"This Is Love"
Single by PJ Harvey
from the album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Released2001
GenrePunk blues[1]
Length3:48
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)PJ Harvey
Producer(s)Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey, Sam Cunningham
PJ Harvey singles chronology
"A Place Called Home"
(2001)		 "This Is Love"
(2001)		 "The Letter"
(2004)
Music video
"This Is Love" on YouTube

"This Is Love" is a song by English alternative rock musician PJ Harvey. It is the tenth track from her fifth studio album, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and was released as a single in 2001 under the title "This Is Love/You Said Something". It charted on UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 41.[2] The blues-influenced song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 2002 but lost to Lucinda Williams song "Get Right With God".[3]

Musical style and lyrics

The song was described as "blues punk"[1] and "one of the blues-tinged numbers" off the record.[4] The guitar riff of the song was interpreted as an homage to The Stooges song "No Fun" and was compared to those of The Heartbreakers song "Chinese Rocks."[5] According to Amy Britton, the author of Revolution Rock: The Albums Which Defined Two Ages, lyrically the song "places sex as a priority over the anomalies of the world."[6] Also on the lyrics of the song, Jason Heller of The A.V. Club wrote: "PJ doesn’t bring her love to anyone, nor does she ponder whether her font of conflicted emotions and biological requirements amount to desire. She just states, “This is love / This is love / That I’m feeling.” Period. No searching of the soul needed."[5]

Critical reception

Andrew Mueller of Spin stated that the song "flirts with a hitherto uncharacteristic Liz Phair-ish playfullness" and described it as "exuberant".[7] Christian David Hoard, one of the authors of The New Rolling Stone Album Guide praised the song, writing: "on the bombastic and awesomely raunchy "This Is Love," arguably her best song ever, she says a big fuck-you to psychosis and sadness as guitars crunch and garments hit the floor."[8]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Sophie Muller, who also collaborated with Harvey on the music videos of "Good Fortune" and "A Place Called Home."[9] It features Harvey, who is wearing a fringe-sleeved white suit and red lipstick, performing the song on the guitar at a studio and whipping her hair around.[10]

Track listing

CD
  1. «This Is Love» – 3:48
  2. «You Said Something» – 3:23
  3. «A Place Called Home (Taken From Lamacq Live)» – 3:41
Australia / Asia CD Single
  1. «This Is Love» – 3:48
  2. «You Said Something» – 3:23
7"
  1. «This Is Love» – 3:44
  2. «Angelene (Taken From Lamacq Live)» – 3:46
US VHS Promo
  1. «This Is Love» 

Chart positions

Chart (2001) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[2] 41

References

  1. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Pj Harvey". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  3. ↑ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. 4 January 2002. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Moon, Tom (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing. pp. 346. ISBN 978-0761153856.
  5. 1 2 Heller, Jason (30 July 2013). "PJ Harvey strips love down to its elements". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Britton, Amy (2011). Revolution Rock: The Albums Which Defined Two Ages. AuthorHouse. p. 297.
  7. ↑ Mueller, Andrew (November 2000). "Tales of the City". Spin. 16 (11): 58.
  8. ↑ Brackett, Nathan and Christian David Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. pp. 369. ISBN 0743201698.
  9. ↑ Dougan, Rob (11 February 2002). "Music Video Director Sophie Muller". mvwire.com. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Snapes, Laura (8 February 2011). "PJ Harvey - A Buyer's Guide". NME. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
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