Burt Bacharach

Along with lyricist Hal David, he created hits for Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and Dionne Warwick among many others, as well as numerous movie themes. Here is ...

We've saved the best Bacharach track, according to Spotify's algorithm, for last. "I thought, I'm going to punch the [stuffing] out of it on What's New Pussycat," said Jones. I have to have a voice of authority.'" This desperately heartfelt and horn-filled break-up ballad, written by Bacharach and David, gave Dusty Springfield a number three hit in the UK in the summer of 1964. Written by Bacharach, Luther Dixon and Mack David about surrendering to the powers of love (despite your mates trying to warn you off the idea), this was recorded and released by girl group The Shirelles in 1961, giving them a number eight hit in the US. One of Warwick's best-loved songs peaked at number six in the US in 1964, giving her a second international million-seller, following Anyone Who Had A Heart. "And Burt said, 'That's what I want. Nominated for an Oscar in 1966 for best original song, this was the theme for the comedy film of the same name starring Peter Sellers and Peter O'Toole. It tells the story of a woman thinking of a partner who is on his way to the Vietnam War. A young Cher reworked the track as the theme song of the 1966 movie of the same name, starring Michael Caine, and it was also sung, with chart success, by Warwick. It was later covered in the UK by Cilla Black, whose version turned out to be one of the biggest female chart hits in 1960s, staying at number one for three weeks. Its appeal continued through to the 1980s, when it was famously chosen to advertise Quality Street sweets; the '90s, when British pop group Erasure cut a version; and the 2000s, when it featured in the hit movie Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

You need to hear only a few bars of a Bacharach song to sense his singular gift.

Henry](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/07/05/are-all-short-stories-o-henry-stories) story, “The Gift of the Magi.” Congratulating him on his body of work, one sensed a just detectable wince at hearing his sixties music praised all over again, in the predictable way of such things. Whereas Irving Berlin and [Paul McCartney](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/paul-mccartney-doesnt-really-want-to-stop-the-show) are fountains of music of many kinds, a smaller group make music that sounds like that of no one else on earth. “Painted from Memory” and “This House Is Empty Now” and the haunting “In the Darkest Place” will live on as recordings. [Ishtar](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/elaine-may-talks-about-ishtar),” it has never had a rescue operation attempted on its behalf—remained the singular painful trauma in Bacharach’s career. David and Bacharach, with Warwick as an incidental casualty, broke apart in 1973 with the car-crash production of a single Hollywood film. (One of his early songs, “Baby, It’s You,” made a memorable appearance in

He was dubbed 'easy listening' but this was nonsense. His dazzling music, a result of classical tuition and nights in bebop clubs, defied categories – and ...

It’s a state of affairs that’s true today, and a state of affairs that seems unlikely ever to change. He first had hits in the 1950s, Magic Moments among them, but it was as the 1960s dawned, and his partnership with David blossomed that his career ignited. They started writing one impermeable classic after another – to the songs already mentioned you can add The Look of Love, I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself, Wives and Lovers, I Say a Little Prayer, (There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me, Make It Easy on Yourself and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again among umpteen others. But in reality, the easy listening label was lazy to the point of being nonsensical, not least because – as any musician will tell you – Bacharach’s songs were seldom easy. He made music that was genuinely sui generis: rock bands could record his songs, so could mum-friendly crooners, so could soul singers and jazz musicians. Listen to Herb Alpert’s version of This Guy’s in Love With You.

Legendary American pop composer Burt Bacharach, whose prolific output provided a chart-topping playlist for the 1960s and 70s with hits like "I Say a Little ...

The songwriting duo was also acclaimed by Hollywood. Bacharach worked with stars such as Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones and also wrote hits such as Walk On By and Do You Know the Way to San Jose. - The legendary composer wrote hits such as I Say a Little Prayer, Walk On By and Do You Know the Way to San Jose.

Legendary singer Dionne Warwick said that despite her tiffs with late composer Burt Bacharach, they always let each other know they were like family.

