Jackie Deshannon ~ What The World Needs Now Is Love (1965) Guide

As the orchestra began the iconic waltz-time intro, Jackie closed her eyes. The lyrics didn't ask for much. They didn't ask for more mountains or more oceans; they addressed a universal "Lord," but it wasn't a hymn. It was a plea.

By the time they reached the bridge, where the brass swells and she insists it's the only thing that there's just too little of, the session musicians knew they weren't just making a pop record. They were capturing a pulse. The Ripple Effect Jackie Deshannon ~ What the World Needs Now is Love (1965)

For months, the song sat in a drawer. Bacharach himself was hesitant; he worried the lyrics were a bit too simple, maybe even naive, for such a cynical time. But then, they thought of Jackie. She had a voice that sounded like sunlight hitting gravel—sweet, but with enough "grit" to make you believe she’d seen some things. The Session As the orchestra began the iconic waltz-time intro,

Inside a dimly lit recording studio, Jackie DeShannon stood behind the microphone. She was already a trailblazer—one of the first female singer-songwriters to really crack the code of the industry—but today, she was nervous. It was a plea

Jackie DeShannon’s version remains the definitive one because she didn't treat the lyrics like a Hallmark card. She sang them like a woman standing in the middle of a storm, holding a candle and refusing to let it go out. If you'd like, I can:

Hal David and Burt Bacharach, the legendary songwriting duo, had written "What the World Needs Now Is Love" a year earlier. They first offered it to Dionne Warwick. Dionne, usually the perfect vessel for their sophisticated melodies, turned it down. She thought it was "too preachy."

She was about to record a song that had already been rejected. The Song That Nobody Wanted