# I Think They Call This Love
**I Think They Call This Love** is the debut single by the English singer-songwriter [Elliot James Reay](https://www.edgepedia.org/elliot-james-reay), released on 17 July 2024 by Elliot James Reay LTD under exclusive license to Interscope/[EMI Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/emi-records).[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAnLyHsc3-Y) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-single/1774111278) Reay wrote the song with Glen Roberts and Annielle Lisiuk, and the production duo SOAP produced it.[3](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-elliot-james-reay/dydlvchkue9pc) • [4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) Written and recorded in deliberate imitation of late-1950s rock and roll balladry, it spread virally on TikTok in 2024 and became Reay's breakout hit, later appearing on his debut EP *All This To Say I Love You* (2025).[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) • [5](https://www.shazam.com/song/1773104555/i-think-they-call-this-love)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Elliot James Reay, then a 22-year-old from Bury, near Manchester, releasing his first original single[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) |
| Released | 17 July 2024, a one-track single; ℗ 2024 Elliot James Reay LTD under exclusive license to Interscope/EMI Records[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAnLyHsc3-Y) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-single/1774111278) |
| Writers | Elliot James Reay, Glen Roberts, and Annielle Lisiuk[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAnLyHsc3-Y) • [4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) |
| Production | SOAP produced; live instruments and vintage equipment, recorded live to tape with digital manipulation kept to a minimum[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) |
| Length | 3:13[3](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-elliot-james-reay/dydlvchkue9pc) |
| Style | 1950s rock and roll ballad channeling Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) • [6](https://www.iaasmusic.com/posts/the-1960s-are-back) |
| Streaming | 221,457,693 Spotify streams as of 8 October 2026, Reay's most-streamed song[7](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/artist/2PI9HrzzMTN7E5poWl4QX5_songs.html) |
| UK chart peaks | No. 4 Official Physical Singles (8 weeks), No. 3 Official Vinyl Singles (2 weeks), No. 65 Official Singles Sales (1 week), first chart date 20 March 2025[8](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/elliot-james-reay-i-think-they-call-this-love/) |
## Background and writing
Reay grew up in Bury, near Manchester, and has said that the sounds of [Elvis Presley](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-presley), Roy Orbison, and [Billy Fury](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-fury) shaped his love of music.[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) Before releasing original material he built an audience on social media with covers; Chartmetric describes him as an English singer-songwriter bridging 1950s rock 'n' roll with modern audiences.[9](https://chartmetric.com/artist/8685094) At the time of the single's release he had more than 3 million followers across platforms, and two videos of him performing Presley's "Devil in Disguise" and [Ed Sheeran](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sheeran)'s "Thinking Out Loud" had a combined 56 million views on TikTok alone.[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/)
**The song was a hard sell internally.** Reay wrote it with Glen Roberts, a writer and producer with credits including AURORA, Olivia Dean, and Rachel Chinouriri, and with Annielle Lisiuk.[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) In a later interview he said he "was definitely advised against making 'I Think They Call This Love,'" but stuck to his decision and felt he had proved the music still had a place.[10](https://www.unclearmag.com/music-posts/2025/3/13/elliot-james-reay-interview) He has also described the song as the first time he and SOAP ever worked together.[11](https://principlemagazine.com/2025/08/05/elliot-james-reay/) One profile of his vocal approach notes that he subtly underscored his northern Bury accent in the singing, which he felt gave him distance from his Orbison and Presley models.[12](https://www.euphoriazine.com/blog/2025/08/interviews-elliot-james-reay/)
## Production and sound
The song is a romantic ballad styled as a long-lost 1950s record, with what its press release called timeless romance, classic songwriting, and swooning vocal harmonies.[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) Streaming services classify it as pop.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-single/1774111278) • [3](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-elliot-james-reay/dydlvchkue9pc) To keep the period sound, Reay and SOAP used live instruments and vintage equipment and recorded live to tape as much as possible, keeping digital manipulation to an absolute minimum.[4](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/) A retrospective feature notes that Reay's label initially wanted a more marketable, contemporary sound, and that his commitment to recording the acoustic instrumentation to tape gave the record its warm, analog tone.[6](https://www.iaasmusic.com/posts/the-1960s-are-back)
