| 'The Look of Love' | |
|---|---|
| Song by Dusty Springfield | |
| from the album Casino Royale Soundtrack | |
| Released | January 29, 1967 |
| Studio | Philips Studios, London |
| Genre | Pop, jazz |
| Length | 4:11 |
| Label | Colgems |
| Composer(s) | Burt Bacharach |
| Lyricist(s) | Hal David |
| Producer(s) | Phil Ramone |
| Audio sample | |
The Look of Love | |
Frau Hoffner (Anna Quayle) is a minor antagonist in the 1967 comedy spy spoof on a James Bond film, 'Casino Royale'. Frau Hoffner runs a school of espionage that is housed right along the Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany. She is assistedwith her sidekick Polo (Ronnie Corbett). Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet) is recruited by her father, Sir James Bond (David Niven) to spy on the school. Casino Royale had been produced as a 1954 television episode and a non-canonical 1967 satirical film. Eon Productions gained the rights to Casino Royale in 1999 after Sony Pictures Entertainment exchanged them for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 's rights to Spider-Man.
'The Look of Love' is a popularsong composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by English pop singer Dusty Springfield. The song is notable for its sensuality and its relaxed bossa nova rhythm.[1][2] The song was featured in the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale. In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[3] It also received a Best Song nomination in the 1968 Academy Awards.
Songwriters[edit]
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.[4]
Recordings[edit]
Early recordings[edit]
Stan Getz made the first recording of the song, an instrumental version, in December 1966 for his album What the World Needs Now: Stan Getz Plays Burt Bacharach and Hal David.[5] The first recording featuring the song's lyrics was by Dusty Springfield, for the Casino Royale soundtrack. Phil Ramone, the soundtrack's engineer, recorded the song separately from the rest of the film tracks. The film version received an Oscar nomination for songwriters Bacharach and David.[6] Springfield re-recorded the song the same year for Philips Records with an arrangement about half a minute shorter than the soundtrack version. Both Springfield versions feature a breathy tenor saxophone solo similar in style to Stan Getz's playing on his early-1960s bossa nova hit recordings like 'The Girl from Ipanema' and 'Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)'. Her Philips single version reached #22 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in November 1967. Springfield's Philips version was later featured in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.[7]
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' |
| Released | 1968 |
| Genre | Bossa nova |
| Length | 3:03 |
| Label | A&M |
| Songwriter(s) | Burt Bacharach, Hal David |
| 'The Look of Love' | |
|---|---|
| Song by Isaac Hayes | |
| from the album ...To Be Continued | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | Summer 1970 |
| Genre | Funk, soul[8] |
| 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,[9] which was also featured on the soundtrack for the film The Boys in the Band.[10]
Notable cover versions[edit]
- Bobbie Gentry performed perhaps the first cover version on The Carol Burnett Show, Season 1, Episode 6 in October 1967.
- Dionne Warwick, who recorded a number of Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs, performed her own cover version for her 1969 album Dionne Warwick's Greatest Motion Picture Hits.
- In 1969, American rock band Vanilla Fudge released an experimental version of the song, as the band was famous for innovative rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs of the time.
- Isaac Hayes covered the song for his 1970 album ...To Be Continued. While Hayes used the same lyrics, his cover includes a unique instrumental arrangement which has been heavily sampled on R&B and hip-hop records. His version of the song was also featured in the film Dead Presidents.
- Gladys Knight covered the song in 1973 where it reached number 21 in the UK Chart.
- A version performed by Susanna Hoffs was featured in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and was included on the film's soundtrack.
- Marilyn Scott covered the song on her Avenues of Love 1998 album.
- In 1999, smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G recorded the song on the tenor saxophone on his album Classics in the Key of G.
- In 2001, Canadian jazz singer/pianist Diana Krall recorded the song as the title track of her album The Look of Love.
- Diana Ross covered the song for her 2006 album, I Love You.
- The song is covered by Mari Wilson on her 2016 release Pop Deluxe and is a regular feature of her live shows.
- Bobby Womack also covered this song in his 1973 album Facts of Life.
- Covered by Say Lou Lou in 2019.
References[edit]
Footnotes
- ^Howes, Paul (2012). The Complete Dusty Springfield. Titan. ISBN9781781165409..
- ^Goldschmitt, K.E. (2019). Bossa Mundo: Brazilian Music in Transnational Media Industries. xford University Press. p. 79. ISBN9780190923525.
- ^'Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Grammy.org. Retrieved December 21, 2012
- ^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. ISBN978-0-8256-7280-4. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^Churchill, Nicholas (December 15, 2004). Stan Getz: An Annotated Bibliography and Filmography, with Song and Session Information for Albums. McFarland. p. 224. ISBN978-0-7864-1949-4. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^'The 40th Academy Awards 1968'. Oscars.org - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^Peña-Acuña (2018), p. 56.
- ^[1]
- ^AllMusic
- ^AllMusic
Bibliography
- Peña-Acuña, Beatriz (2018). Understanding Steven Spielberg. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN9781527508187.
Casino Royale 1967 Film Wiki
External links[edit]
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- 'The Look Of Love, Performed Live by Diana Krall'. YouTube.com.