Love Is

Album: Another Country (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • At age 70, Stewart released this song, where he shares his reflections on love. He is something of an expert on the subject, having been in and out of love some many times (he was married and divorced three times) and documenting these experiences in a lifetime of songs. However, as Stewart points out, he is still mystified. He told Rolling Stone: "This is me passing along, to anyone who will listen, a few nuggets of wisdom acquired from my dippings into life's chocolate box down the years. Believe me, though, I still don't understand the chemistry of love and why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."
  • In the second verse, Stewart sings about his first love, a girl "I dreamed I would wed" but told him "We're far too young for that."

    This alludes to an art student Stewart met when he was 17 named Susannah Boffey. They had a daughter together, who they gave up for adoption because the couple was in no condition to raise a child. Stewart and Boffey split up, but she remained entrenched in his memory. Their daughter, Sarah, later established a relationship with Stewart.

    In his 2013 song "Brighton Beach," Stewart also sings about this relationship.
  • This was the first single from Stewart's Another Country album. Before the album was issued, a video was released where Stewart is seen performing this song with a full band at the famous Capitol Records building in Los Angeles (Stewart was signed to the label).
  • This song has a Celtic sound, with fiddles and a hammered dulcimer among the instruments.

Comments: 1

  • Miranda from AustraliaPretty sure he wrote this about my mother
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.

Vince Clarke

Vince ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

An original member of Depeche Mode, Vince went on to form Erasure and Yaz.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.