In the mornings when I open the blinds throughout my house, I usually do this little activity while quietly singing a tune. It’s not out of the ordinary that when my feet move, so does my mouth😊. Now, the song I sing depends on how I’m feeling on any given morning. The song may be gospel, pop, jazz, rock, classical, or country. You get the picture. Well, the other day as I began to open my house blinds, one particular song popped up in my head, and it has been with me for a couple of days, now. I began to sing “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”
I’m sure many of you remember Dionne Warwick releasing this song back in 1966, but she was not the first one to release it even though it was offered to her first by the musical team, Hal David who wrote the lyrics and Burt Bacharach who gets the credit for the music. “What the World Needs Now Is Love” was first made popular by Jackie DeShannon, who released it April 15, 1965. Dionne Warwick initially turned down this beautiful piece of music, because she felt the song “was too country for her taste and too preachy,” as reported, but she later changed her mind and decided to release her version of this hopeful, peaceful, and uplifting song on her album titled, “Here Where There Is Love.”
One might wonder why the song was written in the first place. I wanted to know the reason for its origin, but I was not too surprised when I found out why it was created. The United States was deeply involved in the Vietnam War and grappling with the aftermath of John F. Jennedy’s assassination. We must not forget that the timing of this music was also during a period of social upheaval related to the Civil Rights Movement. The song’s message of unity and love struck a chord with many who had grown weary of the strife, hatred, and chaos they saw daily around them.
My thoughts quickly reminded me of how this song is very much needed today—over a half century later after it was written! We still need love in our world. Today, we are grabbling with a host of concerns: economic issues, healthcare costs, drug addiction, gun violence, the state of public education, wars, and military violations, national security, affordable housing—just to name a few. Yes, there are more. I’ll end with the chorus and the second verse of “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” Maybe once again it will strike a chord.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone
Lord, we don’t need another meadow
There are corn fields and wheat fields enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine
Oh, listen Lord, if you want to know
What the world needs now is love, sweet love…
I believe HE already knows.
Do you agree?
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