10cc’s Graham Gouldman says Doja Cat sampling I’m Not in Love brought the veteran pop rock band’s music to “a different audience”.
The 1975 chart-topper was revived on the Say So hitmaker’s 2023 track Shutcho and the 79-year-old co-lead singer and bassist of the legendary group has quipped that he is “down with the kids” after the unlikely crossover with the 29-year-old rapper-and-singer.
Taking part in NME’s Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! series, Graham said of the sample: “Ah, you see, I’m down with the kids, man! [Laughs] I don’t mind these things. It’s great if it works artistically, and it also helps to bring the music of 10cc to a different audience that wouldn’t have normally bothered with it.”
I’m Not In Love was recently covered by Pretenders bandleader Chrissie Hynde and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers on her Duets album, but Graham was none the wiser.
He reacted: “Really?! Our publishers never tell us anything! That’s brilliant. I liked The Pretenders’ version; I just love Chrissie Hynde’s voice.”
The song also got a boost in 2014, when it was featured in the Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy.
Graham said of the track’s legacy: “It’s hard to say what the secret of ‘I’m Not in Love’’s enduring success is. There are certain songs that I’ve written, or co-written, that are imbued with extra magic that on the surface doesn’t appear to be there. Somehow, they have this special quality that makes them different from other songs that you might think are equally good or even better. ‘I’m Not in Love’ has this hypnotic quality about it, particularly the opening chords, which are just beautiful. When it appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, that gave it a boost, particularly with a younger audience.”
A cover by The Pretenders was specifically recorded for the Soundtrack of the 1993 movie Indecent Proposal.
Queen Latifah also recorded a cover on her album Trav’lin’ Light, and a version by Kelsey Lu was featured in the teen drama series Euphoria.
The musician also surprisingly revealed he’s a huge fan of Billie Eilish.
He said: “I listen to the Spotify Top 20, and there’s always good stuff in it. The person I think of immediately is Billie Eilish. I like her voice, songs, and the production is really good.”