Love, Disillusionment, and the Weight of Expectations
There’s something uniquely human about the way David Essex approaches love in “So-Called Loving”. It’s not the euphoric, sweeping romance that so many songs celebrate—nor is it a bitter heartbreak anthem. Instead, it lingers somewhere in between, in that gray space where hope turns to doubt and passion fades into routine. It’s a song for those who have felt the slow unraveling of a relationship, not through betrayal or grand tragedy, but through the quiet realization that love isn’t always what we imagined it to be.
By the time this song was released, Essex had already experienced the dizzying highs of pop stardom, yet here, he sounds like a man who has lived, lost, and learned. His delivery is intimate, almost confessional, with a voice that carries both longing and resignation. The melody moves with a gentle ache, reinforcing the idea that love—true love—is often complicated, messy, and full of unspoken disappointments.
“So-Called Loving” is not just a love song—it’s a reckoning with expectations. It speaks to anyone who has ever wondered if they mistook infatuation for something deeper, if they held onto a feeling that had already slipped away. And yet, despite its melancholy, there’s also a quiet beauty in its honesty. David Essex doesn’t sugarcoat love, but he understands it—and in doing so, he makes us feel understood too.