This, That, and the Other

For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has instructed us to respond to this challenge by either using the prompt word sea, or going with the above picture, or by means of the song “Puff The Magic Dragon,” or by going with another song by Peter, Paul and Mary, or anything else that you think fits.

I decided to wind up the Wayback machine to 1959 and to churn up the song “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips.

It was 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. It reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1958, Phillips was working as a bellhop at a Lake Charles, Louisiana hotel. There was a girl who he was trying to impress, and since he was good with a guitar, he decided to do it with a song. Phillips is quoted as saying: “I had my guitar, so I went and wrote this song, ‘Sea of Love.’ You see, she really didn’t believe in me. But I felt if I could sing about it — a sea of love where it’s quiet and peaceful — I could really show her how much I loved her and cared for her.”

A gas meter reader heard Baptiste practicing the song and told him to see a record producer named George Khoury, who had him record the song and convinced him to take the stage name “Phil Phillips.” The song was released on Khoury’s independent record label, and did so well in Louisiana that Mercury Records picked up the song to distribute nationally, where it became a big hit. Phillips claims he earned just $6,800 from the song, and he didn’t even get the girl.

Two other versions of this song entered the U.S. Top-40. First, Del Shannon hit number 33 in 1984, then The Honeydrippers took it to number 2 in 1984. The Honeydrippers was a pet side project of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, who was scratching his itch to have an R&B band. They band was made up of Led Zeppelin alumni Plant and Jimmy Page, Yardbirds alumnus Jeff Beck, and Nile Rodgers, and Paul Shaffer.

Plant was taken aback by this song’s success for The Honeydrippers. He feared that this would destroy his reputation and he would be typecast as a crooner, so he deliberately cut off the career of the Honeydrippers.

Here are the lyrics to “Sea of Love.”

Come with me, my love
To the sea, the sea of love
I want to tell you how much I love you

Do you remember when we met?
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me to the sea
Oh, love

Do you remember when we met?
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me to the sea
Oh, love

Do you remember when we met?
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

Below are the covers by Del Shannon and by Robert Plant’s The Honeydrippers. Take a listen and let me know which you like best, the original, Del Shannon’s cover, or Robert Plant’s The Honeydrippers.