On this day (September 17) in 1980, Johnny Lee was on a three-week run at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart with “Lookin’ for Love.” The song was featured heavily in the hit film Urban Cowboy and was released as a single from its soundtrack. It was later named the No. 1 country song of the year. Its success helped Lee find mainstream success.
Many scenes in Urban Cowboy took place at Gilley’s Club in Pasadena, Texas. When it wasn’t being used as the setting for the film starring John Travolta, it was a hotspot for country music. Lee was one of the club’s house performers. While working on the film, producer Irving Azoff heard Lee performing and offered him the chance to record “Lookin’ for Love.” He accepted, and the rest is history.
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Lee was far from the first artist who was offered the song. According to Songfacts, two teachers, Patti Ryan and Wanda Mallette, wrote the song. Then, they sent it to songwriter Bob Morrison, who tweaked it a bit. He immediately started pitching it to artists in Nashville. No less than 23 singers had passed on the song before Azoff pitched it to Lee.
It’s a catchy song, and Lee’s baritone fits it perfectly. However, it is hard to deny the impact of its placement in Urban Cowboy. It plays several times during the film. Moreover, Travolta’s Bud Davis mentions that he likes it.
Johnny Lee’s Star Rose Quickly
“Lookin’ for Love” gave Johnny Lee the bump he needed to become a star. By 1980, he had already released six singles. Three of those, including “Country Party,” had landed within the top 40.
Lee reissued “Lookin’ for Love” as the lead single from his 1980 album of the same name. He followed that with “One in a Million,” which also went to No. 1. The album’s next two singles–“Pickin’ Up Strangers” and “Prisoner of Hope”–reached No. 3.
[RELATED: Two School Teachers Wrote Johnny Lee’s First No. 1 Single in 1980]
He scored a total of four chart-toppers and seven top-10 singles between 1980 and 1984. He also won Top New Male Vocalist at the 1981 ACM Awards, where “Lookin’ for Love” was nominated for Song and Single of the Year. The hit also earned Lee a Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
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