The session personnel listed on the release are Reay on vocals, background vocals, and guitar; [Karl Ziegler](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-ziegler) on piano, synthesizer, and organ; Rhys Jiang on bass guitar, drums, and percussion; and Josh Noble on guitar and background vocals, with Glen Roberts as additional producer and programmer.[13](https://www.universalmusic.it/popular-music/album/i-think-they-call-this-love_37671394495/) Reay's management and executive producer is the company SIX3SIX, credited on the official video.[14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1mOmdykmwI)
## Release and viral spread
The single appeared on 17 July 2024 with an official lyric video the same day, followed by the official music video on 25 July 2024.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-single/1774111278) • [14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1mOmdykmwI) The lyric video has about 31 million views and the official video about 98.9 million on YouTube.[15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxfbUPpwDlw) • [14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1mOmdykmwI) Reay has said the song became a viral TikTok sensation by chance, after he posted a first video and went off to play snooker.[11](https://principlemagazine.com/2025/08/05/elliot-james-reay/) Apple Music's related-releases row for the single lists [Stephen Sanchez](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-sanchez)'s retro ballad "[Until I Found You](https://www.edgepedia.org/until-i-found-you)" alongside it.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-single/1774111278)
The song's streaming audience skews toward Southeast Asia. In Spotify's weekly national charts it peaked at number 120 in Indonesia, number 156 in the Philippines, and number 157 in Malaysia.[16](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/track/4oHQ8n9OKQ3599e8noCrDX.html) Reay has connected this reach to the region's karaoke culture, saying that in Southeast Asia karaoke draws heavily on music from the 1960s through the 1990s; the song appears in commercial karaoke songbooks under his name.[17](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/news/articles/cg5v50jnzv0o) • [18](https://www.excessskaraoke.com/songbooks/excesss-regular-by-title.pdf)
## Commercial performance
On Spotify the track passed 121 million streams by August 2025 and reached 221,457,693 streams by 8 October 2026, when it was drawing about 173,726 daily streams and stood far ahead of Reay's next most-streamed song, "Boy In Love," at 16.6 million.[11](https://principlemagazine.com/2025/08/05/elliot-james-reay/) • [7](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/artist/2PI9HrzzMTN7E5poWl4QX5_songs.html) Its highest position on an Apple Music chart was number 33, reached on 27 October 2024.[19](https://www.top-charts.com/s/i-think-they-call-this-love-elliot-james-reay) On iTunes it has appeared at number 98 in Latvia and number 160 in Indonesia.[20](https://kworb.net/itunes/artist/elliotjamesreay.html)
**UK chart entry.** The song entered the UK's Official Charts on 20 March 2025 on the EMI label, catalog number UKW3Z2402037.[8](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/elliot-james-reay-i-think-they-call-this-love/) It peaked at number 4 on the Official Physical Singles Chart over 8 weeks, number 3 on the Official Vinyl Singles Chart over 2 weeks, and number 65 on the Official Singles Sales Chart for 1 week.[8](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/elliot-james-reay-i-think-they-call-this-love/)
## Covers and later releases
The song has attracted numerous covers. [The Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-australian) singer Matthew Ifield released a cover that had accumulated 113,364,283 Spotify streams by October 2026, making it his most-streamed recording, and his version circulates widely as a TikTok sound.[21](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/6yMqTedMPaztNCXt74pVMI_songs.html) • [22](https://chartex.com/song/luke-buwalda-i-think-they-call-this-love-9226091) Other versions include an acoustic cover by Sunkissed, a nightcore version by neko, and singles by Stefan Wasowski and Luke Buwalda.[23](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1762521176) • [24](https://open.spotify.com/track/5qM8wsi4HOvdFgNn0Y1OjI) • [25](https://open.spotify.com/album/1sHMsDYen3moem1tn5CYIQ) • [22](https://chartex.com/song/luke-buwalda-i-think-they-call-this-love-9226091)
