In a mood for a slow, sad love ballad? Well, you got to hear "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette. Here are three reasons why you should listen to it, other than the reason that it's one of my favorite songs to listen to.
1. It's a classic that never gets old
Some of you may remember that this song played from the start of the 1990s, but actually, it comes from the late 1980s. One can see that this song is between these two interesting times when music rises up in entertainment. Therefore, one can remember both the close of the fantastic 1980s and the start of the interesting 1990s. It's still now being heard repeatedly on the radios, which signifies its legacy.
2. It has touching and relatable lyrics
The most iconic parts of the song are definitely the beginning and the chorus. I can still remember the beginning starting out with steady, drum-like beats and dynamic instrumentals with the soft lyrical whispers, "It must have been love…But it's over now." Then she begins that memorable lyric of triste, "Lay a whisper... on my pillow" and then, "leave the winter on the ground." In this part, the woman's loneliness is captured with the imagery of her pillow. Also, her voice expresses a certain tone of sadness as she sings at a slow pace in between parts of the lyrics. She also indicates the song and these sentimental feelings take place during the winter. Winter may also represent not only the falling snow but also the falling tears, after a breakup or loss of love that the singer is trying to express through this song.
Up to the chorus, you can hear strong echoes with her voice, singing, "It must have been love... but it's over now." The strong echoes are hard to get your heart and ears out of, especially when those echoes repeat and reach out to those who are feeling heartbroken. There are suggestions of moving on when she sings, "It was all I wanted but I'm living without..." and "It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows." In fact, there are two versions of this song. One of them is called, "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" and the other one is the 1990 release of "It Must Have Been Love." I heard the 1990 release first and then my mother introduced to me, the "It Must Have Been Love" (Christmas for the Broken Hearted) because it is in a cassette that my mother has kept. From then on, I still keep on hearing it. So I encourage you to hear both of these versions even though they are only slightly different in duration and the instrumental parts.
3. It has a nostalgic reflection of "Pretty Woman"
This song is actually used for one of the scenes from the famous 1990 film, "Pretty Woman," that is directed by Garry Marshall, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. The scene that plays this song is when Vivian (portrayed by Julia Roberts) leaves Edward (portrayed by Richard Gere) in a limo, with a sad expression with a little of anticipation that Edward will chase after her. However, as she turns around, she sees that he didn't. Meanwhile, Edward who also becomes upset about Vivian's departure and tries to gaze down from his balcony as if he wants to see Vivian leaving but he can't because of his fear of heights. Therefore, he later prepares to leave as well as if he has already given up to be with her.
I love the film "Pretty Woman." I also think the director has chosen a good choice to use this song at this part to demonstrate Vivian and Edward's love for each other. It's a nice love story and it has a wonderful ending. Just thinking of this film, you grow more in touch with the song and feel the real feelings of how a woman is when she is heart-broken and the subtle hints that a woman wants that perfect, true love back. You can also feel Vivian's love for Edward, which makes the song even more powerful. If it weren't for this film, I would not have known about this beautiful song.
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Although it's not a song that you should hear when you're happy, it gives a feeling of connection if you are feeling sad or heartbroken, especially during the seasons of fall and winter. However, I usually hear it for leisure and I still get excited listening to it whenever it unexpectedly comes on the radio. Please hear this song because it is such a lovely, tear-jerking gem and a good song to listen to if you want to think about the film "Pretty Woman."
