What the World Needs Now Is Love

"What the World Needs Now Is Love"
Single by Jackie DeShannon
from the album This Is Jackie DeShannon
B-side	"I Remember the Boy"
Released	April 15, 1965
Genre	Folk rock, jazz, soul
Length	3:10
Label	Imperial Records
Songwriter(s)	Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Producer(s)	Burt Bacharach
Jackie DeShannon singles chronology
"When You Walk in the Room" (1964) "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (1965) "A Lifetime of Loneliness" (1965)
"When You Walk in the Room" (1964) "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (1965) "A Lifetime of Loneliness" (1965)

"What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a release on sister label Liberty records the previous month was canceled. It peaked at number seven on the US Hot 100 in July of that year.^[1] In Canada, the song reached number one.

Songwriting[edit]

Co-songwriter Burt Bacharach revealed in his 2014 autobiography that this song had among the most difficult lyrics Hal David ever wrote, despite being deceptively simple as a pop hit. He explained that they had the main melody and chorus written back in 1962, centering around a waltz tempo, but it took another two years for David to finally come up with the lyric, "lord, we don't need another mountain." Once David worked out the verses, Bacharach said the song essentially "wrote itself" and they finished it in a day or two.^[2]

The song's success caught the two songwriters completely by surprised, since they were very aware of the controversy and disagrements among Americans about the Vietnam War, which was the subtext for David's lyrics. Bacharach has continuously used the song as the intro and finale for most of his live concert appearances well into the 2000s.

Recording history[edit]

The song was originally offered to Dionne Warwick, who turned it down at the time, saying she felt it was "too country" for her tastes and "too preachy"^[3] though she later recorded it for her album Here Where There Is Love. (Warwick also recorded a second version in 1996, which scraped the lower reaches of the US Hot 100.) Bacharach initially did not believe in the song, and was reluctant to play it for DeShannon.^[4] The song was also rejected by Gene Pitney, reportedly over a financial dispute. DeShannon's version was recorded on March 23, 1965, at New York's Bell Sound studios.^[5] Bacharach arranged, conducted and produced the session.

In 1966, The Supremes recorded the song for their album Reflections.

In 2011, Ronan Keating recorded the song for his album When Ronan Met Burt.

Kree Harrison, in 2013, made a cover of the song in the 12th season of American Idol. The studio version was recorded by Idol Studio Recordings.

On June 15, 2016, the song was recorded by Broadway for Orlando, with all proceeds going to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.^[6]

On Dec. 22, 2016 the Mighty Mighty Bosstones announced the upcoming release of their version of the song

On Mar. 24, 2017 it was re-recorded by Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazzaro & Missi Hale for the movie The Boss Baby.

Other notable versions[edit]

"What the World Needs Now Is Love" has been recorded or performed live by over 100 artists, including:

Tom Clay version[edit]

"What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John"
Single by Tom Clay
from the album What the World Needs Now Is Love
B-side	"The Victors"
Released	July 1971
Format	Vinyl record
Recorded	Early 1971
Genre	Pop, spoken word
Length	6:10
Label	Motown (MoWest MW5002F)
Songwriter(s)	Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Producer(s)	Tom Clay
Tom Clay singles chronology
"What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" (1971) "Whatever Happened to Love" (1971)
"What the World Needs Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" (1971) "Whatever Happened to Love" (1971)

In addition to the DeShannon hit recording and the numerous cover versions, "What the World Needs Now is Love" served as the basis for a distinctive 1971 remix.

Disc jockey Tom Clay was working at radio station KGBS in Los Angeles, California, when he created the single "What the World Needs Now is Love/Abraham, Martin and John", a social commentary that became a surprise hit record that summer.^[7]

The song begins with a man asking a young boy to define such words as segregation (to which the boy says he doesn't know what segregation is), bigotry (to which the boy he says he don't know what "biggery" is), hatred (to which the boy says he doesn't know what it is), and prejudice (to which the boy says "I think it's when somebody's sick"). Following that is a soundbite of a drill sergeant leading a platoon into training, along with gunfire sound effects, after which are snippets of the two songs – both as recorded by The Blackberries, a session recording group.^[8] Interspersed are excerpts of speeches by John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, the eulogy (given by Ted Kennedy) after Robert's assassination, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and soundbites of news coverage of each one's assassination. The ending of the song is a reprise of the introduction.

