Bacharach's songs must have been a kind of salve from the day's news. 1 hit on the singles chart was the vocal number "This Guy's In Love With You" - by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. He was a songwriter, bandleader, trumpet player and co-founder of A&M Records. Herb Alpert was not known for his singing. Soon, Bacharach was writing melodies that millions of people could whistle. "His observation was 'Never be ashamed of something that's melodic, that one could whistle,'" Bacharach said of his teacher. It was Milhaud who encouraged Bacharach to follow the kind of music he felt compelled to write. He studied with renowned classical composer Darius Milhaud. As a teenager, the young Bacharach snuck into jazz clubs to see Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.
She insisted her son practice cello, drums and piano. Take the song "Anyone Who Had A Heart" it was Warwick who pointed out to Bacharach the song constantly changes time signature.īacharach was a classically trained musician who absorbed everything. Bacharach's pop songs were unconventional for the 1960s in their structure, key changes and time signatures.
But, as Dionne Warwick and other musicians have pointed out, there is nothing simple about them. Their star vehicle was Dionne Warwick.īacharach wrote music that was accessible - it even sounds simple. In the 1960s, Bacharach and his musical partner, lyricist Hal David, worked out of New York's famed Brill Building. Burt Bacharach composed and arranged so many hits, often adding horns and strings to create his signature sound. Burt Bacharach's melodies are seared in the memories of generations of listeners.Ĭall it orchestrated pop. He was 94.īacharach composed an astonishing number of hit songs over the decades: "Say A Little Prayer." "Walk On By." "What The World Needs Now." "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." That's just a handful of his music - and he won Grammys, Emmys and Oscars. According to his publicist, Burt Bacharach died Wednesday due to natural causes at his Los Angeles home with family at his side. To see more incredible videos like this one, subscribe to Country Road TV’s YouTube page here.American popular music has lost a giant. Watch him perform the award-winning song below. Every time we hear this song, it’s like a time capsule into one of the great cinematic moments of all time. Still A Hit Almost 50 Years Laterĭuring a recent appearance on Larry’s Country Diner, Thomas performed his most recognized song, and it was as though we were transported back to 1969 when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came out.
“Raindrops” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014 and has been covered countless times by singers and referenced in television and movies. It charted 4th on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart, and in 2008, was ranked 85th on their Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs. Not only did Thomas record a version for the movie, he also came out with a single version of the song, and it topped several Billboard charts including the Hot 100 and Easy Listening. The publication also reports Bob Dylan was also offered the song, but he declined as well.Īround this time, country-pop singer BJ Thomas was gaining popularity thanks to his song “Hooked On A Feeling,” and the songwriters were encouraged to approach him about recording “Raindrops.” Legend has it that Thomas was recovering from laryngitis when he sang the demo, but Bacharach and David liked the raspy quality to his voice so much, he was chosen there on the spot. Apparently Stevens wasn’t a fan of the song, so he turned it down. Finding The Right VoiceĪccording to Music Aloud, Bacharach and David wrote the song with Grammy Award-winning singer Ray Stevens in mind. Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David penned “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” for the film, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. In fact, one of the four Academy Awards the film went home with was Best Original Score for a Motion Picture. Not only has it become a fan favorite film, it has also gone down in history as one of the greatest movies of all time, thanks to its Wild West storyline, which was accompanied by an award-winning soundtrack.
Although early reviews of the film were less than favorable, it went on to earn over $100 million in the United States, making it the top grossing film that year. Released in 1969, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of the biggest and most successful movies of its time.
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