The song with barely any instrumentation.

Whether it’s a cappella or whatever you want to call it, it’s a gimmick.  I know I’m meeting my critical kryptonite here as a non-singer, but I’m certain we’ve gotten a mixed bag here.  I’m one of the few people who likes “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin, but even I can’t imagine listening to that song every day for the rest of my life.  I’d want to hear a guitar or piano at some point.  Similar thoughts come to mind when I hear the a capella songs from Glee.

But some songs in this vein – not necessarily songs that are a capella – have worked.  There are some songs with barely any instrumentation that have been incredible.  At best, we’ve gotten the amazing “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc, one of the best songs of the seventies.  And then there were songs that had such incredible melodies and harmonies that… they didn’t need music.

(starts finger snapping)

“So Much In Love” – The Tymes

#1 peak (August 3, 1963)
#15 year-end

I stated near the beginning of this list, way back at my #8 entry, that some of my favorite songs of 1963 weren’t my favorites for any complicated reasons or because everyone else liked them.  Some of the songs of 1963 were so sweet and so charming in their overall sound that if they were a person, I would immediately go up and hug them.  That was true of “Our Winter Love,” and it is especially true of “So Much In Love,” the biggest hit by The Tymes.

The Tymes were an R&B group from Philadelphia, the future center of the soul music scene in the early seventies, right at the time doo-wop began transforming into R&B.  Interestingly, they are a two-hit wonder, but with only one hit stateside – their song “Ms. Grace” hit the top of the pops in the UK in 1974, eleven years after this song.  And indeed, “So Much In Love” demonstrates traits from both genres.  The harmonies are straight-up doo-wop, the type that you listened to when you drove your ‘55 Chevy to the local sock hop with your special someone in tow. All of this is accompanied by a cello substituting for a bass, as well as a light snare that has far more in common with rock and roll instrumentation than it would with Gamble and Huff.  I mean, I highly doubt Gamble and Huff would swap out their massive MFSB orchestra for a song with just two instruments used as rhythm keepers. Meanwhile, lead vocalist George Williams’s tenor vocals, with his velvet smooth voice, sounds like a forerunner to The Delfonics and The Stylistics.  And just to drive home the point that this band was a forerunner to Philadelphia’s greatest export to the music world, they would remake this song as a Philly Soul number in 1974, the year they came back with “Ms. Grace.” So let’s get into why the combination of vocals and instrumentation on “So Much In Love” is so amazing.

As I implied in the opening, there is hardly any music in this song.  Well, at least, played by instruments.  After an opening xylophone intro with the opening line, “We find ourselves… in a world of our own” followed by a sample of the ocean waves and an accompaniment of seagulls, there is no music for the first verse.  These guys as vocalists are incredible together.  Not only is his voice so smooth, but Williams’s vocals show the perfect range required for this song, demonstrating an effortless rise from the deep and sharp intro of “As we stroll along together…” to the soothing falsetto that sings “So in love are we to, just to wait to say ‘I do.’”  And the backing vocals are just pure harmonic bliss.  Listen to how thrilled and snappy that “do-do-we-oooh” is in the middle of the verse. It’s so beautiful how the backing vocals of The Tymes harmonize, as if they are of one mind.

When the music does come in on the second verse, it is still a showcase for The Tymes and their harmonies, since all there is is the cello and drums.  When we get to the bridge, we get treated to more vocal acrobatics, as the ascending falsettos serve as the perfect complement to Williams’s ode to true love.  That brings us to the lyrics.  And while “So Much In Love” is yet another silly love song that isn’t real deep, who could resist the sweet vibes this song gives off?

As we walk down the aisle together
We will vow to be together ’til we die
So in love are we two
Just can’t wait to say, “I do”
So in love (so in love)
In a world of our own (so in love)

This song’s message of a couple very much in romantic and marital bliss is so intoxicating and lovely that I can’t understand why people who sang about relationships focused so much on more depressing topics throughout 1963.  Can’t there be more songs that are this cute and sweet?  Guys?  Gals?  Just… something that’s sweet.  That’s all I want.

“So Much In Love” is a treasure.  It’s so beautifully sung and written that I can’t even say in the slightest that this song is a guilty pleasure.  If there is any vocal performance to listen to a single song from in 1963, this is the one.  And its harmonies would have rode all the way to the top of this list… if it hadn’t been for one other song.

UP NEXT: Before I reveal the best song of the year, let’s go over some honorable mentions.

IMAGE SOURCES

Album cover from Amazon

Photo of the Tymes from Soul Express

Image of a happy couple from Pinterest