Greatest Love Songs Ever: #11 “The Look of Love”

By Tom Quiner, Board President, Pulse Life Advocates

How could a song with a title like “The Look of Love” be anything but awesome, especially when written by the legendary team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David? 

The song smolders with raw sensuality. David’s lyrics lay down the theme in the first two lines:

“The look of love is in your eyes,

A look your smile can’t disguise.”

Bacharach backs the sultry melody with a sexy bossa nova beat that causes your spectacles to steam up. Love songs take different forms. “The Look of Love” emits an understated passion. Whew … simply beautiful!

For me, Diana Krall’s recording of “The Look of Love” (above) is the best by a hair over Dusty Springfield’s version which popularized the song in the 1960s. (Claus Ogerman provided the lush arrangement for Ms. Krall, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra.)

Dusty Springfield sings “The Look of Love”

Bacharach wrote the song for the 1967 parody of James Bond movies, “Casino Royale.” Despite the spoofish intentions of the film, Bacharach and David wrote a serious love song that endures the test of time. To me, “The Look of Love” is high art. Springfield’s version features Bacharach’s original arrangement for the song.

I looked up the definition of high art on Google AI. They say that ‘high art’ refers to:

“art forms that are traditionally considered to be more challenging intellectual, and technically demanding.”

Musically, “The Look of Love” is subtly sophisticated. The lyrics are ingeniously incisive. Arbiters of high art may sniff that this is a mere ‘pop’ song. That high music art flows from a Bach, Beethoven, or Bizet, in their view … not from a lowbrow songwriter who cut his teeth in the hippie milieu of the 1960s. (The tuxedo-clad Bacharach was certainly no hippie!)

A love story told in minutes

To me, it is nothing short of miraculous that the Bacharach/David team take us on a profound, romantic journey in just a few minutes compared to an opera that requires three hours to do the same thing!

To my opera friends, no slight intended to the beautiful art form of opera … or even musical theater, both of which I greatly appreciate. But I also appreciate the artistic ingenuity required to say so much in such little time, as Bacharach and David do with “The Look of Love.”

Love is conveyed in subtle looks between lovers, as David poetically posits:

“The look of love is saying so much more than just words could ever say,

And what my heart has heard, well it takes my breath away.”

Here is a love song that integrates the words and music to perfection. Kudos to Bacharach and David for this, their second entry onto my list of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever. (Close to You was their first.) They even have two more entries waiting in the wings on my list, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

Next week begins the top ten countdown with a dreamy love song so romantic, you may have to ask your partner to dance … cheek to cheek, of course!

As a reminder, love is the antidote to abortion. Spread the love by simply sharing this list with your friends. And this is important: support Pulse’s pro-life educational outreach with your gift today.