Hal and I found the perfect partnership, and Dionne was the perfect voice for our songs,” he said in a 1987 interview with the Chicago Tribune. “Burt and I are more family than friends.” “My heartfelt condolences go out to his family letting them know he is now peacefully resting and I too will miss him.” “These words I’ve been asked to write are being written with sadness over the loss of my Dear Friend and my Musical Partner.” Warwick was only a backup singer when the songwriting partners initially enlisted her on their demo records. Dionne Warwick paid tribute Thursday to late composer Burt Bacharach, the essential musician behind her signature hits “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.”

During his life, Bacharach composed hundreds of songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. He also worked on many movie scores, including 'What's ...

NGX (sic)" He tweeted: "RIP Maestro. He was a giant in the music business. Burt was a hero of mine and very influential on my work. He wrote on the micro-blogging platform: "I’m so sad to hear about Burt Bacharach. (sic)"

Bacharach was a college-educated composer and classically trained pianist. His highly refined musical technique combined with Hal David's skills for memorable ...

[Isaac Hayes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5loAY27W5IY&ab_channel=IsaacHayes-Topic) expanded the song into a 12-minute extravaganza. [Warwick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk7CNHHIuH4&ab_channel=DionneWarwick-Topic) also recorded and released it at the same time, but when performed by Benton it is a rare example of a sentimental song about male longing set in a domestic space. The opening is used to set up a song that gently evokes tensions between fondness for and frustrations with home. Bacharach sang A House is not a Home as his own first lead vocal recording on the album Reach Out (1967). Bacharach was able to find a musical language that conveyed each powerfully and for this he will be remembered. [The Look of Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDMT6uYuDvM&ab_channel=HDFilmTributes) for the James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967) became better known than the film. Then there was the aching, velvet voice of Karen Carpenter in her brother Richard’s arrangement of [(They Long to be) Close to You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M268Csnue9I&ab_channel=TheCarpenters-Topic) (1970). By contrast, in 1978 The Stranglers produced a version that stripped the song down to its raw expressive essence. [Walk on By](https://open.spotify.com/track/6y6KOwYsmPXhiOTayBpoBz?autoplay=true) (1963) was a massive international hit for Dionne Warwick. Aretha Franklin’s [I Say a Little Prayer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDyiREoBw0o&ab_channel=ArethaFranklin) (1968) won her a Grammy. Together with lyricist Hal David, Bacharach created some of the most affecting, subtle and poignant songs of the second half of the 20th century. With hits going back to the 1950s, Bacharach continued working until the age of 92.

Recording with Hal David, Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin, the late songwriter's discog includes some of the best pop songs ever written.

Proof that Bacharach’s melodies were strong enough to be carried even by people who couldn’t really sing came when the trumpeter Herb Alpert sighed his way through This Guy’s in Love With You – and sounded perfectly suited to it, like someone wandering through a park in the afternoon sun, unable to believe his good fortune. The next three might be the best pop songs ever written, and in the case of this one, Bacharach and David were definitely served by having Aretha Franklin sing it (if Warwick was the pair’s definitive interpreter, she couldn’t get near Franklin on I Say a Little Prayer). First recorded by the actor Richard Chamberlain in 1963, but brought to perfection in 1970 by the Carpenters, Close to You highlights one of Bacharach’s preferred tricks – an instrumental melody line that’s jaunty and melancholy.

Pop composer Burt Bacharach died on Feb. 8, 2023, at the age of 94. He left a legacy of classic songs beloved by generations.

