I Want Your Love: Why Chic’s Ode To Unrequited Love Conquers All

“Back then I didn’t know what a sequencer was”

At the time, the most innovative and futuristic disco release was widely considered to be Donna Summer’s 1977 single I Feel Love, produced by Italian electro pioneer Giorgio Moroder. Rodgers was a huge fan of Moroder’s use of Moog synthesiser and sequencer, calling it “the funkiest shit in life”. Keen to make use of similar techniques on I Want Your Love, he emulated I Feel Love’s smooth and repetitive style in the only way he could – by playing staccato stabs of guitar with expert precision. “I didn’t realise he used a sequencer,” Rodgers later explained, “but back then I didn’t know what a sequencer was.”

Proving that innovation is purely about harnessing the resources artists have at their disposal, the fact that I Want Your Love came out sounding so clean and clinical without the aid of such cutting-edge technology is mind-blowing. By essentially becoming a human sequencer himself, Rodgers showed how meticulous his guitar-playing was, interlocking with Edwards’ bass-playing like jigsaw-puzzle pieces falling into place. Arguably, the song’s immaculate production was just as forward-thinking as Moroder’s while still maintaining its allegiance to analogue studio tricks.

“We knew how that was going to be from the beginning”

Ultimately, the icing on the cake for I Want Your Love was its orchestral arrangements, which grabbed listeners by the throat right from the sound of percussionist Jose Rossy’s tubular bells. Masterminded by concertmaster Gene Orloff, the overall sound bore many similarities to the work of Norman Whitfield on Rose Royce’s 1976 hit, Car Wash, though Orloff made some suggestions that would elevate Chic’s song above the competition. “Nile, since we’re going this long amount of time,” he said, “why don’t the strings go up an octave for the second part?” The resulting instrumental moment where the octave shifts and the horns are chased by the strings is as captivating it gets – not to mention considerably daring for a pop record.

Released on 29 January 1979, I Want Your Love became yet another million-selling single for Chic, peaking at No.7 in the US and No.4 in the UK. The way its dream-like inspiration filtered into the studio while the song took shape was undoubtedly a source of pride for Rodgers. “We knew how that was going to be more or less from the beginning when we began writing it,” the guitarist told Blues & Soul magazine in 1979.

He had every reason to be pleased. Not only did I Want Your Love broaden Chic’s songwriting scope by moving beyond dancing to tackle love and relationships, but it also saw their sophisticated mix of elegant basslines and funky guitar grooves literally make dreams come true. You can’t ask for more than that.

Find out where I Want Your Love ranks among our best Chic songs.