The Right To Love

Lalo Schifrin

PROFILE
Composer	Lalo Schifrin
Lyricist	Gene Lees
Year Written	ca. 1963
About The Right To Love
According to the website filmscoremonthly, this song has an interesting history. It was first recorded, without lyrics, in 1963 on an album called Reflections by Stan Getz and Lalo Schifrin. Tony Bennett liked the song from the beginning and suggested that Gene Lees write the lyrics. The resulting song is an anthem for “forbidden” love. At that time, most people associated the song with interracial relationships; in later years, it has been sung by gay singers. In addition to Bennett’s recording, this song has been recorded by Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and k.d. lang.

Lyrics

My love and I ask little of the world
The right to sigh together in the rain
And walk with hands up in the sun
And share our joys and our pains

And yet they say that we were wrong
That we hadn’t the right to our love
That this love was shameful to see
And yet we treasured our love

And so we go our solitary way
Indifferent to the cold unfriendly stares
Indifferent to the whispered talk

We don’t care at all
We have all we need
As long as we can be together

We find our consolation in each other’s eyes
The sweet look of wonder
We know that we have earned the precious right to love

“The Right To Love” was recorded on February 18, 1965 and released in 1965 on the album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. It was arranged by Don Costa.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3g5Sm60hsiJQOes3RHlQqb

This recording released on:

1965: CL 2343 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
1965: CS 9143 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
1974: Embassy LP 12″: EMB 31058 — If I Ruled the World [UK]
1997: CK 65317 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
2011: Disc #31 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK30) If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set