Burt Bacharach, the master pop composer behind innumerable classics—“Walk on By,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” and many more—died at home in Los Angeles of natural causes yesterday (February 8), The New York Times reports, citing the songwriter’s publicist. Bacharach was 94.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving to Queens, New York, Bacharach spent his teens sneaking into jazz clubs and studying music. His pop heyday began in 1957, when he met the lyricist Hal David, who became his chief collaborator; that year, their songs “The Story of My Life” and “Magic Moments” became instant hits for Marty Robbins and Perry Como, respectively. Together, they established a new paradigm for svelte pop. As the 1960s progressed, they cemented their partnership among the decade’s greats—Lennon-McCartney, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Gamble and Huff—despite conjuring bygone decades with their symphonic arrangements, bossa nova lilt, and indelible melodies.
Bacharach and David provided multiple hits for Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, and Herb Alpert, and their songbook, endlessly in demand, is among the most covered in the pop canon. Interpreters included the Beatles (“Baby It’s You”), Aretha Franklin (“I Say a Little Prayer”), the Walker Brothers (“Make It Easy on Yourself”), Nina Simone (“The Look of Love”), and Isaac Hayes (“Walk on By,” “Close to You,” many more). In 2003, the White Stripes had an unlikely hit with their version of the Dusty Spingfield original “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself”; in 2010, Jim O’Rourke released an LP of Bacharach covers. This year, a box set collected Bacharach’s numerous collaborations with Elvis Costello.
Bacharach and David also left their imprint on the era’s cinema, scoring and soundtracking films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and What’s New Pussycat?, producing timeless tunes for B. J. Thomas (the Oscar-winning “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”) and Tom Jones (“What’s New Pussycat?”) in the process.
Bacharach and David were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, and received the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2012, the year of David’s death. Warwick shared a loving statement about her late colleague. “Burt’s transition is like losing a family member,” she wrote, continuing, “On the lighter side we laughed a lot and had our run ins, but always found a way to let each other know our family, like roots, were the most important part of our relationship. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, letting them know he is now peacefully resting and I too will miss him.”
https://pitchfork.com/news/burt-bacharach-master-tunesmith-dies-at-94
