"I Think They Call This Love" is the debut single by British singer Elliot James Reay. Released on July 17, 2024, it is the lead single of Reay's debut extended-play All This To Say I Love You. The song has been streamed more than 100 million times on Spotify, and peaked at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart. After releasing "I Think They Call This Love" as an independent artist, Reay eventually signed with EMI and Interscope Records.[1][2]
Reay had previously been posting covers of 1950s-60s songs from Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison on YouTube since the age of 17, which is a style Reay has cited influenced him in the making of the song. While attracting millions of views on social media[3], Reay grew tired of the repetition of making cover videos[4] and realized that – without his own original music – "it's all just a hobby".[5]
Reay wrote "I Think I Call This Love" with his first love, in three to four hours of trial and error.[4][6] He said that the words and melody came very easy, as the song itself sounds like something he would listen to.[7] The song is based on Reay's own experience of falling in love for the first time. Lyrics include "They say, you know when you know, so let's face it: you had me at 'hello.'"[8]
Reay was initially advised against making "I Think They Call This Love"[9] and told to release something more radio-friendly or widely liked as his first single instead.[4] He persisted and recorded the song anyway with the producer duo SOAP.[10] To stay close to a 1950s vintage style, the single was recorded live to tape as much as possible, using live instruments and vintage equipment, and keeping digital manipulation to an absolute minimum.[10]
The single received over 10 million views prior to its full release in July,[12][13] and over 100 million streams since. It was on Spotify's Viral charts in 27+ countries, reaching #4 on the Global Viral 50.[2] The song peaked at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart in March 2025.
Over 100,000 users have used the music of "I Think They Call This Love" in their own TikTok videos.[5] In March 2025, Reay's debut single won the "Road to Memphis" competition, where it was chosen from over 33,000 international entries.[14]
The 1950s vintage style of the song and accompanying music video have some listeners across social media platforms erroneously believe it is an Elvis Presley cover.[4] Reay stated that while he finds this flattering and has played into it slightly, he does not think it sounds like Elvis.[4]
Reay has performed the song numerous times, including during his debut live show at The Deaf Institute in Manchester in December 2024.[15] He has also performed the song multiple times on Philippine media, including television programs It's Showtime[16] and ASAP[17] and at a live radio bus road show hosted by DNWU (Wish 107.5).[18]
The single was included in Reay's debut extended play All This To Say I Love You, and upon its release on June 27, 2025, Reay embarked on his sold-out debut headlining tour.[19]
Music video and other versions
An official lyric video for the song was released on July 17, 2024 on YouTube, with an official music video following shortly after on July, 25 2024. "The Making Of" and "Behind The Scenes" videos were released respectively on July 21, 2024 and July 31, 2024. An additional acoustic version was released on September 17, 2024.
Reay wanted to keep the music video simple to keep the song the focal part. As he was independent (unsigned) at the time the music video was created, a lot of it is "homemade" and Reay styled himself.[4]
Singer-songwriter Matthew Ifield released a cover version of the song on November 28, 2024, which has garnered over 30 million streams on Spotify, and 43 million views on YouTube. The popularity of the cover led to confusion among listeners about who the original singer is.[20] Ifield altered the lyrics and published the cover on digital platforms without permission. This has been acknowledged as "a clear violation of copyright law and music ethics", and resulted in YouTube removing at least one of Ifield's videos because of copyright infringement.[20]
Charts
Weekly chart performance for "I Think They Call This Love"
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