Look of Love (Lesley Gore song)

For the Dusty Springfield hit, see The Look of Love (1967 song).

"Look of Love" is a song written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, which was a 1964 Top 40 hit for Lesley Gore.^[1] The song was one in a long line of successful "Brill Building Sound" hits created by composers and arrangers working in New York City's Brill Building at 1619 Broadway. Pop songwriting stars Barry and Greenwich had previously scored hits with songs such as "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You" (The Ronettes), and "Then He Kissed Me" and "Da Doo Ron Ron" (The Crystals). In the U.S., "Look of Love" peaked at #27 on the Billboard charts.^[2][3]

"Look of Love"
Label of the "Look of Love" 45 rpm single on Mercury Records
Single by Lesley Gore
from the album Girl Talk
A-side	"Look of Love"
B-side	"Little Girl Go Home"
Released	December 2, 1964
Recorded	June 17, 1964
Studio	A&R Recording Studios, New York
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:10
Label	Mercury Records #72372
Songwriter(s)	Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry
Producer(s)	Quincy Jones, Arr. Claus Ogerman
Lesley Gore singles chronology
"Hey Now" (1964) "Look of Love" (1964) "All My Life" (1965)

Background

The most commercially successful solo singer to be identified with the girl group sound, Lesley Gore hit the number one spot with her first release, "It's My Party," in 1963.^[4] "Look of Love" was produced by Quincy Jones, who amped up the teenager's sound with double-tracked vocals and intricate backup vocals and horns. "Irresistibly melodic... it remains a classic archetype of female adolescent yearning."^[4] Billboard said of the song that it is "in the vein of [Gore's] early hits," predicting that it "will he a fast chart climber."^[5] Cash Box described it as "a most attractive multi-voiced reading of a handclappin' jump'er that's sure to make the teeners sit up and take notice real quick" with a "standout Claus Ogerman arrangement."^[6]

Chart performance

Chart (1964-65)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	27

Cover versions

• The song has been covered by other artists, notably Pattie D'Arcy, Ellie Greenwich, and The Copycats.^[7]

References

1. William Ruhlmann. "Look of Love - Lesley Gore | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 493.
3. "Look of Love - Chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
4. "Lesley Gore | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
5. "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. December 12, 1964. p. 31. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
6. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 12, 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
7. "Ellie Greenwich". Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2012-03-26.