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Lookin' for Love
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Lookin' for Love |
| cover | Johnny Lee Lookin for Love single.png |
| type | single |
| artist | Johnny Lee |
| album | Urban Cowboy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| B-side | |
| released | June 30, 1980 |
| recorded | Spring 1980 |
| studio | Sunset Sound Recorders, 6650 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, California |
| * soft rock<ref name | "Rolling Stone Staff 2024" |
| length | 3:37 |
| label | Full Moon 47004 |
| writer | Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison, Patti Ryan |
| producer | John Boylan |
| prev_title | This Time |
| prev_year | 1978 |
| next_title | One in a Million |
| next_year | 1980 |
| B-side =
- Country pop
- soft rock
"Lookin' for Love" is a song written by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison and Patti Ryan, and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Lee. It was released in June 1980 as part of the soundtrack to the film Urban Cowboy, released that year. The background vocalists are Marcy Levy, Rosemary Butler and Tom Kelly. "Lookin' for Love" was reissued as the lead song on Lee's October 1980 album of the same name. Johnny Lee also recorded a Spanish language version of "Lookin' for Love" titled "Buscando Amor".
Background
Lee, whose biggest hit to date had been a 1977 cover of Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party", had been the main nightclub act (behind Mickey Gilley himself) at Gilley's Club, a nightclub owned by Sherwood Cryer and 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.
Critical reaction to the song has been mixed. The Boston Globe called it "a powerful new ballad," noting "Lee's rich southern baritone and thick phrasing." AllMusic determined that "the MOR country-pop of 'Lookin' for Love' is so appealing that one suspects it could have been a hit even without the publicity from Urban Cowboy." 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." Critic Kurt Wolff panned the song as an example of "watered-down cowboy music."
Public reaction was better. "Lookin' for Love" rose to No. 1 (for a three-week stay) on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and was a No. 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit as well. On the US Cash Box Top 100, the song spent two weeks at No. 4. The song is now recognized as a standard in country music, praised by country music fans and critics alike.
"Lookin' for Love" was certified gold in 1980 for shipments of 1,000,000 units by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Series
The song was performed by Johnny Lee in an episode of the TV series CHiPs. It could also be heard in episodes 274 and 275 of Dallas. It was also performed live on the episode Colt's Outlaw's, of the TV series, The Fall Guy.
Sawyer Brown version
Country music group Sawyer Brown recorded the song on the 2000 album The Hits Live. This version peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| position | Australia (Kent Music Report) | Canada Top Singles (RPM) | Canada Adult Contemporary Tracks (RPM) | Canada Country Tracks (RPM) | Billboardhot100 | 5 | artist=Johnny Lee}} | US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) | US Cash Box Top 100 | Billboardcountrysongs | 1 | artist=Johnny Lee}} |
| 51 | ||||||||||||
| 54 | ||||||||||||
| 20 | ||||||||||||
| 18 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | ||||||||||||
| 4 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1980) | Position | US Cash Box Top 100 | US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | |||
| 14 |
Sources
References
Other sources
- [ AllMusic – "Johnny Lee" entry by Tom Roland].
- Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits," Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991. ()
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944–2005," 2006.
References
- Rolling Stone Staff. (September 24, 2024). "The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time".
- Deming, Mark. (July 3, 1946). "Johnny Lee | Biography & History". [[AllMusic]].
- "Lookin' For Love by Johnny Lee".
- (10 Aug 1980). "The song appears three times in 'Urban Cowboy', like a signal....". The Boston Globe.
- "Lookin' for Love Review by Greg Adams".
- 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)
- "Top 100 1980-10-11". [[Cashbox (magazine).
- "Gold & Platinum – RIAA".
- Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
- Whitburn, Joel. (1993). "Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993". Record Research.
- "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1980". [[Cashbox (magazine).
- (1980). "Best of 1980: Country Songs". [[Prometheus Global Media]].
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