Looking For An Echo

Album: Vance 32 (1975)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song tells the nostalgic story of a Doo-Wop group who were always looking for a good place to sing - somewhere with a good echo to enhance their sound. The singer looks back fondly at that time and realizes that he's always looking for his "echo," which is a place of happiness and understanding.
  • In 2000, this song was used as the basis for the movie Looking For An Echo, which is about a Doo-Wop star years after his fame has faded. Kenny Vance recorded a new version of the song with his group The Planotones, and recorded the soundtrack to the movie. Says Vance: "The song was originally recorded in 1975, and it was basically a folk song. I did it acoustically. How I recorded the original was I put down an acoustic guitar, and then I sang it, and then I basically stacked all the vocals on there. And then we added a drum, bass, and keyboard. And that's basically it. Somehow it captures that feeling... it could make you cry in a way. I don't know what it was, but it evokes a certain emotion in the listener. It's so many years later that I'm detached from what I did originally, and I think I can hear it objectively. It was basically a folk song about growing up in Brooklyn, about those days. And then as the years went by, it never died. It never was a hit, but it never went away. And it was played on a lot of these doo-wop shows all throughout the country, these guys would close their show with it."
  • This was written by Richie Reicheg, who is better known as a character actor, appearing in many TV shows including Kojak, CHiPs, Remington Steele, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Alias. Says Vance: "He was a friend of mine, and he had this song - whether he wrote it for me, I don't know. But he had it in a different form, and I kind of changed it around and I left out certain verses. It was kind of corny. I wouldn't criticize him in any way, but I changed it around, put the modulations in. There's two half step modulations in it to kind of build it up a little bit." (Read more in our interview with Kenny Vance.)

Comments: 1

  • Mario from MdfSo I added this song to my Spotify playlist
    Low and behold words changed
    “ two Italian guys“
    Changed to something inaudible?
    Why ? PC ?
    I’m Italian and it was the best part of the song .
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.