| The Look of Love | |
| Cover: | Look of Love ABC.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | ABC |
| Album: | The Lexicon of Love |
| A-Side: | The Look of Love (Part One) |
| Released: | 7 May 1982 / August, 1982 (US) |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 3:26 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Trevor Horn |
| Prev Title: | Poison Arrow |
| Prev Year: | 1982 |
| Next Title: | All of My Heart |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
"The Look of Love" is a song by English pop band ABC, released in 1982 as the third single from their debut studio album, The Lexicon of Love (1982). It was the band's highest-charting hit in the UK, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The single also went to No. 1 on the US Billboard Dance/Disco chart as well as the Canadian Singles Chart. On the American Cash Box Top 100, it got as high as No. 9, and on the Billboard Hot 100 it peaked at No. 18.
Released as a single and as a 12" remix, it consists of four parts, referred to as "Parts One, Two, Three and Four". Part One is the standard album version, Part Two is an instrumental version, Part Three is a vocal version without the orchestral overdubs and Part Four is a short acoustic instrumental part of the song, containing strings and horns, as well as occasional harp plucks and xylophone. A different US remix dub version by producer Trevor Horn appeared as A-side on the 1982 US 12".
The '82 US remix dub version was not widely available after its initial release, but the track remained much in demand by club DJs and fans alike and copies of the original 12" version fetched high prices. When Neutron (the band's UK label) discovered this, they issued a limited edition DJ-pressing of the Horn remix in November 1982 as a DJ promo 12" vinyl under the title "ABC Look of Love Special Remix 12" Neutron NTXDJ103.
Through the 1980s, BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies used the last crescendo on Part 4 of the song as a closing theme to his daily lunchtime programme called The Bit in the Middle, only changing it in 1991 when his show was rebranded as Let's Do Lunch and given fresh music beds and themes.
The US B-side, entitled "Theme from Mantrap", was an alternate version of "Poison Arrow".
In February 2014, all four parts appeared together as one single track (running 12:29) on the ZTT compilation "The Art of the 12" Volume Three".
The lyrics of the song, as well as others on The Lexicon of Love, were inspired by a break-up lead vocalist Martin Fry had experienced. In the second verse, during the phrase "When your girl has left you out on the pavement", the "Goodbye" background vocal is spoken by the actual woman in the relationship who had jilted him.[5]
The video is a studio recreation of an Edwardian park tableau. Various amusing events occur during the performance of the song. It features cameos by Paul Morley co-founder of ZZT, the label the single was released on and Trevor Horn the records' producer.
"The Look of Love" spent eleven weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 4 for two weeks in June 1982, making it their highest charting single in the UK.[6] According to the Official Charts Company it was the UK's 29th best-selling single of 1982.[7] In early 1983 it re-entered the chart for another three weeks, extending the chart run to a total of 14 weeks.[8]
Credits sourced from Sound on Sound, Red Bull Music Academy and the original album liner notes.[9] [10]
ABC
Additional Musicians
| Year | Publisher | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | NME | United Kingdom | "Singles of the Year" (50)[11] | 5 | |
| 1982 | Sounds | United Kingdom | "Singles of the Year" (20)[12] | 18 | |
| 1982 | The Village Voice | United States | "Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll: Top 10 Singles"[13] | 9 | |
| 2003 | Paul Morley | United Kingdom | "Greatest Pop Single of All Time"[14] | ||
| 2005 | Q | United Kingdom | "Ultimate Music Collection" (Pop Tracks)[15] | ||
| 2006 | VH1 | United States | "100 Greatest Songs of the 80's"[16] | 43 | |
| 2009 | The Guardian | United Kingdom | "1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear" (Love)[17] | ||
| 2010 | Pause & Play | United States | "Vault of Fame" (Songs)[18] | ||
| 2011 | NME | United Kingdom | "75 Tunes That Defined Rock 'N' Roll" (Deep Cuts)[19] | ||
| 2011 | Robert Dimery | United Kingdom | "1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die"[20] | ||
| ??? | The Village Voice | United States | "Top Singles of the 80's" (100)[21] | 59 |
(*) indicates the list is unordered.
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[22] | 7 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] | 4 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[24] | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[25] | 18 |
| US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Top Tracks (Billboard) | 32 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[26] | 9 |
| Chart (1982) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[27] | 69 | |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[28] | 17 | |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[29] | 28 | |
| US Cash Box[30] | 65 |
| The Look of Love (1990 Mix) | |
| Cover: | The Look of Love 90.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | ABC |
| Album: | Absolutely |
| Released: | 1990 |
| Length: | 4:01 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Trevor Horn |
| Prev Title: | The Real Thing |
| Prev Year: | 1989 |
| Next Title: | Love Conquers All |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
In 1990, to promote the compilation album Absolutely, a new remix of the song by Paul Staveley O'Duffy was officially released, though without participation or approval from the band's members. The remix incorporates part of the melody from Kraftwerk's "Computer Love", which had been in the UK Top 40 at the same time as the original release of "The Look of Love" in 1982.
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (Media Control Charts)[31] | 31 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[32] | 44 |
In 1996, Australian group, Eclipse released a dance cover version, which reached No. 30 on the Australian charts.[33]
