"Sea of Love" is a song 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.

Background

Baptiste, who was working as a bellboy in Lake Charles, Louisiana, wrote "Sea of Love" for a love interest. He was introduced to local record producer George Khoury, who took Baptiste into his studio to record it. At Khoury's request, Baptiste took the stage name of Phil Phillips. The song, originally credited to Phil Phillips with The Twilights, was released on a small record label owned by Khoury, but due to its success it was eventually leased to Mercury Records. Despite the success of "Sea of Love", Phillips claimed that he only ever received US$6,800 for recording it.

Chart performance

Phil Phillips' 1959 recording of the song peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Three Bells" by The Browns kept it from the No.1 spot. In 1959, it sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

Weekly charts

Phil Phillips Marty Wilde Del Shannon The Honeydrippers Phil Phillips & the Twilights/Marty Wilde

Year-end charts

The Honeydrippers

Notable cover versions

The song has been covered by a number of artists since the first 1959 recording. Among the most notable versions are the following:

In popular culture