"Hollywood Romance" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and David Jordan. It was released as a single on Polydor Records on 20 October 1978 in a picture sleeve, almost six years to the day after the release of their last hit collaboration "

Getting a Drag "Getting a Drag" was the second single released by Lynsey de Paul. The song was co-written with David Jordan, and featured the de Paul penned b-side "Brandy". Released in November 1972 on MAM Records, the single entered the UK Singles Chart and pe ...

", and it was play-listed on BBC Radio 1. The record label for this single was unusual in that it was printed in silver instead of the usual Polydor red label. The release was announced in a full page advert "Hollywood Romance - a new single from a very special lady" published in Music Week. In Japan, it was released in February 1979 in the same picture sleeve cover with the title in Japanese added, plus the lyrics were included on the back cover. It was listed as a major release in Hong Kong. The song name checks a number of classic era Hollywood movies such as '' King Kong'', '' Last Tango in Paris'', '' The African Queen'', ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...

'' and '' Tarzan'', as well as the popular song " Begin the Beguine", written by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

that Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell danced to in the musical film '' Broadway Melody of 1940''. "Hollywood Romance" was influenced by de Paul's move to California in the late 1970s to be with her partner at the time, the actor

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the "Hollywood Romance" single was a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

song that de Paul co-wrote with Coburn, entitled "Losin' The Blues For You". Polydor hosted a launch party in London to celebrate the release of "Hollywood Romance" in a Hollywood style setting complete with Busby Berkeley film clips. The single garnered good reviews with UK music press including the weekly publication, '' Record Mirror'', writing "De Paul is set for a comeback ...with this real eye opener". It was playlisted by BBC Radio 1 and also was played on Singapore's FM radio station. Both songs were produced by Rupert Holmes for the Holmes Line and they went on to appear as tracks on the Holmes produced 1979 album, ''

Tigers and Fireflies ''Tigers and Fireflies'' (sometimes referred to as ''Tigers & Fireflies'') is an album recorded in 1978 and released by Lynsey de Paul in April 1979 on the Polydor record label. It was launched at a special event at the Mayfair Club in London, ...

'' that was recorded at

Long View Farm Long View Farm Studios was a music recording studio located in North Brookfield, Massachusetts which was founded in 1974 by Gilbert Scott Markle, a professor at Clark University, on his farm property. It was the location of recordings from many ...

and released by de Paul a few months later on the Polydor record label in 1979. Although it is considered a major de Paul single release, it is one of the few de Paul tracks that has yet to be released on CD, although it is available as a download from de Paul's official online music store.

Lena Zavaroni Lena Hilda Zavaroni (4 November 1963 – 1 October 1999) was a Scottish singer and a television show host. At ten years of age, with her album ''Ma! (He's Making Eyes at Me)'', she was the youngest person in history to have an album in the top ...

performed her own version of "Hollywood Romance" on episode 2 of her popular Saturday night prime time BBC 1 TV series, ''

Lena Zavaroni and Music ''Lena Zavaroni and Music'' (originally known as, pre-broadcast, as ''Lena Zavaroni and Guests'') was a variety TV programme featuring singer Lena Zavaroni and her guests. Six episodes were aired by the BBC in the spring of 1979. The BBC also r ...

'', in 1979. It was also featured in the book ''HK Pop Album 101: Part 1 1971-1987''.''HK Pop Album 101: Part 1 1971-1987'' by Muzikland A Japanese version of the song with the title "Romance" and Japanese lyrics by Ryoko Goshima was released in 1995 by Japanese singer, songwriter Yoshiko Goshima (五島良子) on her album ''Froggie''. A remastered version of the album was released in 2013 with Japanese lyrics. De Paul's version of the song is listed by the BBC's official music website as one of her most played songs on BBC radio, and was recently played in honour of the anniversary of her birthday.

References

{{authority control Lynsey de Paul songs Songs written by Lynsey de Paul 1978 songs