R&B
The song “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips with The Twilights is one of the most often-requested golden oldies. New Orleans has spawned all kinds of music. Phil Phillips is an R&B artist, but he is also categorized as swamp pop. This type of music combines R&B, country and Western, and some French Louisiana influences. So many times a man writes a song to impress a girl. That’s the story behind “Sea of Love,” written by Phil Phillips (born John Phillip Baptiste) and George Khoury. Phillips was working at a bellhop at a hotel in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and wanted a certain girl to love him back. He said: ”I felt if I could sing about it – a sea of love where it’s quiet and peaceful – I could really show her how much I loved her and cared for her.” The song was arranged and produced by Eddie Shuler. Phillips called his backing group The Twilights. They recorded the song in 1959. Things didn’t work out with that girl, but the recording went to #1 on the R&B Chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold more than one million copies and was awarded an RIAA gold record.
There have been numerous covers of the song, including versions by Marty Wilde, The Honeydrippers, Del Shannon, and Tom Waits. The song was used prominently in the 1989 film Sea of Love, which starred Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin.