"What the World Needs Now is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1971, and was Clay's only Top 40 hit.^[9]

In popular culture[edit]

"What the World Needs Now is Love" has been used in many film soundtracks, notably Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and For the Love of Fred (used as the film's closing theme song in both), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, My Best Friend's Wedding, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Hot Shots!, Happy Gilmore, and Forrest Gump. In the Danish zodiac porn comedy I Jomfruens tegn (1973), an extended version is used for the hardcore underwater orgy that ends the film.^[10]

• In April 1968, Cilla Black released a rendition of the song on her third studio album Sher-oo! which was a Top 10 hit on the UK album chart.
• In June 1968, following the shooting of Robert Kennedy but before he died (approximately 26 hours), the Jackie DeShannon version was played over and over on Los Angeles radio stations as an audio vigil. This also continued for a few days following his death.
• The first few notes of the song have also been used as a toteboard cue for the annual The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
• A recording by Des O'Connor featured in episode #3.1 ("The Early Birds") of The Good Life.
• A shortened version of the title is used in a biography of Burt Bacharach and Hal David by Robin Platts.
• It was featured in the fourth season of Beverly Hills, 90210, in the episode "Twenty Years Ago Today".
• In the Philippines, it was also used as the theme song of an event dubbed as Close-Up Lovapalooza to break the record of most people kissing simultaneously in 10 seconds to celebrate Valentine's Day.
• Jessica Mauboy sang "What the World Needs Now Is Love" on Australian Idol in 2006.
• American experimental band Mr. Bungle covered the song live at least twice in 2000.
• Alec Baldwin sang a part of the song in the episode "Somebody to Love" of 30 Rock while playing a piano, as his soon to be lover CC walked down the stairs at the party which they met.
• It was a top 5 song in American Idol season 2 in 2003.
• Two versions of the song, one performed by Burt Bacharach himself, were played near the end of the film Austin Powers in Goldmember.
• The song was covered by Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston on the album It's Spooky, with revised lyrics, referencing crack houses and Satanism.
• Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode used to play it as the last song for his DJ sets in 2004.
• The song was used as the unofficial theme tune of the improvised BBC One drama series True Love (TV series), being played at the beginning of the episode, and at the end when the credits rolled.
• In 2010, Connecticut musician Michael Occhionero used the song during the fade out of his song "Hey! Mr.", which includes samples of "Paperback Writer" and "Mr. Tambourine Man".
• In 2013 Australia's Got Talent R&B soul singer Leon Lee performed his rendition of the song which received a lot of praises from all judges on the show.
• On July 7, 2014, SiriusXM's Ron and Fez show opened with the cast singing the song in a sarcastic manner to support recently fired co-worker, Anthony Cumia who was terminated on allegations of racism.^[11]
• The cast of Glee covered the song in the sixth episode of their sixth season, "What The World Needs Now". They serenaded characters Santana and Brittany in an attempt to support their upcoming wedding.
• Pop Idol winner Will Young covered the song in late 2015 as part of a World Wildlife Foundation Awareness campaign.
• On July 27, 2016, an all-star ensemble of Broadway vocalists performed the song at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, as a protest against gun violence.
• On March 24, 2017, the song was added and recorded by Missi Hale for the film The Boss Baby.

Quotation[edit]

The song contains the memorable lines:

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love

It's the only thing that there's just too little of..".

The song builds upon the theme of "Stowaway in the Sky", composed in 1960 by Jean Prodromidès for the film of the same title.^[12]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Platts, Robin (2003) Burt Bacharach & Hal David: What the World Needs Now, Collector's Guide Publishing, ISBN 1-896522-77-7

External links[edit]

• Hal David Recollections. Accessed June 2007.
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• Songfacts Accessed July 2008
• Jackie de Shannon Discography, Accessed July 2008