"I'm Not In Love" provides a sumptuous chaser to "Paris." It's the loveliest melody the group ever recorded, explaining why it became their biggest international hit. When Mercury Records heard the demo they signed the band out from under Jonathan King's label to a multi-million dollar advance before they heard a single other note. The investment paid off when the song shot to No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 2 in the normally more resistant U.S. The song soared on its cascading vocals, led by Stewart, who wrote the main melody. It's one of the band's most sincere readings. The message, however, wasn't overtly commercial. The song epitomizes that classic Shakespearean line about the man "who doth protest too much." The more the narrator denies his love, the deeper we suspect it runs. Though the six-minute song had an edited version for the single, listeners often insisted it be played in full, so enthralled were they by its sumptuous production, pillowy vocals and gorgeous melody. Amazingly, "Love" wasn't the first single released from the album.
