The Look of Love (1967 song)

"The Look of Love"
Ursula Andress inspired Burt Bacharach to compose "The Look of Love" watching her in an early cut of the film Casino Royale. The track is played while Vesper Lynd seduces Evelyn Tremble, observed through a man-size aquarium.
film soundtrack by Dusty Springfield from the album Casino Royale Soundtrack
Released	January 29, 1967
Recorded	Philips Studios, London
Genre	Pop music
Length	4:11
Label	Colgems
Writer	Hal David
Composer	Burt Bacharach
Producer	Phil Ramone
Cover versions
Brasil '66, Isaac Hayes
Casino Royale Soundtrack track listing
"The Look Of Love" (Instrumental Version) by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass "The Look of Love" "What's New Pussycat?"
Music sample The Look of Love

"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 song 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).

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.

El Chicano covered "The Look of Love" on their 1970 album, Viva Tirado .

Additional recordings

• Barbara Acklin – Love Makes a Woman (1968)
• The Aztec Sapphire - Covered it during their Bigleap Session with a live performance at Bigleap Music & Post in Cape Town,South Africa.^[3]
• Beegie Adair (with the Jeff Steinberg Orchestra) – I'll Take Romance (2002)
• Patti Austin – Street of Dreams (1999)
• Anita Baker – Rhythm of Love (1994)
• Shirley Bassey – I Capricorn (1972)
• Louie Bellson – Break through ! (1968)
• Willie Bobo – Talkin' Verve (1968)
• Chris Botti – A Thousand Kisses Deep (2003). (Chantal Kreviazuk provides the guest vocals).^[4] Botti also recorded it on Live: With Orchestra and Special Guests (2006) with Paula Cole and Burt Bacharach.^[5] Sy Smith performed the song during Botti's 2009 tour. Smith's version of the song appears on Botti's concert DVD, Chris Botti in Boston. In 2011, Botti recruited Lisa Fischer to perform the song for his 2011 tour.
• Odell Brown – Ducky (1967)
• Ray Bryant – Sound Ray (1969)
• Four Tops – Soul Spin (1969)
• Jean Carne with Grover Washington, Jr. – Collaborations (2002)
• Mark L. Smith – Seduction Magical (2014)
• El Chicano – Viva Tirado (1970)
• Steve Cole – Moonlight (2010)^[6]
• Deacon Blue – Four Bacharach & David Songs (EP, 1990)
• Dominique Dalcan – Les années bleues (1992)
• The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra under the Direction of Lee Castle –
• Will Downing – R&B & Smooth Jazz Singer
• Glenn Frey - After Hours
• Larry Goldings & Harry Allen – When Larry Met Harry (2010)
• Kelly Harland –
• Gene Harris – Coldwater Flat (1968)
• Isaac Hayes – ...To Be Continued (1970), Live at the Sahara Tahoe (1973)
• Susanna Hoffs –
• Ahmad Jamal – Tranquility (1968)
• Jack Jones –
• Ronan Keating – When Ronan Met Burt (2011)
• Barney Kessel –
• Gladys Knight & The Pips – Silk N' Soul (1968)
• Diana Krall (with the London Symphony Orchestra) – The Look of Love (2001) and Live in Paris (2002). Krall's record went platinum and made the top 10 of the Billboard 200. It topped the Canadian album charts and went quadruple platinum in Canada.
• Claudine Longet – 1967
• Amanda Lear –
• Eliot Lewis – Master Plan (released June 2003); Eliot Lewis – The Originals (released September 2010)
• Ramsey Lewis – Up Pops (1967)
• Shelby Lynne – Just a Little Lovin' (pays tribute to Dusty Springfield)
• Sergio Mendes (featuring Fergie) – Encanto)
• The Meters – The Meters (1969)
• Sitti Navarro (Philippine bossa nova singer) – My Bossa Nova
• Trijntje Oosterhuis – 2007
• Diana Ross & The Supremes (Ross would cover the song again decades later, solo)
• Marilyn Scott – Smooth Jazz Singer
• Robert Shames, Composer/multi-instrumentalist, arranged a noteworthy version for string quartet in 2007 to much critical acclaim.
• Nina Simone – Silk and Soul (1967)
• Slum Village – Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) (1997)
• Jimmy Sommers – Time Stands Still (2006)^[7][8]
• Telex (band) – Sex (Birds and Bees)
• Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – Pioneers (1993), Moods for Tokyo Ska: We Don't Know What Ska Is (1997)
• Stanley Turrentine – Return of the Prodigal Son (1967), The Look of Love (1968)
• The Tymes – People (1969)
• Vanilla Fudge –
• David T. Walker –
• Dionne Warwick – (1969)
• Julian Lloyd Webber recorded a version for cello in 2006.
• Tony Joe White –
• Reuben Wilson – The Cisco Kid (1973)
• Bobby Womack –
• Faye Wong –
• The Zombies – (during live performances)
• Tina Arena

References in pop culture

• In the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles sings the tune.
• The song is used as a demo song by Yamaha DGX-series keyboards.
• An instrumental version is featured in the 1970 film The Boys in the Band directed by William Friedkin.
• Days of Our Lives supercouple Doug and Julie share their first kiss while dancing to the song in 1970.
• A character hums it in the 1993 film Alive.
• It was used in a McDonald's television commercial in the mid-1990s.
• In the 1995 film Dead Presidents Isaac Hayes' version is used in the scene where the characters Kirby, Joe, and Anthony are driving along after Anthony's rocky return from the Vietnam War.
• The song is used (anachronistically) in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can during a romantic scene set in 1964.
• The song is played during Rachel and Heck's wedding in the 2005 film Imagine Me & You.
• The song is also featured in the 2007 film I Think I Love My Wife written and directed by Chris Rock. Erica Canales sings the song produced by Marcus Miller.
• The song appears in the 1991 The Simpsons episode The War of the Simpsons as one of the song playing at the house party.
• The song appears in a 2008 episode of The Sarah Silverman Program entitled "Vow Wow".
• The song is featured in the 2010 film Toast.
• The song was deleted from the fifth season premiere of Mad Men before airing because the song had yet to be released at the time of the episode's setting.
• The song is sung by Imogen Poots in the 2013 film The Look of Love.
• The song was also adapted by the hip hop artist Jay-Z for his song Can I Live on his Reasonable Doubt album.

References

External links

• Sérgio Mendes interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' July 2008