Reay later placed the song on his debut EP *All This To Say I Love You*, released on 27 June 2025, a six-track collection he described as being about different types of love.[5](https://www.shazam.com/song/1773104555/i-think-they-call-this-love) • [11](https://principlemagazine.com/2025/08/05/elliot-james-reay/) The song also earned him the Road To Memphis Song Of The Year Award, which he has said helped him obtain a visa to perform in the United States, and it appears in his live setlists, featured ninth in the set at Copenhagen's Royal Arena in November 2025.[26](https://www.vintagerockmag.com/2026/05/elliot-james-reay-interview/) • [27](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917qLD7/elliot-james-reay-events) On the review aggregator Album of the Year, the single holds a user score of 74 based on 17 ratings.[28](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1027145-elliot-james-reay-i-think-they-call-this-love.php)
## References
1. [I Think They Call This Love (audio release page), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAnLyHsc3-Y)
2. [I Think They Call This Love - Single, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-single/1774111278)
3. [I Think They Call This Love by Elliot James Reay, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/i-think-they-call-this-love-elliot-james-reay/dydlvchkue9pc)
4. [Elliot James Reay Channels The Sound Of Elvis And Roy Orbison On His Debut Single 'I Think They Call This Love', XS Noize](https://www.xsnoize.com/elliot-james-reay-channels-the-sound-of-elvis-and-roy-orbison-on-his-debut-single-i-think-they-call-this-love/)
5. [I Think They Call This Love - Elliot James Reay, Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/song/1773104555/i-think-they-call-this-love)
6. [The 1960s Are Back, IAAS Music](https://www.iaasmusic.com/posts/the-1960s-are-back)
7. [Elliot James Reay - Spotify Top Songs, kworb.net](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/artist/2PI9HrzzMTN7E5poWl4QX5_songs.html)
8. [I THINK THEY CALL THIS LOVE - ELLIOT JAMES REAY, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/elliot-james-reay-i-think-they-call-this-love/)
9. [Elliot James Reay, Artist Stats, Streams & Social Analytics, Chartmetric](https://chartmetric.com/artist/8685094)
10. [Elliot James Reay: Interview, Unclear Magazine](https://www.unclearmag.com/music-posts/2025/3/13/elliot-james-reay-interview)
11. [Elliot James Reay, Principle Magazine](https://principlemagazine.com/2025/08/05/elliot-james-reay/)
12. [Elliot James Reay Interview, Euphoria Magazine](https://www.euphoriazine.com/blog/2025/08/interviews-elliot-james-reay/)
13. [I Think They Call This Love - Elliot James Reay, Universal Music Italia](https://www.universalmusic.it/popular-music/album/i-think-they-call-this-love_37671394495/)
14. [Elliot James Reay - I Think They Call This Love (Official Music Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1mOmdykmwI)
15. [Elliot James Reay - I Think They Call This Love (Official Lyric Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxfbUPpwDlw)
16. [Elliot James Reay - I Think They Call This Love - Spotify Chart History, kworb.net](https://www.kworb.net/spotify/track/4oHQ8n9OKQ3599e8noCrDX.html)
17. [TikTok star Elliot James Reay's journey from shops to Graceland, BBC Mirror](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/news/articles/cg5v50jnzv0o)
18. [XS 2025 August Title Master karaoke songbook, Excess Karaoke](https://www.excessskaraoke.com/songbooks/excesss-regular-by-title.pdf)
19. [I Think They Call This Love - Elliot James Reay - Chart History, Top Charts](https://www.top-charts.com/s/i-think-they-call-this-love-elliot-james-reay)
20. [Elliot James Reay Chart Positions on Spotify, Apple Music and Other Streaming Services, kworb.net](https://kworb.net/itunes/artist/elliotjamesreay.html)
21. [Matthew Ifield - Spotify Top Songs, kworb.net](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/6yMqTedMPaztNCXt74pVMI_songs.html)
22. [I Think They Call This Love - TikTok, Spotify & YouTube Analytics, Chartex](https://chartex.com/song/luke-buwalda-i-think-they-call-this-love-9226091)
23. [i think they call this love (acoustic) - Song by Sunkissed, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1762521176)
24. [I Think They Call This Love - Nightcore by neko, Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/5qM8wsi4HOvdFgNn0Y1OjI)
25. [I Think They Call This Love - Single by Stefan Wasowski, Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/1sHMsDYen3moem1tn5CYIQ)
26. [Elliot James Reay Interview, Vintage Rock Mag](https://www.vintagerockmag.com/2026/05/elliot-james-reay-interview/)
27. [Elliot James Reay - 2026 Tour Dates & Concert Schedule, Live Nation](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917qLD7/elliot-james-reay-events)
28. [Elliot James Reay - I Think They Call This Love (Single) - Reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1027145-elliot-james-reay-i-think-they-call-this-love.php)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2020s › 2024 and 2025 songs › 2024 pop songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license