Burt Bacharach is simply one of the most accomplished composers of the 20th Century. In the 1960s and '70s, Bacharach was a dominant figure in popular music, writing an amazing 52 Top 40 hits. In their musical sophistication, Bacharach compositions stood apart from much of the simpler pop music of the era. Bacharach songs typically boasted memorable melodies, unconventional time signatures and striking chord changes. Lyricist Hal David, Bacharach's primary collaborator, provided Bacharach's music with Tin Pan Alley craft and melodrama. David's unsentimental, bittersweet lyrics often contrasted with Bacharach's soaring melodies. While Bacharach's name in the 1970s became synonymous with elevator music, due in large part to his music's familiarity, a closer listening suggests that his meticulously crafted, technically sophisticated music is anything but easy listening.
Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Mo., on May 12, 1928. The son of nationally syndicated columnist Bert Bacharach, Burt grew up in New York and -- at his mother's insistance -- studied cello, drums, and then piano beginning at the age of 12. As a youth, Burt hated his piano lessons. His dream was to play professional football, but his lack of size kept him out of that field.
As a teenager, Bacharach fell in love with jazz and sometimes used a fake ID to sneek into 52nd Street nightclubs to see bebop legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Bebop's far-out harmonies and melodies were a major influence on the young composer.
Bacharach soon started a band and his first music jobs were playing at Catskills resorts and army bases. He enrolled in the music studies program at McGill University in Montreal. It was there that he wrote his first song.
He went on to study theory and composition at the Mannes School of Music in New York City; at the Berkshire Music Center; and at the New School for Social Research, where he studied under composers Bohuslav Martinu, Henry Cowell and Darius Milhaud (whose influence on Bacharach's style is apparent in his work). He was also awarded a scholarship to the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbera.
From 1950-52 Bacharach served in the Army, playing piano at the officer's club on Governor Island and concerts at Fort Dix; his perfomances then consisted mostly of improvisations and pop medleys of the day, although he was billed as a concert pianist.
While serving as a dance band arranger with the Army in Germany, Bacharach met Vic Damone. After his discharge, at the age of 24, Bacharach became Damone's piano accompaniest. He also worked nightclubs, restaurants and accompanied performers such as Ames Brothers, Imogene Coca, Polly Bergen, Joel Grey, Georgia Gibbs, Steve Lawrence and a young singer by the name of Paula Stewart. He married Stewart in 1953 (they were divorced in 1958).
In 1957, Burt teamed up with lyricist Hal David (b. May 25, 1921), whom he met while they both worked at Famous Paramount Music Company. The pair stuck gold almost immediately, with hits for Marty Robbins ("The Story of My Life," 1957) and Perry Como ("Magic Moments," 1958).
From 1958-61 Burt toured Europe and America as musical director for Marlene Dietrich. During this period, two Bacharach songs were recorded: "Tower of Strength" by Gene McDaniel (with lyrics by Bob Hilliard) and "Baby It's You" by the Shirelles (lyrics by Mack David婬al's brother媋nd Barney Williams). Both were recorded in 1961. "Baby It's You" was subsequently recorded by the Beatles (1963) and the duo of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe (1984).
In 1962, soul singer Chuck Jackson recorded "Any Day Now" (lyrics by Bob Hilliard). Also that year, Gene Pitney recorded "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," a song inspired by the John Wayne/James Stewart movie.
Bacharach worked extensively with the Drifters, arranging horns and string parts and collaborating with lyricist Bob Hilliard on the group's 1961 singles "Mexican Divorce" and "Please Stay." At a Drifters session he met Marie Dionne Warwick (born Dec. 12, 1940, in East Orange, N.J.), a member of Drifters backup vocal group the Gospelaires and the niece of vocalist Cissy Houston. Bacharach later described Warwick's voice as "perfect," and she had little trouble naviagating Bacharach's most difficult compositions. Beginning in 1962 with "Don't Make Me Over" (#21), the team of Bacharach & David collaborated with Warwick on 20 Top 40 hits in 10 years, seven of which went Top Ten: "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1963), "Walk on By" (1964), "Message to Michael" (1966), "I Say a Little Prayer" (1967), "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" (1968), "This Girl's in Love with You" (1969) and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (1969).
Besides their work writing and producing albums for Warwick, the team of Bacharach and David were also responsible for hits with other performers, including Jackie DeShannon ("What the World Needs Now"), the Fifth Dimension ("One Less Bell to Answer"), Bobby Vinton ("Blue on Blue"), Herb Alpert ("This Guy's in Love With You"), Jerry Butler and the Walker Brothers ("Make It Easy on Yourself"), Tom Jones ("What's New, Pussycat?"), Jack Jones ("Wives and Lovers"), Dusty Springfield ("24 Hours from Tulsa"), B.J. Thomas ("Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"), the Carpenters ("[They Long to Be] Close to You"), Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66 ("The Look of Love") and others.
As the sixties closed, Bacharach and David teamed up for a Broadway musical, Promises, Promises (1968), which was based on the Billy Wilder film The Apartment. The title song was a hit for Warwick, and the play ran for three years and 1,281 performances. The musical won two Tonys and the cast album garnered a Grammy. Through his wife, screen star Angie Dickinson (whom he married in 1966 and divorced in 1980), Bacharach moved into film scores. His credits include the tile song to Alfie, a hit for Dionne Warwick, What's New, Pussycat?, (its title song a Top 5 hit for Tom Jones in 1965), Casino Royale and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which spawned the No. 1 hit "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" and which brought Bacharach a pair of Oscars (Best Score and Best Theme Song) as well as a Grammy for best score.
