"The Book of Love" | |
---|---|
Single by The Monotones | |
from the album Who Wrote The Book Of Love | |
B-side | "You Never Loved Me" |
Released | February 1958 |
Format | 7" |
Recorded | September 1957 |
Genre | |
Length | 2:24 |
Label | Mascot Argo |
Songwriter(s) | Warren Davis George Malone Charles Patrick |
"The Book of Love" (also titled "(Who Wrote) The Book of Love") is a rock and roll song, originally by The Monotones. It was written by three members of the group, Warren Davis, George Malone and Charles Patrick.
Lead singer Charles Patrick heard a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial with the line "wonder where the yellow went". From there he got the idea for the line, "I wonder, wonder, wonder who, who wrote the book of love", working it up into a song with Davis and Malone. The "boom" part of the song was a result of a kid kicking a ball against the garage while they were rehearsing. It sounded good, so they added it to the song.
In September 1957, the Monotones recorded "The Book of Love", which was released on the Mascot label in December that year. The small record company could not cope with its popularity, and it was reissued on Chess Records' subsidiary Argo label in February 1958. On the Billboard charts, "The Book of Love" peaked at No. 5 on the pop chart and No. 3 on the R&B chart. Outside the US, the song reached No. 5 in Australia.