Book of Love (band)

For the 1990 film, see Book of Love. For the 2004 film, see Book of Love.

Book of Love was, from 1984 to 1993, a popular synth pop and dance music band, right alongside Sire Records labelmates Depeche Mode and Erasure. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also included Ted Ottaviano (no relation to Susan), Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee. The band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later based out of New York City. The band gained their first exposure as the opening act on Depeche Mode's Black Celebration tour. Their biggest success came on the US dance charts, placing seven singles in the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart between 1985 and 1993. Their largest exposure on pop radio was with the song "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls." The song, from their album Lullaby, was originally the second half of a medley with their dance version of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells", a 1973 instrumental that served as the eerie theme music to the classic horror film The Exorcist. Edited down to a single-length, "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls" became Book of Love's only Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 90 in 1988. Sixteen years after their first dance chart entry, Book of Love had their first number one when "Boy," a track from their debut album, was remixed and re-released. Since their active years, Book of Love's songs "Boy" and "I Touch Roses" have been rediscovered by new audiences. Both their original versions and subsequent remixes are heard in both dance clubs and on alternative radio stations. Member Ted Ottaviano also had significant dance club hits as one half of Doubleplusgood ("The Winding Song," number two in 1996). Their song "Sunny Day" was featured in the movie The Silence of the Lambs, in which band member Lauren Roselli also had a cameo scene with principle actor Jodi Foster ^[1]. Roselli appeared again in the movie Philadelphia. Roselli and Ted Ottaviano have completed a handful of new songs with singer Lori Lindsay. They are called The Myrmidons. They have opened a website where you can purchase their new music and merchandise. Music videos by the band include "You Make Me Feel So Good" from the band's debut album, "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls" from Lullaby, and "Alice Everyday" from Candy Carol. The "Alice Everyday" video featured the band singing and playing their keyboards inside various snowdomes, reflecting the cover art of the album, designed by Jade Lee, showing the band as plastic figures also performing inside a snowdome. Rounding out the band's videos was "Boy Pop" from the Lovebubble album. The cassette and compact disc front covers of the band's album, Lovebubble, were designed by former Talking Heads' frontman David Byrne. In 1985, Susan Ottaviano produced an album called I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia which featured several bands from the Philadelphia area, including Pretty Poison. Book of Love's contribution to the compilation was the song "Henna." Jade Lee designed the album's bright orange cover that included an overlay graphic of a Philadelphia street map.

Discography

Albums

* Bonus CD Songs (Not on the original LP or Cassette).

Singles

See also

• List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

• Eric Weisbard, "Who'll Write the Book of Love: Pop Music and Pop Prose", p. 1–12 in Eric Weisbard, ed., This is Pop, Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01321-2 (cloth), ISBN 0-674-01344-1 (paper).