Public_image_limited_this_is_not_a_love_song Apr 2026

"" is the most commercially successful single by the English post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL) , released in 1983. Frontman John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten) wrote the track as a satirical response to record company pressure for a hit and accusations from fans that he was "selling out" to big business. Background and Meaning

: The lyrics reject the sentimentality of standard pop, instead focusing on "cold hard commerce" and survival in the 1980s.

: While it uses the structure of a pop song, the "sadistic" and repetitive lyrics undermine any actual romantic emotion. Musical Style and Production This is not a love song by Public Image Ltd - Facebook

: Lydon intended the song as a "poignant dig" at the music business. In response to being called a "bourgeois shit," he wrote a track leaning into that persona with his tongue firmly in cheek.