The Book of Love (song)

"The Book of Love" (also titled "(Who Wrote) The Book of Love") is a rock and roll song, originally by The Monotones. It was written by three members of the group, Warren Davis, George Malone and Charles Patrick.

Lead singer Charles Patrick heard a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial with the line "wonder where the yellow went". From there he got the idea for the line, "I wonder, wonder, wonder who, who wrote the book of love", working it up into a song with Davis and Malone. The "boom" part of the song was a result of a kid kicking a ball against the garage while they were rehearsing. It sounded good, so they added it to the song.

In September 1957, the Monotones recorded "The Book of Love", which was released on the Mascot label in December that year. The small record company could not cope with its popularity, and it was reissued on Chess Records' subsidiary Argo label in February 1958. On the Billboard charts, "The Book of Love" peaked at No. 5 on the pop chart and No. 3 on the R&B chart.^[1] Outside the US, the song reached No. 5 in Australia.

Cover Versions

• In the UK, there was a successful cover version by The Mudlarks.
• In 1985, the song was covered on The 4 Seasons album, Streetfighter.
• In 1988, the song became the new theme song for The Newlywed Game, when Paul Rodriguez replaced Bob Eubanks as host for one year.
• In 1990, Ben E. King and Bo Diddley featuring Doug Lazy recorded a revamped rap version of "Book of Love" for the soundtrack of the film, Book of Love.

In popular culture

• The song was performed by rock and roll revival group Sha Na Na at Woodstock in 1969.
• The song is referenced in the lyrics to Don McLean's "American Pie" and in the lyrics of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll".
• The song has been featured in multiple films including American Graffiti (1973), Christine (1983), Stand by Me (1986), Le Nouveau monde (1995) and in the video game Mafia II.
• The '80s/'90s synthpop band Book of Love named themselves after the song for its imagery and romantic connotations.
• The song is also covered in the commercial for Wonder Ball.
• The song is sung briefly by Billy Crystal and Bette Midler in the 2012 film Parental Guidance.
• The song is also covered by Australian rock band Powderfinger for the movie "American Pie Presents: The Book of Love", which also uses the name of the song in its title.^[2]

References