Which is why it was a brilliant choice to introduce this song to a new generation in Guardians of the Galaxy.
As a young teen, my earliest of influences in the contemporary music scene, were sparked by a friend and his love of the band 10cc (he even gave me a home tape with 10cc's Original Soundtrack on one side and Queen's a Night at the Opera on the other). Before this, I'd heard of the band, but didn't know much about them. Even, back then, he told me stories of how they achieved the sound of INIL - most of which were borne out in later years documentaries - which I found magically fascinating. And so began my own love of the band. By the time the original band had split up, post 'How Dare You' album, my love and interest in the band had all but burnt out, and anyway, Punk had started to blow apart much of what I now saw as dated - I was young, remember, and Punk couldn't be ignored. So, it wasn't exactly 'cool' to like the soft focus, smooth, 'chocolate-box' sounds of 10cc. But, for about 2 years (a long time in the life of a youngster) they were for me, the coolest band on the planet. Add to this, they had great songs, clever lyrics, were all multi-instrumentalists, owned their own studio, and produced this masterpiece of great songwriting and studio craft, this made them a band apart from so many of their contemporaries. There is a great quote in one of the documentaries on this song, from Trevor Horn - no stranger himself to the arcane world of studio mastery - where he says (paraphrasing), when he started to get too enamoured of the work they were doing in the studio, they would listen to 'I'm Not in Love', to remind themselves of what great artistry really was, so they didn't get too big headed. Quite a compliment
It’s the perfect example of when writing, recording, and mixing a song is handled as a craft and not just “made”.
Warren, thank you so much for talking (and playing wonderfully on your guitar) about the most beautiful song of the 70s (and probably all the era's after that).
This song has always been in my life, ever since I was a little boy. Where ever, when ever I've been listening to it. Thousands of times, always mesmerized by the sound.
After watching your video, I've been listening to the song and then again... And then again...
Wow! Thanks ever so much
It was so great to grow up in the 70s. This song, along with others, like Year of the Cat, Dream Weaver, and Baby come back, just to name a few, created a magical time for a young boy who loved music.
I was in high school when this song came out and none of us really appreciated how innovated this song was.
Yeah, great video... Oh to be standing in the back of the room when they were doing those tape loops! What an experience that would be!
You really are picking out the gems Warren, loving the series :)
Ps congrats again Warren, amazing work :)
Great job dissecting this song. It's a masterpiece. I was fortunate to see 10CC on their first tour of the US at a little club in New Jersey. I think they only had their first album out and were plugging "Rubber Bullets". They were really good as a live band. There couldn't have been more than 50 people in the place. Great memory. I still love that first album especially wearing headphones and hearing the stereo spread and mix on "Headline Hustler". They were very much studio pioneers.
Amazing stuff, never realised it inspired Billy Joel's just the way you are... Love both songs!! Went to see Graeme Gouldman's 10CC about 3 years back, some great songs and they were fantastic live, albeit without Lol, Kevin and Eric!! Great video :)
I fell in love, on the dancefloor, to that song. So it has a special place in my head.
Mindblowing to understand what went into making it.
10cc have made so much cool music! A diverse range of songs and styles from them! Great work!
It was circa 1978/79, I was 12 or 13 and my Maternal Grandparents were visiting from the UK. They didn't get on with My Dad, so they were staying at the Parkroyal Hotel in Brisbane, which coincidentally, was where most touring artists stayed when they were performing, up the road at Festival Hall... We were playing around the swimming pool, and (you guessed it) Out came 10CC for a dip. I was too shy to say anything, but my younger siblings, most Notably my Younger Sister, were hamming it up, and having Photo's Taken with the Band Members. Flash forward to 2003, and Graham Gouldman was touring Australia as a Solo Act (With an awesome band) and I was the Promotions Manager for a Radio Station in Townsville. He Played the Local Entertainment Centre, and afterwards I joined the Queue to have my Albums Signed. (I SWEAR TO GOD THIS NEXT BIT IS TRUE.) He was making small talk and I asked him if by any chance he recalled meeting a Family of English Children in the Late '70s in Brisbane... He looked thoughtful and said... "Kathy?" I nearly burst into tears. What an incredible Man. (The concert was brilliant BTW and he did all his Herman's Hermits, Yardbirds, Hollies etc etc... Hits.)
