Today’s classic Valentine’s Week “love” song of the day is “The Look of Love” by ABC. This is not to be confused with the same-named “The Look of Love” by Dusty Springfield, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and featured in the 1967 James Bond spoof, Casino Royale. ABC’s “The Look of Love” is a completely different tune, all together.
ABC’s “The Look of Love” was released in May of 1982 in the UK, August in the U.S. Supported by a fun little music video, this “The Look of Love” went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, #9 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was also a #1 hit in Canada and #4 in the group’s native UK.
“The Look of Love” was the third single from ABC’s The Lexicon of Love album, which topped the UK charts in 1982. (It peaked at #24 on Billboard’s U.S. album chart.) The first two singles were “Tears Are Not Enough,” which didn’t chart in the U.S. (although it did hit #19 in the UK), and “Poison Arrow,” a #25 hit in the U.S. that reached #6 in the UK.
ABC was a synth-based pop band that formed in Sheffield, England, in 1980. The band included Martin Fry on lead vocals, Mark White on guitar and keyboards, Stephen Singleton on saxophones, and David Palmer on drums. By the time they recorded The Lexicon of Love, Palmer had been replaced by David Robinson on drums. They continued recording through the late 1990s, notching a number of further hits, including “Be Near Me” (1985) and “When Smokey Sings” (1987). The group, still fronted by Martin Fry, continues performing today.
By the way, part of the success of “The Look of Love” and the entire The Lexicon of Love album lies in its producer, Trevor Horn. Horn, known for his work with the Buggles (“Video Killed the Radio Star“), Yes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and others, incorporated the newly released Fairlight CMI synthesizer into the band’s arrangements, creating a modern/retro mix that blended contemporary pop and bits of classic soul.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, ABC’s extremely popular music video for “The Look of Love.” If you watched MTV at all back in 1982, you saw this one a lot.
