Don Williams – It Must Be Love: The Sweet, Sure Sign of an Unmistakable Affection
For those of us who have spent a lifetime navigating the complicated currents of the human heart, we learn that real, enduring love isn’t always a dramatic, firework-filled explosion. Often, it’s a quiet, profound certainty—a feeling that settles deep in the bones and simply refuses to leave. That gentle, unshakeable truth is the essence of Don Williams’ “It Must Be Love,” a song that perfectly captures the subtle, yet undeniable, symptoms of a love that has taken permanent root.
The original recording, a timeless piece of songwriting by the prolific Bob McDill, was released in July 1979 as the third single from Williams’ album, Expressions. It quickly became another signature track in the repertoire of The Gentle Giant. Its success was immediate and profound: it sailed effortlessly to the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, becoming Williams’ ninth single to reach the pinnacle. The song’s easy-going melody and honest, relatable lyrics transcended the country genre, demonstrating that when a sentiment is true, it speaks a universal language. It later found a new audience in the year 2000 when Alan Jackson covered it, further proving the enduring quality of McDill’s writing and Williams’ original interpretation.
The story of the song is rooted in the simple, charming observation of being completely and utterly smitten, so much so that the emotional symptoms are almost physical. The lyrics speak of a feeling so strong, so illogical, and so overwhelming that it can only be one thing: love. The simple repetition of the phrase, “It must be love, it must be love / I fall like a sparrow, fly like a dove,” isn’t a lack of vocabulary; it’s an acknowledgement that some emotions defy easy explanation. It’s the moment of profound realization that what you are experiencing is the real thing, the deep connection that grounds a life and provides its sweetest joy. For those of us who remember the giddy, yet peaceful, certainty of realizing we’d found “the one,” this song is a nostalgic mirror reflecting those cherished, vital moments.
The sheer warmth and tenderness that Don Williams injected into this track is what makes it a cherished classic, particularly for older listeners. His delivery is never rushed, never strained—it’s a simple man sharing a sweet secret. It feels like a whispered confidence, a gentle acknowledgment of a beautiful reality.
Now, consider the profound emotional resonance of hearing this song as part of his live Farewell Tour—such as the version recorded in Dublin in 2014. As an artist who had built a career on songs of lasting love and steady companionship, performing “It Must Be Love” in his final years takes on an almost elegiac beauty. He is not just singing about a feeling he once had; he is performing a retrospective on a life and a career defined by enduring connection. The song becomes a final, tender tribute to his wife, Joy, who was his companion for decades, and to the faithful audience who had loved him for just as long. This live rendition is steeped in the gratitude of a man who knows he has experienced the kind of deep affection he spent his life singing about. It is a moment of gentle closure, a beautiful, sweet final nod to the emotion that is, after all, the only thing that truly lasts.