Thursday, February 09, 2023

Burt Bacharach Dies at 94

 

Woke up to the news that legendary hitmaker Burt Bacharach had died yesterday. That someone would expire at 94 isn't particularly shocking, but it was jarring that I had literally just watched a (rather bizarre but endlessly endearing) clip of him playing tennis with an 18-year-old Chris Evert two days before. (If you recall, I made Helen Reddy my Song of the Day only for her to croak that afternoon, so it's hard not to feel culpable.) 


To say that Bacharach led a life that no one will ever live again is unquestionable: From being Marlene Dietrich's musical director (touring with her for two years) and Angie Dickinson's husband to writing 73 U.S. Top 40 hits, collecting Grammys, Academy Awards and even an Emmy along the way, he's truly one of a kind. On my way to work today I stopped by to pay my respects outside the Brill Building, where he met his best lyricist, Hal David (1921-2012), while working there back in the day. 


It's hard to pick a favorite Bacharach song. But for my money, anything he did with muse Dionne Warwick or Dusty Springfield is a perfect 10, as well as the Shirelles' "Baby It's You" and Fifth Dimension's "One Less Bell to Answer." RIP.


A great composer and not a bad tennis player!

3 comments:

GC MI said...

A sad day for me. He was probably my favorite pop music composer of all time. And I'm glad you mentioned Hal David. I don't think he ever got enough credit for his work. His lyrics were FANTASTIC.

joepelpro said...

A great composer who wrote everything from classic pop songs to film scores to Broadway.

ChazWNY said...

Painted from Memory. True fans will know