The Look of Love (1967 song)

"The Look of Love" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by English pop singer Dusty Springfield, which appeared in the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale. In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[1] It also received a Best Song nomination in the 1968 Academy Awards.

"The Look of Love"
Song by Dusty Springfield
from the album Casino Royale Soundtrack
ReleasedJanuary 29, 1967
StudioPhilips Studios, London
GenrePop, jazz
Length4:11
LabelColgems
Composer(s)Burt Bacharach
Lyricist(s)Hal David
Producer(s)Phil Ramone
Audio sample
The Look of Love
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Songwriters

The music was written by Burt Bacharach, and was originally intended to be an instrumental. But later Hal David added the lyrics, and the song was published in 1967. According to Bacharach, the melody was inspired by watching Ursula Andress in an early cut of the film.[2]

Recordings

Early recordings

The first recording is by Stan Getz as an instrumental in December 1966.[3] The song with lyrics was originally recorded by Dusty Springfield for the Casino Royale soundtrack, receiving an Oscar nomination and reaching the US Top 40. Phil Ramone, the soundtrack's engineer, recorded the song separately from the rest of the film tracks. Springfield re-recorded the song the same year in London, featuring a throaty saxophone solo, and released it as the B-side of "Give Me Time". The song as performed by Springfield also features prominently in Catch Me If You Can (2002), with director Steven Spielberg selecting the song as he believed it added to the atmosphere and environment of the film.[4] The song also features on the film's soundtrack.

Claudine Longet recorded the song on her 1967 album of the same title. Lainie Kazan also recorded "The Look of Love" (arranged by Pat Williams) on her 1967 album Love Is Lainie. Nina Simone also recorded "The Look of Love" in 1967 on her album Silk & Soul. Morgana King recorded "The Look of Love" on her 1967 album Gemini Rising.

"The Look of Love"
Single by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66
from the album Look Around
B-side"Like a Lover"
Released1968 (1968)
GenreBossa nova
Length3:03
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Burt Bacharach, Hal David
"The Look of Love"
Song by Isaac Hayes
from the album ...To Be Continued
Released1970
RecordedSummer 1970
GenreFunk, soul [5]
Composer(s)Burt Bacharach
Lyricist(s)Hal David

Sérgio Mendes' hit rendition on the Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 album Look Around reached #4 on the pop charts after their performance in the Academy Awards telecast in April 1968. The lead vocal on this single was handled by Janis Hansen, not Lani Hall, a rarity in the early Brasil '66 canon. Andy Williams released a version in 1967 on his album, Love, Andy, while Nancy Wilson included the song on her 1968 album Easy. Soul group The Delfonics also covered the song in 1968 on their album La La Means I Love You, while the legendary Motown quartet Four Tops gave the song a sweeping Broadway-like treatment on their 1969 album Soul Spin. Brazilian threesome Som Três recorded an early instrumental version on their album Show (Odeon, 1968). Dorothy Ashby included the song in her 1968 album Afro-Harping. An instrumental version of the song was included on the 1967 Burt Bacharach album Reach Out,[6] which was also featured on the soundtrack for the film The Boys in the Band.[7]

Notable cover versions
gollark: IT'S LOOSELY DEFINED AND NOBODY WILL COMPLAIN MUCH
gollark: WE CAN
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gollark: How about "just stop introducing abstraction and write the interpreter"?
gollark: Alternately, trenzeblicize.

References

Footnotes

  1. "Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Grammy.org. Retrieved December 21, 2012
  2. Dominic, Serene (2003). Burt Bacharach, Song by Song: The Ultimate Burt Bacharach Reference for Fans, Serious Record Collectors, and Music Critics. Music Sales Group. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8256-7280-4. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  3. Churchill, Nicholas (December 15, 2004). Stan Getz: An Annotated Bibliography and Filmography, with Song and Session Information for Albums. McFarland. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-7864-1949-4. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  4. Peña-Acuña (2018), p. 56.
  6. AllMusic
  7. AllMusic

Bibliography

  • Peña-Acuña, Beatriz (2018). Understanding Steven Spielberg. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781527508187.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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