In 1973, Bacharach and David collaborated on a musical version of the 1937 film Lost Horizon. The film, produced by Ross Hunter, was a resounding flop with both critics and the public. In the wake of the Lost Horizon debacle, Bacharach, David and Warwick went through a bitter professional divorce, with Warwick suing Bacharach and David, David suing Bacharach and Bacharach countersuing David. For the next seven years, little was heard from Burt Bacharach.
In 1980, Bacharach broke his semi-retirement to collaborate with Paul Anka for the soundtrack to the film Together?. The soundtrack garnered a minor hit for Burt with Jackie DeShannon's "I Don't Need You Anymore." In 1981, Bacharach was back at the top of the charts with "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)," a collaboration between Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen and Christopher Cross from the film Arthur, which Bacharach also scored. "Arthur's Theme" gave Bacharach another Oscar and also united him professionally with lyricist Sager.
The partnership would prove to be fruitful. Bacharach and Sager, who married in 1982 (Sager gave birth to their only child in 1986), collaborated on hits for Sager ("Stronger Than Before," 1981), Roberta Flack ("Making Love," 1982), Dionne Warwick and Friends ("That's What Friends Are For," 1985), Patty Labelle and Michael McDonald ("On My Own," 1986), and Dionne Warwick and Jeffrey Osborne ("Love Power," 1987) among others. "Arthur's Theme," "That's What Friends Are For" and "On My Own" each were No. 1 hits.
In 1982, Bacharach composed the music for Ron Howard's Night Shift, which introduced "That's What Friends Are For" (performed by Rod Stewart on the soundtrack), and, in 1988, the music for the sequel to Arthur, Arthur 2: On the Rocks.
In 1985, Bacharach and Sager composed the title theme to the TV series "Finder of Lost Loves," which was a minor hit for Dionne Warwick.
Bacharach and Sager divorced in 1991.
In 1993, Bacharach emerged from a relatively quiet period with a number of new projects, most notably a reunion with Hal David and Dionne Warwick on the song "Sunny Weather Lover" from her Friends Can Be Lovers album. He also wrote two songs for James Ingram's Always You album: "This Is The Night" (Bacharach, Ingram, Bettis) and "Sing for the Children" (Bacharach, Ingram, Bettis). They were produced by Thom Bell. That same year he wrote "Two Hearts" (White, Bacharach, Bailey) on Earth, Wind and Fire's album "Milennium." He also wrote "Don't Say Goodbye Girl (Walden, Bacharach, Dakota) on Tevin Campbell's album I'm Ready in 1993.
He also has worked recently with lyricist B.A. Robertson, of Mike + the Mechanics, on a modern musical retelling of Snow White.
In 1995, Bacharach collaborated with Elvis Costello (via fax and answering machine) on the composition "God Give Me Strength," a song from the film "Grace of My Heart." The song was nominated for a Grammy and sparked a collaboration between Costello and Bacharach that would result in 1998's Painted From Memory record, which boasted 11 new Bacharach-Costello songs along with "God Give Me Strength." The duo embarked on a well-received tour, appeared on television to promote the record and in February 1999 won a Grammy in the Pop Collaboration with Vocals category for "I Still Have That Other Girl."
In November 1997, Burt performed at a tribute concert in New York's Hamersmith Ballroom that was taped by TNT and recorded for the CD and videoBurt Bacharach: One Amazing Night. The tribute featured Bacharach songs performed by Sheryl Crow, Chrissy Hynde, Mike Myers, Barenaked Ladies, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn and George Duke, All Saints, Wynonna, Elvis Costello, Ben Folds Five, Dionne Warwick and Bacharach himself.
Bacharach has been involved in thoroughbred racing as an owner and breeder for more than 30 years, and his horses have competed in some of the sport's most prestigious events. Burt's horse Heartlight No. One, a three-year old filly named after named after his hit collaboration with Neil Diamond, was a thoroughbred champion in 1983, and his horse Soul of the Matter was a Breeder's Cup starter in 1994 and 1995.
By all indications, Bacharach has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence of popularity among listeners over the last five years, with alternative artists as diverse as Pizzicato Five, Oasis, REM, Stereolab, Eric Matthews, Yo La Tengo, Grenadine, Combustable Edison, Ben Folds Five, John Zorn and others each paying him homage in interviews and recordings. For an appearance in London at the Royal Festival Hall in June 1996, Oasis' Noel Gallagher joined Burt onstage at the Royal Festival Hall in London to croon "This Guy's In Love With You."
In January 1996, Burt was the subject of a BBC documentary, "Burt Bacharach--This Is Now," which was broadcast in America on "Great Performances." He and Dionne performed a special concert, "Live from the Rainbow Room," on December 31, 1996, which was broadcast on the American Move Classics cable television network. A musical built on Bacharach's music, "What the World Needs Now," is currently readying for a Broadway run, and in April 1998, Bacharach hosted a televised tribute concert, "Burt Bacharach: One Amazing Night," on cable television's TNT network.
A three-disc anthology of Bacharach's work, "The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection," was issued in late 1998 by Rhino Records.
Burt continues to write and perform. He and Elvis Costello collaborated on a rendition of "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" for the soundtrack to the Austin Powers sequel "The Spy Who Shagged Me," and the duo makes a cameo appearance in the film as well.
For more information on Burt's recordings, see either the abridged hit list or the chronological discography, which compiles Burt's recordings, original versions and covers.
