Fading Echoes of the Teen Dream: When the Pop Star Grew Up
The tender, heartfelt plea for enduring affection that captures the final, fragile moments of a fleeting pop phenomenon.
For a brief, incandescent period in the late 1970s, Shaun Cassidy possessed a unique kind of stardom—the white-hot, screaming, magazine-cover kind that few performers ever experience. He was a perfect distillation of the era’s bubblegum pop, delivering chart-topping joy with effortless charm. But every explosion must fade, and by 1979, the cultural tides were rapidly shifting toward disco and New Wave, leaving the traditional teen idol behind. The song “Only Because Of Love” sits right at this poignant cusp, found on Shaun Cassidy’s fourth studio album, Room Service, released in July 1979.
This album, and this particular track, carry the undeniable weight of an artist struggling to maintain a foothold while the ground beneath him began to crumble. Commercially, Room Service was a sharp departure from his earlier, gold-selling glory. Neither the album itself nor its only single, “You’re Usin’ Me,” managed to find a spot on the US Billboard 200 or Hot 100 charts, respectively. “Only Because Of Love,” written by producer Michael Lloyd, was not released as a single, meaning it has no official chart position, but it functions as a crucial piece of the album’s narrative—a gentle, almost defensive affirmation of romantic commitment.
Listening to “Only Because Of Love” now, it feels less like a throwaway pop tune and more like a sincere declaration of devotion designed to reassure. The meaning is simple, yet profound: the protagonist’s world may be unstable, his fame may be fleeting, but his bond with his beloved is the one thing that remains true and anchored. It’s a sentiment that may have reflected Shaun Cassidy’s own precarious position, needing to affirm the permanence of something in a career built on beautiful ephemera.
The song employs a slightly more adult contemporary sound than the pure power-pop of his biggest hits like “Da Doo Ron Ron.” It’s polished, melodic, and showcases a vulnerability in Cassidy’s voice that his earlier, more frantic teen anthems rarely allowed. For those who collected the albums and followed his journey past the initial hype, this track is a warm, almost private moment—a glimpse of the earnest young man trying to find his footing outside the spotlight’s glare.
The entire Room Service album, featuring “Only Because Of Love,” was produced by Michael Lloyd and utilized a large assembly of session musicians, creating a sound that was robust, yet perhaps spread too thin as it tried to evolve. The fact that the album quickly disappeared from the public eye only adds a layer of bittersweet nostalgia to the track. It reminds us of a time when the music business was ruthless in its turnover of teen idols, but also highlights the quiet resilience of artists like Shaun Cassidy who continued to make music, even as the stadium lights dimmed. “Only Because Of Love” is a delicate, heartfelt echo from the end of an extraordinary, youthful dream.