Lookin' for a Love

J. W. Alexander and Zelda Samuels wrote the song after Sam Cooke asked them to turn the gospel number "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray", which the Womack Brothers had recorded in 1961, into a doo-wop dance song. Cooke produced the Valentinos' 1962 record on SAR, with Bobby on lead. It reached number 8 on the R&B chart and number 72 on the Hot 100.

In 1973 Womack used the song as a vocal warm-up in a recording session and cut one take with his brothers singing backing vocals, with no plan to release it. After some convincing it came out in early 1974, produced by Womack with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and went to number 1 on the R&B chart and number 10 on the Hot 100. It was certified gold. The J. Geils Band took it to number 39 in 1971, and Squeeze recorded it as a bonus track on East Side Story.