"Sea of Love" is a song written by John Philip Baptiste (better known as
Phil Phillips) and
George Khoury. It was the only
top-40 chart-maker for Phillips, who never recorded another hit.[2]
Background
Baptiste, who was working as a
bellboy in
Lake Charles, Louisiana, wrote "Sea of Love" for a love interest. He was introduced to local
record producer George Khoury, who took Baptiste into his studio to record it. At Khoury's request, Baptiste took the
stage name of Phil Phillips. The song, originally credited to Phil Phillips with The Twilights, was released on a small
record label owned by Khoury, but due to its success it was eventually leased to
Mercury Records. Despite the success of "Sea of Love", Phillips claimed that he only ever received
US$6,800 for recording it.[2]
The song has been
covered by a number of artists since the first 1959 recording. Among the most notable versions are the following:
Later in 1959, in the
UK,
Marty Wilde covered the song which subsequently peaked at No. 3 in the
UK Singles Chart.[8] The original Phil Phillips rendition failed to chart there. This version is also featured in Chanel No. 5: La Star (1990)[21] ad.
Tom Waits's version was first available on the 1989 soundtrack for the movie Sea of Love and later on his 2006 album
Orphans
Cat Power recorded it on her 2000 album, The Covers Record. The 2007 film Juno featured her version in its soundtrack.[23] Power’s cover was certified gold in Canada.[24]