Lookin' for Love
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| “Lookin' for Love” | |||||
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| Single by Johnny Lee from the album Urban Cowboy soundtrack |
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| B-side | "Lyin' Eyes" (by The Eagles) |
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| Released | June 1980 (U.S.) | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | 1980 | ||||
| Genre | Country | ||||
| Length | 3:37 | ||||
| Label | Full Moon 47004 | ||||
| Writer(s) | Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison and Patti Ryan | ||||
| Producer | John Boylan | ||||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | ||||
| Johnny Lee singles chronology | |||||
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"Lookin' for Love" is a song made famous by country music singer Johnny Lee. The song was part of the soundtrack to that year's movie, Urban Cowboy. This iconic "love song" was written by two school teachers, and was actually written about a classroom of second grade children. Johnny Lee discovered the song in a motel room in 1979, and could not believe he had not written the song himself - it was the story of his life. He added some music to the words, and took the song to his producer. The rest is music history.
The "Lookin' For Love" single went to number one in the country charts, number five in the pop charts, and became Johnny's first gold record while the "Lookin' For Love" album went on to produce four additional number one hits. Lee's movie success continued with the hit single "Pickin' Up Strangers" in the movie, "Coast to Coast," starring Robert Blake and Dyan Cannon.
"Lookin' for Love" became part of American culture - primarily due to John Travolta's character, Bud Davis saying, "Hey! Turn that up! That's my favorite song!" in the movie Urban Cowboy. The song has come to be known as Johnny Lee's trademark, and is also fondly remembered as being part of "Buckwheat's Greatest Hits" (Wookin' Pa Nub) on Saturday Night Live's commercial/skit starring comedian Eddie Murphy.
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[edit] Lee's rise to fame
Lee — whose biggest hit to date had been a 1977 cover of Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party" — had previously been one of the main nightclub acts at Gilley's, a nightclub owned by country music superstar Mickey Gilley. Record executive Irving Azoff offered Lee the chance to record "Lookin' For Love," a song that 20-plus artists had rejected. [1]
Critics were not kind to Lee nor the song. Country music historian Bill Malone once noted that "Lookin' for Love" - in his words, a "lilting little pop song" - became the featured song of Urban Cowboy and a huge commercial hit largely because "actor John Travolta (the movie's co-star) expressed a liking for it." [1] Critic Kurt Wolff panned the song as an example of "watered-down cowboy music."[2]
"Lookin' for Love" rose to No. 1 (for a three-week stay) on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart, and became a No. 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit as well.
"Lookin' for Love" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America [2]
[edit] Cover versions
Country music group Sawyer Brown recorded a cover of the song on their 2000 album The Hits Live. Their version peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covered this song on their album Love Their Country.
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
- ^ Malone, Bill, "Country Music U.S.A," 2nd rev. ed. (University of Texas Press, Austin, 2002), p.371.
- ^ Wolff, Kurt, "Country Music: The Rough Guide," Rough Guides Ltd., London; Penguin Putnam, New York, distributor. p. 424 (ISBN 1-85828-534-8)
[edit] Other sources
- All Music Guide — "Johnny Lee" entry by Tom Roland.
- Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits," Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991. (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
| Preceded by "Cowboys and Clowns"/"Misery Loves Company" by Ronnie Milsap |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single by Johnny Lee September 6-September 20, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" by Dolly Parton |
