Graham Gouldman of 10CC names the worst cover of his timeless hit I’m Not In Love

WHO has done the worst cover version of 10CC’s timeless classic I’m Not in Love, which was released in 1975? Co-author Graham Gouldman reveals.

10CC’s I’m Not In Love turns 40

IT’S a timeless hit, but 10CC’s song I’m Not in Love officially turned 40 this year.

I’m Not in Love, a ballad built on layered vocals, was released in 1975 and went on to be a global hit, played on US radio over three million times alone.

It’s been covered by everyone from Deni Hines to Tori Amos, Tex Perkins to, most recently, Diana Krall.

The song’s co-author Graham Gouldman loves Krall’s version and indeed most renditions. Except one.

“Petula Clark did a disco version of I’m Not in Love,” he says. “It was pretty horrible.”

BEST FIVE SONGS FROM GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Gouldman cites I’m Not in Love, Dreadlock Holiday and The Things We Do For Love as 10CC’s most in-demand songs — he reworked Dreadlock Holiday for Cricket Australia once.

“Ironically I’ve never been to a cricket match in my life,” 69-year-old Gouldman says.

The ‘art rock’ band ruled music charts in the ‘70s with other hits including Rubber Bullets, Art for Art’s Sake, Donna and The Wall Street Shuffle.

Happier times ... Only half of the original 10CC line-up are OK with Graham Gouldman (right) still touring.

In 2015, he’s the only original member of 10CC still on the road, with band mates Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme generally OK about him touring under the band name. Generally.

“There’s not 100-per-cent happiness about it,” Gouldman admits. “I’m happy with it, so that’s 25-per-cent happiness. And Kevin Godley’s happy with it. I know that because he’s got on stage with us a few times. I got him up to sing Rubber Bullets with us in Ireland recently.

“No one’s stopping me, although it’s a bit late now, I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I’m the only one touring. If it was the original four I’m sure we’d be doing much, much larger gigs than we do. But I understand it isn’t and really to me the way I look at it the songs are the stars of the show. The songs have always been what 10CC were all about, rather than personalities. In a way that worked well for me, you don’t need to have everybody there.”

Gouldman’s touring line-up features drummer Paul Burgess who has toured with 10CC since 1973 and Rick Fenn, who joined the band in 1976 after Godley and Creme left and now commutes between Byron Bay and wherever 10CC are on the road.

“This line-up is as good as it’s going to get,” Gouldman says of anyone still fantasing about a reunion.

“I just love performing. I’m lucky, my working life, I get to do the three things I love the most. Songwriting, recording and playing live. Never a day goes by when I do not appreciate how lucky I am to do that.”

Hits out for the lads ... Graham Gouldman promises all the hits, as you remember them.

This year Gouldman performed the band’s second album Sheet Music (1974) in full in the UK, a lot of people’s favourite 10CC album, including his and Kevin Godley’s.

That Sheet Music tour won’t be coming to Australia (“it’s too expensive unfortunately”) but he hopes it might in the future.

“Some songs from that album I had never played live. When I started rehearsing them I realised why. They’re so complex and arguably not concert-friendly. They demand to be listened to, something like Clockwork Creep, there’s so much going on for it. There’s people in the audience who know every track intimately on Sheet Music, but the people who only know the hits have a slight look of bewilderment on the faces.”

Instead Australia will get the hits. All of them.

“We play around 90 minutes usually, when you do a festival for 45 minutes it’s a nice struggle to think what you have to take out,” Gouldman says.

“And all the versions are as near as possible to the record. I don’t mess around with the body of the song. I always go by what I’d expect from a gig. We do all the big hits. I’m not afraid of the obvious.”

10CC play Palms at Crown, Melbourne, Friday; Ulumbarra Theatre Bendigo Saturday; Frankston Arts Centre, Monday; The Auditorium at Vikings, Canberra, November 4; WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, November 5; Revesby Workers, Sydney, November 6; Twin Towns Services Club, Tweed Heads, November 7; and Airlie Beach Festival of Music, on November 8.

Originally published as Graham Gouldman of 10CC names the worst cover of his timeless hit I’m Not In Love