Burt Bacharach’s Music Didn’t Just Span Six Decades, It Transcended Them

Burt Bacharach passed away Wednesday, at the age of 94. While most deaths of artists are accompanied by an accounting of their contributions, the impact he had on popular music was unmeasurable. By the numbers, he had worked with more than a thousand artists, from Dionne Warwick, to Elvis Costello. He also had 73 top 40 songs and three Academy Awards. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” “Arthur’s Theme.” Six Grammys were won by him, which, like all previous metric, seems insufficient considering his immense talent and the fact that he was such a fixture in popular music for so many years.

He was born in 1928 and raised in New York. His father was a former professional football player who became a syndicated columnist. His mother was an amateur musician, painter, and musician. As a teenager, Bacharach was famous for sneaking into New York’s jazz clubs in the 1940s where he saw many now-legendary but then up-and-coming jazz greats. This was an incredibly formative experience. His ability bring jazz harmony to the otherwise restrictive confines, of the three-minute pop song, is something that you can’t overstate.  

Bacharach enlisted in the Army after high school. He began performing and organizing dance bands. It was in the Army that he also met and first worked with his wife. Vic DamoneHe was often compared with Frank Sinatra, a crooner who would later have a modestly prosperous career. In 1956, Bacharach got a job producing and arranging Marlene Dietrich’s nightclub act which he did off and on for the next several years. Bacharach’s first film soundtrack was recorded in 1958. “The Blob,” Starring Steve McQueen as his first lead role. It’s the most bizarre score for horror ever written. It’s a lot of fun..

But his breakthrough was in 1957, when he met Hal David, another famous songwriter. They worked together in the famed Brill BuildingIt was home to many professional songwriters, and produced hundreds of hits during the 60s and 50s. That much-celebrated collaboration between Bacharach and David was very fruitful – the pair cranked out notable songs including everything from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (which curiously was not used in the film) to early hits for Dionne Warwick, who would go on to record some of Bacharach’s biggest songs. (You can read a lovely and thorough feature on Bacharach and David’s partnership You can order online.)

From this point onward, Bacharach’s songwriting credits read like a phonebook where everyone listed is famous. It would be nearly impossible to list all of his work during the past 60 years, unless you have a complete biography. Suffice it to say, Bacharach’s songwriting success is well known.

These are the main songs he composed or co-wrote. “The Look of Love” Dusty Springfield “That’s What Friends Are For,” It was the first time that this information was available.