Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Here’s How Don Williams’ “It Must Be Love” Reached Chart’s Top Spot Twice

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Don Williams was one of the most recognized and beloved music legends to ever hit the radio waves. His smooth baritone voice was among the defining sounds of country music throughout the 1970s and 1980s. 

Thanks to him, we get to enjoy some of the greatest hits the genre has ever seen, like “It Must Be Love,” which peaked No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. “It must be love, it must be love. I fall like a sparrow and fly like a dove. You must be the dream I been dreaming of, Oh what a feeling, it must be love,” it sings.

“It Must Be Love” Marked One of the Rare Times in Country Music History 

“It Must Be Love” was released in July 1979 as the third single from Don Williams’ album Expressions, which represented a major change in his career, as he added Garth Fundis as co-producer. Fundis had been there from the beginning, engineering Williams’ first two albums.

“It was pretty much just him and me in the studio,” Fundis noted. “He’d be out there singin’, and I’d be in the control room. I’ve got a musical background. I was a music education major in college. I studied voice, so I’d help him – ‘You’re a little flat here,’ or ‘a little sharp,’ just tryin’ to help – and so at one point, it became obvious that I was much more than just an engineer. So Don invited me to make this a co-production.”

From there, Fundis gained an enormous amount of respect in the Nashville Music Industry and went on to produce top-selling albums. 

“It Must Be Love” was also written by Bob McDill, who Billboard magazine ranked as a second all-time most prolific songwriter in the history of country music with an incredible 152 of his songs appearing on Billboard’s country charts. In 1985, McDill was inducted into The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Twenty-one years later, Alan Jackson recorded and released the song as the third single from his album Under the Influence. Like Williams’ version before it, Jackson’s cover also reached No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, and it stayed there for the entire week, marking one of the rare times in country music history for a song to reach the top spot twice. It also managed to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 37.

“It Must Be Love” absolutely made an impact in the music industry. After nearly five decades in the music business, Williams announced his retirement in 2016. Sadly, the country icon passed away a year later at the age of 78. His death was the result of a short illness. Still, nothing beats the sound of listening to the man country fans knew as “The Gentle Giant.”

Watch this performance of “It Must Be Love” from the music icon, Don Williams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDo2CyYBbbc

Latest Stories

Dolly Parton looks down emotionally while speaking into a rhinestone-covered microphone during a candid moment on stage.

Dolly Parton Was So Broke When She First Moved to Nashville She Ate Leftover Room Service to Survive

Some people chase dreams. Dolly Parton chased survival. Long before the wigs, the theme park, and the billion-dollar legacy, Dolly was just a teenage girl in cheap shoes with a ...

Kelly Clarkson closes her eyes while singing into a microphone during her raw performance of Cody Johnson’s “When It Comes To You.”

Kelly Clarkson’s Cody Johnson Cover Reminded Folks What Country’s Supposed to Feel Like

Kelly Clarkson’s voice could melt asphalt in the middle of a Texas summer, and when she turned her sights on Cody Johnson‘s “When It Comes To You,” it wasn’t just ...

Connie Francis smiles with hands clasped in front of a pink backdrop and orchids, remembered for her timeless hit “Pretty Little Baby.”

Connie Francis, the Original Pop Icon Behind “Pretty Little Baby,” Dies at 87

She ruled the airwaves before most of us were born, and somehow, against all odds, Connie Francis was going viral on TikTok at 87. The pop powerhouse behind hits like ...

Luke Bryan performs with high energy on stage in a plaid shirt and cap, dividing fans over whether he's saving or ruining country music.

Why Some Country Fans Can’t Stand Luke Bryan and Others Say He Saved the Genre

Country fans don’t just listen, they debate. And if there’s one name that’s kept the whiskey flowing and keyboards clacking over the last decade, it’s Luke Bryan. Depending on who ...

Luke Bryan looks emotional during a heartfelt interview as he reflects on the personal tragedies of losing his brother and sister years apart.

Luke Bryan’s Brother and Sister Died Years Apart and He’s Still Carrying That Pain Today

Country music’s known for telling stories, but Luke Bryan’s life reads more like a ballad you never want to live through. Before the chart-toppers, before the sold-out stadium tours, before ...

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert perform together in cowboy hats as their new duet “A Song to Sing” sparks mixed reactions from critics and fans.

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert’s New Duet Slammed by Critics but Loved by Listeners

You’d think pairing two of the biggest voices in country music would set the world on fire. Instead, some critics are out here pouring cold water on what was supposed ...

More than 50 country legends and stars join together onstage at the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th celebration for a surprise performance of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Opry 100 Crowd Thought It Was Over Then 50 Country Legends Sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Thought the show was over? Not even close. The Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary celebration already had fans floating on a high of nostalgia, surprise collaborations, and once-in-a-lifetime performances. But ...

Chris Stapleton performing onstage in a cowboy hat and black suit while playing guitar, tied to his big $1 million donation to help Texas families after devastating floods.

Chris Stapleton Steps Up to Help Texas Families After Devastating Floods With Big Donation

When the waters rise, real country shows up. Texas got hit with a storm over Fourth of July weekend that nobody saw coming, a wall of rain that turned the ...

Beyoncé performing in a white rhinestone outfit and cowboy hat during her Cowboy Carter Tour, amid news her unreleased music and setlists were stolen from a car in Atlanta.

Beyoncé’s Unreleased Music Stolen From Car in Atlanta Along With Cowboy Carter Tour Plans and Setlists

Well, here we go. Beyoncé might want to saddle up that golden horse of hers because this Cowboy Carter circus just keeps getting wilder, and not in a way that’ll ...

Darius Rucker passionately singing on stage before walking off after four songs and refunding fans when he lost his voice in Atlantic City.

Darius Rucker Walks Off Stage After 4 Songs Says “I Can’t Sing Anymore” and Refunds Fans

Sometimes the road just knocks the wind right out of you, or in Darius Rucker‘s case, it takes your voice and leaves you standing there, hat in hand, with nothing ...

Leave a Comment

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.