Burt Bacharach

Anyone Who Had A Heart – The Art of The Songwriter is a career spanning box set that features music for all six decades of Burt Bacharach’s career. A man who is unquestionably one of the greatest writers of popular music of the last one hundred years; who, in the modern era, has but a handful of peers. He is also one of the few songwriters that have stepped out into the spotlight as a performer. His songs have been recorded by arguably a greater variety of artists than any other; from the singer that many associate with his writing, Dionne Warwick, to Dusty Springfield and Elvis Costello, The Carpenters to Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Tom Jones to Sergio Mendes.
His is a name synonymous with beautiful, sometimes quirky, melodies that have provided the soundscape for some of popular music’s most romantic ballads. His trademark chord progressions, syncopated rhythmic patterns, unusual phrasing and use of meter make his songs instantly recognisable, whether it’s as a writer of ‘pop’ hits as well as for movies and the Broadway stage.
He is one of the most respected and gifted writers, the kind whose like we will probably never see again. Genius is a term too often bandied around in the modern world, but in his case, it is totally deserved. Burt Bacharach is a Genius.
Bacharach began working with Hal David, the lyricist with whom he is most often associated, in 1957. Early hits for Marty Robbins and Perry Como were followed by the start of the relationship with Dionne Warwick, the singer who many most readily associate Bacharach’s name. Soon after he worked with Dusty Springfield, who recorded what for many is the definitive version of, ‘The Look of Love’ for the soundtrack of Casino Royale; she also did a superb cover of Dionne Warwick’s, ‘Wishin’ and Hopin’.
Many probably think that The Carpenters were the first artist to record, ‘(They Long to be) Close To You’, so definitive is their recording. In fact, the first recording was seven years earlier in 1963 by actor Richard Chamberlain who was popular on TV in the 1960s as Dr Kildare. The Carpenters recorded a number of Bacharach songs during their career including the beautiful, ‘Somebody’s Been Lyin’ on their Made in America album.
A measure of Bacharach’s supreme talent is the number of artists – over a thousand and counting – that have covered his songs. There are close to two hundred different versions of ‘The Look of Love’ and among the most striking, as well as very different to Dusty Springfield’s version, is the recording by Sergio Mendes; a record that is full of Brazilian rhythms and passion.
Bacharach and David originally had a hit with ‘Make it Easy On Yourself’ when Jerry Butler had a Billboard Top 40 hit with it in 1962. Three years later the song became the first British No.1 by The Walker Brothers, ex-patriot Californians living in swinging London as typified by Carnaby Street.
Bacharach’s catalogue of songs, with their interesting time changes and clever melodies, have been embraced by many jazz artists, including Stan Getz, and the brilliant pianist, McCoy Tyner who have both recorded complete albums of the composer’s songs. Others including, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery and George Benson have all recorded a number of his compositions. Bacharach himself has made a string of albums featuring his songs, in settings that are a wonderful insight into how he himself imagines his own compositions.
Popular music is the single most appreciated art form in the world and Burt Bacharach is the embodiment of the art of the songwriter – an art he has been exhibiting for the past sixty years.


Steven N. Rothenberg
April 26, 2018 at 6:58 pm
When I got married in 1969, I couldn’t choose between 2 wedding songs, so I had 2: The Look of Love, and This Guy’s In Love, not knowing at the time that both were Bacharach and David songs. Discovering that they were, led to my buying a complete anthology and enlightening me to a treasure trove of music that I had no idea came out of the genius of that duo. What happened to music? It seems it will never, ever be the same as it was in the 20 th century. Burt and Hal are certainly up there with the great teams of the 1900’s, and I continue to love playing all of that music on the piano in my retirement.
MP Higley
April 29, 2020 at 2:27 am
I love BB. Go to all the concerts near LA. Tremendous sobgs and performer.