Classic Rock

THE POWER OF LOVE

“I don’t think I Believe In A Thing Called Love has ever really sat well with what’s contemporary. It’s just its own thing.”
Justin Hawkins

1 I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE

The Darkness From: Permission To Land, 2003

From the first spin of I Believe In A Thing Called Love, it was clear that here was a song to go the distance. Back in September 2003, The Darkness’s signature tune was instant, heroic, effervescent and just the right side of ludicrous. All factors amplified by the dour mewlings of nu metal’s fag-end. Seventeen years down the line, with I Believe In A Thing Called Love prancing atop our poll of the 21st century’s greatest rock songs thus far, its giddy power remains undimmed. “Playing that song is like slipping into a comfortable bath with a loved one,” frontman Justin Hawkins tells Classic Rock.

At the time, of course, not everyone was quite so enamoured. Rewind to 2001, and The Darkness were a band out of time. Vintage rock disciples

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