The Look of Love

[soulmusic]

Hi

I am researching a BBC Radio 4 series called Soul Music. Each programme looks at the enduring appeal of some of our most loved songs and in the next series one of the ones we will feature will be 'The Look of Love'.

We are looking for people who have a particular affinity with this song. Does it remind you of your first love, your wedding or the first time you saw your partner? If you have a story to tell and would be interested in sharing it then I would be very happy to hear from you.

My email address is soulmusic@bbc.co.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

"The Look of Love" is from the score of the movie "Casino Royale." Burt has said that, when watching the film over and over again while scoring it, he wrote [the music to] "The Look of Love" after being inspired by watching Ursula Andress over and over again. I have heard Burt say this [on TV] on more than one occasion myself. This is mentioned here, too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Look_o ... 1967_song)

[steveo_1965]

Well, he must have been in a real sexy mood...lol
because it's one of the sexiest songs I've ever heard : )

Steveo

[MGinMich]

I wish I had more positive memories of this song, but I was first exposed to it in my pre-teen years through the soap opera, Days of Our Lives, which my mother and sister used to tune in regularly. The Look of Love was the theme song of daytime TV's first "supercouple," Doug & Julie. Doug was played by Bill Hayes, who I regarded, even then, as a two-bit, over-the-hill lounge singer (although, in the story, they made you believe that Doug was on a par with Sinatra or Elvis). Whenever Doug and Julie were separated for a while, Julie would somehow visit his club, and Doug would be singing this song to her as an expression of longing. This scene would get repeated for many years, through many different story twists. How I wish I could erase this from my memory, as it made me hate the song for so many years. Yet, I have been enjoying the '67 Jack Jones version recently, so that's a hopeful sign.

[Sara D]

My personal favourite Bacharach & David song and probably the sexiest marriage of lyric, melody and chord sequence there's ever been. The lyrics read like it should be a man's song to a woman but most if not all the most effective versions I've heard have been recorded by women, Dusty Springfield and Diana Krall being two of the more obvious examples. I'm not sure why that should be the case but maybe it's because the very seductive words just sound more provocative when sung by a woman. Even without the lyric, the chord sequence and melody, especially if played by a tenor saxophonist of the renown of Stan Getz, are very suggestive of that most intimate of activities between a man and a woman.

[pljms]

Beautifully put, Sara. One of my favourite sexy versions of The Look of Love is from the recent 'Simply the Songs of Burt Bacharach' 4 CD box-set, sung by a lady called Saskia who has a very breathy voice. It features a flugal horn instead of the usual tenor sax for the solo but it's wonderfully played and just as effective.

[pljms]

The 'Soul Music' doc on 'The Look of Love' is broadcast today at 13.30hrs UK time, repeated Saturday afternoon. It will be available on the net via the BBC's Listen Again facility after today's broadcast. It features an interview with Hal David and lasts 30 minutes.

[Sara D]

I heard the show. I thought poor old Jonathan Cohen made a right dog's breakfast out of trying to explain what the song is doing musically. He's obviously not over familiar with the song and anyone with an ounce of musicality will know that when the song goes in to the major key for the chorus ("I can hardly wait to hold you....") the chord is a major 7th not the straight major he played. I could have done a better job, although that's not saying much.

[steveo_1965]

I was contacted by the BBC to tell my story, but after recording some blurbs for it, they blew me off....
I decided to listen to the program anyway...and aside from the wonderful Hal David(he was featured a little) I found the program to be less than what it could have been...
Steveo

[pljms]

Yes, it was poor and failed to do justice to the song and poor old Jonathan Cohen, the musicologist, was painful to listen to. Of course, someone else's personal feelings about a particular song or piece of music can never be the same as yours but I have to say that the woman they had on there who confessed she didn't like the song, especially Dusty's recording of it, completely misinterpreted it as a song of submission when in fact it's all about seduction.