I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Encyclopedia
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a 2003 single by the English
rock
band The Darkness. This was released as a single twice, the first time in August 2002 with "Love On The Rocks With No Ice" and "Love Is Only A Feeling." In September 2003, it was released as the third single off Permission to Land
. It charted the second time reaching number two on the UK Singles Charts, beaten to number one by The Black Eyed Peas
' "Where Is the Love?
".
Lead singer Justin Hawkins
sings much of the song in a falsetto
. This was one of ten songs on their debut album, Permission to Land
, which was released in July 2003 on the Must Destroy
record label
and Atlantic Records
. In March 2005, Q magazine placed "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" at number 47 in its list of the 101 Greatest Guitar Tracks. It is also placed 493 on The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born on Blender magazine. Most recently, it ranked at 276 of Pitchfork's 500 Top Tracks of the 2000s and was ranked number one for Classic Rock Magazine's list of "The Greatest Rock Songs Of The Noughties".
The song was also featured on The Darkness's single "Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)", a live version from Knebworth House
in Knebworth
, Hertfordshire
in 2003.
The song was named the 94th best hard rock song of all time by VH1 (based on fan voting).
DVD Single
Vinyl
for the song launched the band into the U.S. market. Directed by Alex Smith, the band is shown on a spaceship performing and battling monsters. Jim Freedlander assisted in designing props and monsters.
; and in the film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
. It was also on the original Singstar
. It is also featured in Rock Band 3
as downloadable content.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Darkness. This was released as a single twice, the first time in August 2002 with "Love On The Rocks With No Ice" and "Love Is Only A Feeling." In September 2003, it was released as the third single off Permission to Land
Permission to Land
Permission to Land is the debut studio album by British hard rock band The Darkness, released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 5 August 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart...
. It charted the second time reaching number two on the UK Singles Charts, beaten to number one by The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' "Where Is the Love?
Where Is the Love?
"Where Is the Love?" is a song recorded by the American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas for their third album, Elephunk. It is the band's first record to feature Fergie. The song features vocals from Justin Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release.The single was...
".
Lead singer Justin Hawkins
Justin Hawkins
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
sings much of the song in a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. This was one of ten songs on their debut album, Permission to Land
Permission to Land
Permission to Land is the debut studio album by British hard rock band The Darkness, released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 5 August 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart...
, which was released in July 2003 on the Must Destroy
Must Destroy
Must Destroy is the independent record label that discovered The Darkness and Goldie Lookin' Chain and released records by bands such as Do Me Bad Things, Tramp Attack and Computerman....
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. In March 2005, Q magazine placed "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" at number 47 in its list of the 101 Greatest Guitar Tracks. It is also placed 493 on The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born on Blender magazine. Most recently, it ranked at 276 of Pitchfork's 500 Top Tracks of the 2000s and was ranked number one for Classic Rock Magazine's list of "The Greatest Rock Songs Of The Noughties".
The song was also featured on The Darkness's single "Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)", a live version from Knebworth House
Concerts at Knebworth House
The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England has become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000 at the first large concert held at the venue....
in Knebworth
Knebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
in 2003.
The song was named the 94th best hard rock song of all time by VH1 (based on fan voting).
Track listings
CD Single- "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (Single version)
- "Makin' Out"
- "Physical Sex"
DVD Single
- "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (Single version)
- "Out of my Hands"
- "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" Music video
- Video Clips
Vinyl
- "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" – 3:36
- "Makin' Out"
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song launched the band into the U.S. market. Directed by Alex Smith, the band is shown on a spaceship performing and battling monsters. Jim Freedlander assisted in designing props and monsters.
Cover versions
- Hayseed DixieHayseed DixieHayseed Dixie is an American band which began in the autumn of 2000 with the release of their first album, A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC. The band performs a mixture of cover versions of hard rock songs and original compositions in a style that is a unique fusion of bluegrass and rock music and are...
on their 2004 album Let There Be RockgrassLet There Be RockgrassLet There Be Rockgrass is the fourth album by American band Hayseed Dixie, released in 2004. The album's title is a play on the AC/DC album Let There Be Rock and continued the theme of adding grass to known phrases for Hayseed Dixie album titles....
. - Damien DempseyDamien DempseyDamien Dempsey is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics to deliver social comment on the positive and negative aspects arising from Ireland's Celtic Tiger society.-Early life:...
on the 2003 charity album Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 1Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 1Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 1 is an Irish charity album featuring a variety of artists performing acoustic cover versions of popular songs. It was released in 2003 by RMG Chart Entertainment Ltd. The songs on the album were recorded live and acoustic on The Ray D'Arcy Show on Today FM.The...
. - LemarLemarLemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...
on the 2007 BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Live Lounge CD, which includes a short section of All My LifeAll My Life (K-Ci and JoJo song)"All My Life" is a song recorded by American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo. The track was produced and written by Joel "JoJo" Hailey and Rory Bennett for K-Ci & JoJo's debut studio album, Love Always . The song was released physically as from January 6, 1998 as the third single from the album through MCA...
. - Artist Vs Poet on the 2010 compilation Rockin' Romance II
- Nitritt on their debut 2010 EP "Gallery of Time"
Cultural references
This song was featured on the music video games Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades; as source music in an episode of The BillThe Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
; and in the film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)
# Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J...
. It was also on the original Singstar
SingStar
SingStar is a competitive music video game series for PlayStation consoles, developed by London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. 23 English-language instalments of the series have been released for the PlayStation 2, and six versions for the PlayStation 3 have been released...
. It is also featured in Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
as downloadable content.
Chart performance
| Chart (2003–2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 40 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 12 |
| German Singles Chart | 47 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 10 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 8 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
| Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 9 |