L Is For Lover

Album: L Is For Lover (1986)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In the '70s, Al Jarreau made his name in the world of jazz, but he made moves into pop and R&B in the '80s, particularly with his hit "We're In This Love Together" and the theme to the TV series Moonlighting. His most popular tracks were candy-coated love songs like "L Is For Lover," where he explains that if you're looking for love, someone else is too, and you just have to go out and find that perfect match.
  • Green Gartside and David Gamson of the British outfit Scritti Politti wrote this song. You'll hear similarities with their hit "Perfect Way," released a year earlier.
  • The song spells out the word "lover" in the verses, with each letter starting a key word in the quest for love ("O is for an offer," "V you got to venture"). In the verses, Jarreau also lists various cities where this elusive lover might be, including Boston, Kingston and Glasgow. These are tried an true songwriting techniques, but you'll rarely hear them combined.
  • "L Is For Lover" is the title track to Al Jarreau's eighth album. It was produced by Nile Rodgers, who around this time was also working with Mick Jagger (his solo album She's The Boss), Steve Winwood (Back In The High Life) and Thompson Twins (Here's to Future Days).

Comments: 2

  • Rick from Columbus, Gaoops, sorry for the double posting
  • Rick from Columbus, GaAl Jarreau kicks butt! This is a great example of how he does it.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Linda Perry

Linda PerrySongwriter Interviews

Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.