According to Consequence, American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish has released an emotional cover of Julie London’s “I’m In The Mood For Love.” The cover was part of Eilish’s BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance and follows up the release of her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, that dropped on July 30.
Instead of paying homage to the tender instrumentation featured in London’s 1955 recording of the track, Eilish opts to sing alongside simple acoustic guitar played by her brother/frequent collaborator Finneas. Therefore, the singer-songwriter reinvents the song into a sad guitar ballad. However, Eilish does manage to channel London’s soft and emotive vocals from the original recording and deliver the same sentiments of desiring love.
London initially released “I’m In The Mood For Love” in 1955 for her debut album titled Julie Is Her Name. However, the song dates back to 1935. The track was penned by American composer Jimmy McHugh and lyricist Dorothy Fields. It would become singer and actress Frances Langford’s signature song after performing it in the comedy musical film, Every Night at Eight, that same year.
The song became popular and would later be covered by many artists of different genres. Jazz icon Louis Armstrong covered the song in 1935. Paul Anka released his own rendition of the song as part of his 1960 album, Swing For Young Lovers. Barbra Streisand recorded the song in 2003 for her Grammy-nominated album, The Movie Album.
Eilish’s sophomore and critically-acclaimed album, Happier Than Ever, is available everywhere. Her cover of “I’m In The Mood For Love” is available to watch on YouTube.
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