Body And Soul

Album: Rhythm Of Love (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Baker wants to make sure she's not going to get burned before she opens her heart again. It was written by the team of Ellen Shipley and Rick Nowels, who wrote most of Belinda Carlisle's hits. In a Songfacts interview with Shipley, she told the story behind it: "That's probably my favorite song of anything that we've done. I was sitting at my piano in Brooklyn and I just started playing this three-quarter kind of song. I had this idea called 'Body And Soul,' so I was writing to that. Then I flew back to LA to work on it with Rick.

    'Body And Soul' has a classic old-time feel that also works now. This is where people are afraid of commitment if they don't know for sure what the other person feels. It's a really simple song where she wants to know because she's in it, she's deep in it, and she wants to know what he feels, because we don't always know. It was a pick in Billboard."

    "Melodically, lyrically, it's passionate," she added. "It's clear: It's got one thought and it's a lot of what people feel. It's commitment: Am I going to commit to this person? I've got to know how they feel first."
  • When Shipley and Nowels started writing this song, they had Hall & Oates in mind, but realized it was much more suited to Baker. It pitch it, they created a demo using a singer that sounded a lot like Baker; the real Anita took the song as soon as she heard it.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Todd Rundgren

Todd RundgrenSongwriter Interviews

Todd Rundgren explains why he avoids "Hello It's Me," and what it was like producing Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album.