Lookin' for Love
Encyclopedia
"Lookin' for Love" is the title of a song written by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison, and Patti Ryan. It was recorded by American country music
singer Johnny Lee
. The song was part of the soundtrack to that year's movie, Urban Cowboy
.
" — 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.
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." Critic Kurt Wolff panned the song as an example of "watered-down cowboy music."
Public reaction was much better. "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
.
recorded a cover of the song on the 2000 album The Hits Live
. This version peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks
chart. The song is also featured in the classic Saturday Night Live
sketch Buh-Weet Sings, in which Buckwheat from Our Gang
(played by Eddie Murphy
) sings the song as "Wookin Pa Nub".
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" is titled in tribute to this song ("par'Mach" is defined in the episode as "the Klingon
word for love, but with more aggressive overtones").
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee
Johnny Lee is an American country music singer. His 1980 single, "Lookin' for Love" not only spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard country singles chart in the second half of 1980 but also went to the Top 5 on the Pop charts, and Top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary survey...
. The song was part of the soundtrack to that year's movie, Urban Cowboy
Urban Cowboy
Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...
.
Lee's rise to fame
Lee — whose biggest hit to date had been a 1977 cover of Ricky Nelson's "Garden PartyGarden Party (Rick Nelson)
"Garden Party" is a 1972 hit song for Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band from the album Garden Party. The song tells the story of Nelson being booed off the stage at Madison Square Garden, seemingly because he was playing his newer, country-tinged music instead of the 1950s-era rock that he had...
" — had previously been one of the main nightclub acts at Gilley's, a nightclub owned by country music superstar Mickey Gilley
Mickey Gilley
Mickey Leroy Gilley is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as...
. Record executive Irving Azoff offered Lee the chance to record "Lookin' For Love," a song that 20-plus artists had rejected.
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
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
(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 much better. "Lookin' for Love" rose to No. 1 (for a three-week stay) on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, and became a No. 5 Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit as well.
"Lookin' for Love" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 18 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 54 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 20 |
Cover versions, parodies and tributes
Country music group Sawyer BrownSawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by five members of country pop singer Don King's road band: Bobby Randall and Jim Scholten , both from Midland, Michigan; Joe Smyth , Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard , and Mark Miller...
recorded a cover of the song on the 2000 album The Hits Live
The Hits Live
The Hits Live is the title of a live compilation album released in 2000 by the American country music band Sawyer Brown. The album comprises fourteen live renditions of their 1980s and 1990s country hits, as well as a live rendition of the single "800 Pound Jesus" from their 2000 album Drive Me Wild...
. This version peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. The song is also featured in the classic Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
sketch Buh-Weet Sings, in which Buckwheat from Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
(played by Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
) sings the song as "Wookin Pa Nub".
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" is titled in tribute to this song ("par'Mach" is defined in the episode as "the Klingon
Klingon language
The Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe....
word for love, but with more aggressive overtones").
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. (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.