My Love
Has Two Faces Music by John Barry, Lyrics by
Jack Lawrence
Theme song from the 1968 film Deadfall. Released in 1968 on the
soundtrack album and on a single. For more
information about Deadfall see the soundtrack album.
This song is available on the 1997 CD release of the soundtrack album and is
also available on the collection Bassey - The
EMI/UA Years 1959 - 1979.
The note from the soundtrack album refers to the
recording of this vocal: "As for Shirley Bassey - well, it was snowing in London when we recorded her vocal,
but as always, she raised the temperature the moment she started to sing.
The mercury, I think you will agree, stayed high."
John Barry By
Joseph Stevenson, All Music Guide
Jonathan Barry Prendergast is one of the
world's best-known and most popular film score composers. Aside from those who
were also well-known classical composers, he is probably the most notable of all
British film composers.
His career was "inherited" from both his mother and father. His mother was a
pianist with classical training who saw to it that he got a musical education,
playing trumpet and piano. His father owned a movie theatre. John's exposure to
films increased when he left school at 15 to work full-time as a projectionist
in his father's cinema. By then he was already on the way to deciding definitely
to pursue a career in film music.
He joined a local band as trumpet player and was a bandsman during his military
service from 1952 to 1955. Meanwhile, he studied with the organist of York
Minster (the historic church of York) and by correspondence with American
composer/arranger William Russo and with Joseph Schillinger, the
theorist-teacher who had also taught George Gershwin compositional technique and
form (after Gershwin had already become a famous composer). At this time Barry
began arranging for band.
In 1957, he founded John Barry and the Seven, a pop/rock band (later the John
Barry Seven) which remained in existence through 1966. One of his most prominent
early jobs was as arranger-musical director for the popular British singer Adam
Faith. Barry appeared on radio and television, worked as an A&R man for record
companies, and in 1959 scored his first film, the rock musical Beat Girl (1959),
staring Adam Faith.
In 1962, he was asked to orchestrate and arrange a non-symphonic, "hip" score by
composer and band leader Monty Norman, engaged to compose the soundtrack for
"Dr. No" (1962), the first James Bond film.
It was this project that led to Barry's fame, but not without controversy. The
single distinctive cue in the soundtrack is the famous "James Bond Theme." It is
rumored that the producers were dissatisfied with Norman's James Bond theme and
approached Barry directly to "fix" it. Whether Barry composed a theme anew or
worked up Norman's theme is the crux of the issue. But contractually Norman is
credited with its authorship and has successfully maintained legal actions in
court to defend that credit. Barry proponents, however, respond that it is
telling that for 11 several subsequent Bond films (including all the classic
Sean Connery movies) the producers hired Barry to do the scoring and never
Norman. However, it has also been reported that Barry has succeeded in
reclaiming authorship of the theme.
The Bond films made Barry famous, and established a personal non-symphonic
sound, often orchestrated by Barry himself, that is among the most distinctive
personal sounds in film music. Traits of it include a remarkably well-timed
ability to "freeze" the harmonies quietly to build suspense, often while melody
instruments continue to move slowly. He is notable for his use of the trumpet,
the guitar, and the flute in a low register.
But he has gone on to score dozens of movies, and none of his five Academy
Awards are for Bond thrillers. They are for the scores of Born Free (1966), The
Lion in Winter (1968), Out of Africa (1985), and Dances with Wolves (1990) and
for Best Song for Born Free. (He says he wrote the song with the private idea of
composing a satire on a Disney animal movie).
Barry has also written successful West End musicals, most notably "Billy"
starring Michael Crawford (1974). Barry moved to California in 1975 and New York
in 1980 and lives in Oyster Bay with his wife, Laurie.
My love has two faces
One false one true
My love has two faces
Which one is you?
The first night
A warm light
flickered in your eyes
The first time
you held me
summer filled my heart
The first kiss you gave me
woke a sleeping dream
and I began to scheme
how we would never part
But love has two faces
One false one true
Which face are you wearing?
I wish I knew
Oh last night
A cold light
shivered in your glance
yes last night
your cold eyes
started sudden fears
That moment my heart felt
winter's icy kiss
did I imagine this
or can the end be near?
My love has two faces
One false one true
One lies and one loves me
which one is you?
which one is you?
By
Joseph Stevenson, All Music Guide