The breakdown of their successful musical partnership saw Bacharach lose interest in writing music for a spell, and affected his relationship with Warwick. You may have noticed the sheer number – and range – of artists Bacharach worked with. It speaks to the quality and endurance of his output. The show contained a number of songs that topped the charts, most notably Warwick’s version of the show-stopping “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” In the hands of Isaac Hayes, the sweet refrains of “Walk on By” becomes a psychedelic funk classic. Bacharach met David in 1957 in the storied [Brill Building](https://www.history-of-rock.com/brill_building.htm) in New York City – a place where a young songwriter could perhaps catch a break. The songs were so well written that they could easily be reworked into different genres, and break the confines of “easy listening” – a genre often maligned as unhip. This was eventually resolved with her recording of one of Bacharach’s most memorable songs, 1985’s “That’s What Friends are For,” written with his then-wife, Carole Bayer Sager. They also stood apart from other notable songwriting partners of the age – Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, for example – in that the songs were written for others to perform. The 1968 show “Promises, Promises” was groundbreaking in its [immense innovation in popular music](https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/music/the-evolution-of-music-the-music-revolution-of-the-1960s) – Bacharach may not have been taken as seriously as many of his contemporaries. Bacharach also won the Oscar for best original score.

Elvis Costello, at the opening of his 10-night stand in New York the day after Burt Bacharach died, performed three of his longtime friend's songs.

Even when he first recorded “Baby, It’s You” with Lowe in the ’80s, Costello was no johnny-come-lately to the work of Bacharach. Look here also for a coming conversation with Costello about why he settled on doing a no-repeats run at the Gramercy where upwards of 200 different songs will be performed over the next two weeks. But in hindsight, the Bacharach-David team ranks high in the pantheon of pop songwriting.”) He covered three songs that Bacharach had hits with as a songwriter in the 1960s, with the promise of getting to some of the many songs they wrote together later in the run. “I read an extraordinary and, I have to say, not tremendously insightful article in the New York Times… He stretched that to include a few songs others had written prior to that date, including a couple by Van Morrison.

In a tribute to longtime collaborator Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello sang "Baby, It's You," "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and “Please Stay” during his Gramercy ...

“I can’t wait to share our entire story with the world on March 3rd.” He recorded Yeah, [but] it’s never time to say goodbye to somebody if you love ’em. And people say, when somebody leaves you who’s a great age, they say, well, it was a good ending. And I’m not ashamed to say I did love this man. [four-CD box set](https://variety.com/2023/music/news/elvis-costello-burt-bacharach-boxed-set-collaborations-songs-1235483711/) [ “The Songs of Bacharach and Costello” in March,](https://variety.com/2023/music/news/elvis-costello-burt-bacharach-boxed-set-collaborations-songs-1235483711/) highlighting the musicians’ decades-long oeuvre and friendship.

Elvis Costello paid tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator Burt Bacharach Thursday following the songwriter's death at the age of 94.

Never would I have imagined that my admiration for him would grow into a 25-year collaboration and friendship,” Costello tweeted of the collaboration in January. These words I’ve been asked to write are being written with sadness over the loss of my Dear Friend and my Musical Partner.” “We will, of course, be delving into the songbook that Burt and I assembled over 30 years,” Costello said. Bacharach died Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. And when somebody reached a great age, people say, ‘Well, it was a good ending.’ Yeah, it’s never time to say goodbye to somebody if you love them. “A really great man left us yesterday.

Elvis Costello paid tribute to his late friend and musical partner Burt Bacharach with three poignant covers during his New York show on Thursday.

And I’m not ashamed to say I did love this man. it’s never time to say goodbye to somebody if you love ‘em. [Elvis Costello](https://www.billboard.com/artist/elvis-costello/) kicked off his 10-night series at New York’s Gramercy Theatre on Thursday night (Feb 9) by paying paid tribute to his dear friend and collaborator [Burt Bacharach](https://www.billboard.com/artist/298548/burt-bacharach/chart) a day after the beloved [pop](https://www.billboard.com/t/pop/) composer [passed away at 94](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/burt-bacharach-dead-pop-composer-lyricist-dies-7333151/) due to natural causes.

American composer Burt Bacharach, who died at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday aged 94, was a titan of 20th century pop music.

However, the cover version of the track was recorded in 1985 by Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. Though written by Bacharach and David for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, there are several recordings of I'll Never Fall in Love Again. Among the most recognisable movie theme songs of its time, Arthur’s Theme (Best You Can Do) was co-written for the film Arthur by singer Christopher Cross, Bacharach and his writing partner and then-wife Carole Bayer Sager. Sung by B J Thomas, it topped charts in the US and won an Oscar in 1970 for Best Original Song. The Bacharach and David song won Warwick her first Grammy Award in 1969, becoming her biggest international hit and selling several million copies worldwide. However, the song was written several years prior by Bacharach and his long-time collaborator Hal David, who died in 2012.

