"You're Lookin' Like Love to Me" by Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack

Song#:  1816
Date:  03/03/1984
Debut:  88
Peak:  58
Weeks:  11
Genre:  R&B, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Bryson and Flack scored a gold album when they got together for Born to Love. It reached #8 R&B/#25 Pop on the strength of the single "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" (#4 AC, #5 R&B, #16 Pop). This follow-up tune was a success at AC where it topped out at #5, but R&B (#41) and Pop (#58) were far less interested.

ReduxReview:  This is a pleasant enough song written by Four Seasons vets Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. The tune was a lock at AC with its smooth pop sound, but I can certainly understand why missed the other charts. It was just a bit too old fashioned and "adult" to fit in at R&B and Pop at the time. The arrangement is quite dated and it sounds like something two celebs would sing together on an 80s variety TV show. It's a perfectly fine song, but it's not interesting enough to make me reach for the repeat button.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  A few years before Bryson and Flack recorded their duet album, they both appeared on a track by R&B star Minnie Riperton. Riperton passed away from cancer in 1979, but prior to that she had already been in the studio recording material for a new album. Her husband/producer Richard Rudolph and her label Capitol decided to complete the album for posthumous release. It would be titled Love Lives Forever. All of Riperton's vocals were retained, but the music was rerecorded. For the song "Here We Go," Bryson came on board and helped to turn the tune into a duet. In addition, Flack came in to fill out some of the background vocals. Once completed, the song was issued as the album's first single. It reached #16 on the R&B chart in 1980. For anyone who doesn't know, Riperton's daughter has become a star in her own right. Maya Rudolph joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2000 and remained on the show for seven years. She earned an Emmy nomination while with the show. She has appeared in several films and TV shows since.

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