Lookin' for Love


"Lookin' for Love" is a song written by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison and Patti Ryan, and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Lee. It was released in June 1980 as part of the soundtrack to the film Urban Cowboy, released that year. Marcy Levy was one of the female singers who provided backing vocals on the track. "Lookin' for Love" was reissued as the lead song on his October 1980 album of the same name.

Background

Lee, whose biggest hit to date had been a 1977 cover of Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party", had been the main nightclub act at Gilley's, a nightclub owned by Sherwood Cryer and 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 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 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and was a No. 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit as well. On the U.S. Cash Box Top 100, the song spent two weeks at No. 4. The song is now recognized as a standard in country music, praised by country music fans and critics alike.
"Lookin' for Love" was certified gold for sales of 1,000,000 units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Series

The song was performed by Johnny Lee in an episode of Chips. It could also be heard in two episodes of Dallas, episodes 274 and 275.

Cover versions, parodies and tributes

Country music group Sawyer Brown 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 sings the song as "Wookin Pa Nub".
The episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places" is titled in tribute to this song.
Al Lowe's second Leisure Suit Larry game, Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love , is named after the song. The song was referenced in Operation Repo in season 11 episode 7.
The Mexican group, Los Felinos did a Spanish cover "Buscando Amor."
The song was punned in the January 13, 2020 comic strip Pearls Before Swine.