Wow! What a beautiful story! I believe it, there are many things I remember that have touched me and others that are special memories like that, things where you connect with people properly! I love that ‘Kathy?’. Beautiful
This song is incredible of course, but they have so many great songs, great band.
Yes, amazing band!
thank you thank you for dissecting one of the best rock songs of all time! It's the song of choice when I want to show off my sound equipment XD
the only band I owned the entire catalog of... and this song in particular held me in awe.
Yes, true masterpiece!
What a wonderful episode, this reminds of Lol Creme demonstrating the ‘Gizmo’ on ‘Tomorrow’s world’ back in the 70’s. 10cc! what a brilliant combination of talented, dedicated musicians. Thank you Warren.
An absolute gift to 10CC from the gods of music! crikey! all four of them must've been thrilled to bits!..awesome analysis so enjoyed this!
I love this song! I first heard it when Tori Amos covered it. Love the chords in this song. So dreamy.
They kind of built their own custom Mellotron sans a keyboard.
The "Don't Harsh my Mellotron"
That's how inventors work. Doing a thing very complicated and when all is finished realising there's already something doing this but better : )
More fun doing it this way though.
@@cornerliston I wouldn’t say a Mellotron would have been better for this. It’s just that it’s the same concept of using looped tapes. A Mellotron would have had a very different effect. I don’t think it would have given the same smooth wall of voices. Plus the Mellotron had been around for over 10 years by the time they recorded this song. The Chamberlin, its predecessor, had been around for over 25 years. The Beatles, Zeppelin, Moody Blues and many others had already used the Mellotron on many hit records. If they wanted a Mellotron they could have used one. The way they did it gave a custom sound and effect. Extremely clever.
@@composerdave68 They took 'Tomorrow Never Knows' style mixing to the next level.
@@composerdave68 I should have written “easier” instead of “better.”
They should certainly not use the Mellotron because of the ready made tapes-however they could use its playback technique-recording the voices and then transfer it to Mellotron tapes : ) However the sonic quality wouldn't have been quite the same.
Using tape loops had already been used by electronic artists for decades at that time-so maybe they were more interested in that kind of discipline.
Whatever reason they made one of the most iconic songs ever.
Absolutely the production was key to the success of this song. But man, that vocal line and lyrics really hammer it into your head. Such a fantastic song!
I've seen other videos on the production of this song, but this one was definitely the best. I also really appreciated the harmonic analysis. Well done! Thanks!
Thank you Warren!
Never listened to the song this way, it is really really awesome production!
What a great video! Love this series. I never made the connection that the same technique was used on Just the Way You Are! Different topic but the sax solo by Phil Woods is awesome.
Hi James! Glad you enjoyed it!
This song was #1 when I was born. And a classic it is too.
Thanks ever so much Nathan
Another "Epicsode" of this series!!! Amazing to see the whole process and how they changed it from the Bossa Nova to this timeless Song, inspiring!
Thanks ever so much Ady!!
Phenomenal! A show like this in "normal" times should be tremendous for anyone who loves music! Thank you!
Thanks ever so much!!
Great song, I remember hearing it on top-40 AM radio when I was a 1st-grader. Interesting about the song’s influence on Billy Joel; I thought the bossa nova version sounded an awful lot like “Just The Way You Are”. Who would’ve guessed?
This song definitely sounded like just the way u are by billy joel
Just amazing--the first song I can remember hearing on the radio. Gorgeous melancholy waves that lift ever so slightly at the end, breaking softly like the ripples of a stream, the irony of the lyrics adding just the right amount of tartness to balance out the sweetness: Just an incredible song.
I was disappointed other songs on the radio weren't as good until I heard "Sir Duke" one sunny afternoon at the picnic table.
He is in love he just can not admit it to himself.
Absolutely
Wow. I had no idea that much work was done to produce that great song. I know I went out and bought it.
Thanks ever so much Mike! Yes, such a wonderful song!
Really love this series. This is such a great song. What about something completly different like Yazoo - Only you or Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams, both minimalistic teknopop songs that really showed the power of the syntheziser in musicproduction.
Great song ideas, Jens!