Tonight’s song looks back on a relationship that has ended, and tries to work out what it really was.
Learn from Songs · Unit 8: Modals · B1–B2
It Must Have Been Love
A power ballad that looks back and reasons about the past: modals of deduction (must have, can’t have, might have, could have + past participle), and must / can’t / might for deductions about now, with Philo, and the mystery of a broken vase at the Museum.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
Was it love?
SOPHIA
That’s exactly the question. And the answer is in the title, with a grammar point we need for deduction: must have.
PHILO
Deduction! Like a philosopher.
Before you listen: the song
Sweden, 1987, and Hollywood, 1990
Roxette were a Swedish duo: the songwriter and guitarist Per Gessle, and the singer Marie Fredriksson, with her extraordinary, powerful voice. “It Must Have Been Love” was first released in Sweden in 1987 as a sad Christmas song.
In 1990, a new version was used in the film Pretty Woman, in one of its most emotional moments. It went to number one in the USA and became one of the biggest hits of the year. In 2026, nearly forty years after it was first released, its video passed a billion views on YouTube.
In the song, the singer wakes up alone and looks back. She reasons about what happened: she decides that what they had was real love, and that it has ended.
Reasoning about the past.
Listen: looking back
PHILO
Listen once. How does the singer feel? What is she trying to understand?
SOPHIA
Then listen for must have. Answer Section A.
🏺 Listen to the song: “It Must Have Been Love” (Per Gessle, Roxette, 1987/1990).Watch the official video →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “It Must Have Been Love”, Roxette.Read the lyrics →
Must have: almost certain
DEMETRIA
The vase is wet. Someone must have knocked over the jug.
SOPHIA
must have + past participle = I’m almost sure it happened, because of the evidence: The streets are wet. It must have rained. She must have been tired.
Can’t have, couldn’t have: impossible
MARCOS
The gardener can’t have done it: he was at the market.
SOPHIA
can’t / couldn’t have + past participle = I’m sure it didn’t happen. Careful: the opposite of must have is can’t have, not mustn’t have!
Might, may, could have: possible
PHILO
It might have been the cat. It may have been an accident. It could have been anyone.
SOPHIA
might / may / could have + past participle = perhaps it happened. And for the present, without have: He must be tired. She can’t be at home. They might be lost.
Sophia’s comparison: reasoning backwards
SOPHIA
Our doctors in Alexandria reason like this: the patient has a fever and a rash, so it must have been the water from the old well.
PHILO
And King Solomon, with the two women and one baby: the real mother must be the one who would rather lose the child than see it hurt.
DEMETRIA
So deduction can save a life.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| must have + past participle | almost certain about the past | It must have rained. |
| can’t / couldn’t have | sure it didn’t happen | He can’t have done it. |
| might / may / could have | possible | It might have been the cat. |
| must / can’t / might + base verb | deductions about the present | He must be tired. |
| must have been | the past of must be | It must have been love. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. How does the singer feel?
2. What is she trying to understand?
3. Which film made the song famous?
4. Where were Roxette from?
5. How was the song first released in 1987?
6. How does the music sound?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. The streets are wet. It must rained.
8. He was at the market. He have done it. (impossible)
9. It might have the cat. (be)
10. She must have her keys. (forget)
11. He’s yawning. He must tired.
12. It have been an accident. (perhaps)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He mustn’t have done it: he was in Rome.”
14. “She must have left early.”
15. “It might has been the wind.”
16. “They can’t be at home: the lights are off.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Mystery pictures. Look at a strange photo (a broken window, a wet dog, an empty fridge). Explain what must have, might have, and can’t have happened.
Discuss. 1. Why are songs about the end of love so popular? 2. Can you be sure about the past? 3. Who is the best detective you know (in books or films)?
Write (100–120 words). The mystery. Describe a strange situation you found (real or invented) and explain what must have, might have and can’t have happened.
Now play the gamebook: Philo and the mystery of the broken vase.Play the gamebook →