Is It Love

The hook of Is It Love isn’t in the chorus, but in that exact moment just before it starts: a silence cut by a sharp drum hit and a guitar that sneaks in like a whisper before exploding into the first chord. The song doesn’t ask for permission; it plants itself there and makes it clear it won’t let go. The bass, which in other Mr. Mister tracks is usually more subdued, here carries the weight of the main melody in the verses, while the keyboard weaves lines that seem to float above the rhythm. It’s not a song that overwhelms you with layers, but rather envelops you with precision: every instrument has its space, yet everything sounds like a single, well-oiled piece.

They recorded it in 1986 with equipment that wasn’t the most cutting-edge at the time, but that didn’t matter. Producer Paul De Villiers and engineer Lois Oki worked on the mix with Mick Guzauski and Mike Shipley, aiming for that clean brilliance that defines the album Welcome to the Real World. The result was a single that reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that year and, years later, ended up playing over the end credits of the movie Stakeout. What’s curious is that, despite being the third track on the album, it ended up being one of the band’s last commercial chart successes. The exact runtime, according to technical credits, is 3:32, though some editions cut it to 3:35. A detail only noticed by those who play it note for note.