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.
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". 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. 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 March 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. 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.
Later recordings
- Isaac Hayes covered the song for his 1970 album ...To Be Continued. While Hayes used the same lyrics, his cover includes a unique instrumental which has been heavily sampled on R&B and hip-hop records.
- Tony Bennett covered this song in his 1970 album Tony Sings The Great Hits of Today.
- El Chicano covered "The Look of Love" on their 1970 album, Viva Tirado.
- In 2001, Diana Krall, a multi Grammy winner Canadian jazz pianist and singer, recorded the song in her best-selling album The Look of Love.
- In 2007, Shelby Lynne released a Dusty Springfield tribute CD, Just A Little Lovin' , that contained a cover of this song.
References
External links
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