I originally wrote about Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 2015. Here’s what I said about them then…
I feature the music of composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David a lot here, mostly because they’ve written songs that have been covered by many artists. And the reason they’ve been covered by so many is because they’re good and popular with listeners. Wikipedia tells me that Bacharach has written 73 US and 50 UK Top 40 hits, mostly with David (a full list is here). Besides working with Hal David (who died in 2012), Bacharach has also worked with Bob Hilliard, Carole Bayer Sager, and Hal’s older brother Mack. David also worked with Albert Hammond, Sherman Edwards, and Paul Hampton.
Here are five songs I’ve chosen to represent their work. With as much great music as these two men have produced, it’s hard to pick just five, so I picked the ones I liked best.
- Dionne Warwick, “What Do You Get When You Fall In Love”
- Gene Pitney, “Only Love Can Break A Heart”
- Linda Ronstadt, “Anyone Who Had A Heart”
- Sandie Shaw, “(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me”
- B. J. Thomas, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”
That’s Five For Friday, November 18, 2022.
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
I had no idea they wrote the 2nd last song nor the Linda Ronstadt song.
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They wrote a variety of songs, both as a team and by themselves or with others.
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I was a bit surprised to learn the pair also wrote “Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa. Both of these extremely talent people had a major influence on my own song writing during the 1970s.
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They were an incredible songwriting team, and probably inspired many songwriters. I’m amazed at just how many great songwriting teams there are…
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Terrific, John
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Glad you liked it!
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They were so good.
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They were, and I guess Burt is still active. I think he’s been writing with Carole Bayer Sager.
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Fabulous! Bacharach is a force, a brilliant musician who has written some of the most beautiful and incredibly difficult songs to sing. His key changes, chords and unexpected musical phrasing are superb. “Alfie” is the perfect example of his brilliance. Really nice post, John.
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Thanks! “Anyone Who Had A Heart,” with all its time signature changes (4/4 to 5/4 and a 7/8 at the end), is another. Key changes are simple compared to time changes, at least for me…
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Hi John – great memories of times gone by – I do so enjoy their music … thanks for the reminders- all good … cheers Hilary
PS If your snow is still there … I hope it melts soon!
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Sorry to have confused you: it hasn’t snowed yet. I expect it to this winter, though, and it’s been a few years since that has happened.
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I loved those; nice picks. Making my day slightly better.
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Glad to have helped!
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Beautiful songs ❤️
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Some songwriters just have a feel for what makes a great song, nd Bacharach and David were two of them.
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Ah! Memories that never fade . . .
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Exactly. A hundred years from now they’ll still be playing their songs.
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