The songwriting juggernaut behind 32 Top 10 Billboard hits pays tribute to the late composer: 'He was on his own mountain'

Or “Always Something There to Remind Me.” Dionne has a hit with it, and then Naked Eyes, which was [a great record](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVrELhxOFnM&ab_channel=ChrysalisRecords) too. That’s the beauty of the songs. Or “ [A House Is Not a Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk7CNHHIuH4&ab_channel=DionneWarwick-Topic).” Think about how genius that is. [One Less Bell to Answer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy2YOL8wdBA&ab_channel=FifthDimensionVEVO)” — what a great way of saying, I’m really happy that I don’t have this guy in my life, but oh wait, that’s kind of a bummer too. And with Bacharach, the songs were always great. The trick to writing a great song is looking at if from an angle that no one’s looked at it before. He was very methodical: “Let’s go to this part again.” I have no attention span, so I remember that being hard for me. [I Say a Little Prayer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlGmMLfWsqM&ab_channel=DionneWarwick-Topic).” You’re not thinking, Wow, this has a 5/4 bar. “And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie / What will you lend on an old golden rule?” It’s so simple but so profound. Look at Herb Alpert, who wasn’t really known as a singer before “This Guy’s in Love With You.” [Alfie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NPAz8-O29U&ab_channel=DionneWarwick-Topic)” is maybe my favorite of all time. There’s nothing that’s ever been written by anyone in the history of people writing songs that’s as good as that.

Did anybody claim that when George Gershwin or Cole Porter died? Reading some of what's been written about Bacharach over the past day, you'd think he carpooled ...

I want the listener to be not be loving it for five days and then not be loving it because they get beat up. I don’t do anything to make it hard for the listener. “So Hal David wrote all the lyrics first, and then I wrote the music. They sat by the pool and talked, had a family dinner (wine and crab legs) cooked by Jane, Bacharach’s wife since 1993. Bacharach had an outward ease about him, a suave breeziness befitting someone who won Grammys, Oscars, an Emmy, the Gershwin Award for Popular Song, which he and Hal David received in 2012. We chatted about Fauci and face masks, his bedtime (late) but soon got to the heart of the conversation. “Those lyrics were going to have to say what was going on in that motion picture, without giving everything away,” he said. The box documents the collaboration that began with 1996’s “God Give Me Strength” — [my own interaction with Bacharach in 2020](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/qanda-with-burt-bacharach-how-the-92-year-old-composer-has-kept-working-during-the-pandemic/2020/10/08/dea735f2-07f3-11eb-9be6-cf25fb429f1a_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_13) when he agreed to do his first Instagram Live on The Washington Post show I hosted during the pandemic. Reading some of what’s been written about Bacharach over the past day, you’d think he carpooled to Muzak headquarters with Mitch Miller and Seals and Crofts. After we talked on the phone Thursday about Bacharach, songwriter and producer Daniel Tashian texted me a homemade video showing the two working on a new song in Bacharach’s living room. They talked only two weeks ago to discuss keys for a pair of new songs.

Costello played the Bacharach songs “Baby, It's You” and “Anyone Who Had a Heart”

[The Songs of Bacharach & Costello](https://pitchfork.com/news/elvis-costello-and-burt-bacharach-announce-new-box-set/), a box set collecting their collaborative material through the years. Bacharach [died](https://pitchfork.com/news/burt-bacharach-master-tunesmith-dies-at-94/) at his home in Los Angeles on February 8, and Costello took a moment to pay tribute to the songwriter as part of the first performance of [his 10-night residency](https://pitchfork.com/news/elvis-costello-details-10-night-residency-in-new-york-city/) at New York’s Gramercy Theater. It was later recorded by the Beatles and featured on their debut album, Please Please Me, in 1963.