Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of 害羞草研究所淲alk on By,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淒o You Know the Way to San Jose害羞草研究所� and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.
Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.
Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written.
He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether 害羞草研究所淎lfie害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淚 Say a Little Prayer害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檒l Never Fall in Love Again害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淭his Guy害羞草研究所檚 in Love with You.害羞草研究所�
Dionne Warwick was his favorite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. 害羞草研究所淲alk On By害羞草研究所� alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.
Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He grew up on jazz and classical music and had little taste for rock when he was breaking into the business in the 1950s. His sensibility often seemed more aligned with Tin Pan Alley than with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and other writers who later emerged, but rock composers appreciated the depth of his seemingly old-fashioned sensibility.
害羞草研究所淭he shorthand version of him is that he害羞草研究所檚 something to do with easy listening,害羞草研究所� Elvis Costello, who wrote the 1998 album 害羞草研究所淧ainted from Memory害羞草研究所� with Bacharach, said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press. 害羞草研究所淚t may be agreeable to listen to these songs, but there害羞草研究所檚 nothing easy about them. Try playing them. Try singing them.害羞草研究所�
He triumphed in many artforms. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for 害羞草研究所淧romises, Promises害羞草研究所� and a three-time Oscar winner. He received two Academy Awards in 1970, for the score of 害羞草研究所淏utch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid害羞草研究所� and for the song 害羞草研究所淩aindrops Keep Fallin害羞草研究所� on My Head害羞草研究所� (shared with David). In 1982, he and his then-wife, lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, won Oscars for 害羞草研究所淏est That You Can Do,害羞草研究所� the theme from 害羞草研究所淎rthur. His other movie soundtracks included 害羞草研究所淲hat害羞草研究所檚 New, Pussycat?害羞草研究所�, 害羞草研究所淎lfie害羞草研究所� and the 1967 James Bond spoof 害羞草研究所淐asino Royale.害羞草研究所�
Bacharach was well rewarded, and well connected. He was a frequent guest at the White House, whether the president was Republican or Democrat. And in 2012, he was presented the Gershwin Prize by Barack Obama, who had sung a few seconds of 害羞草研究所淲alk on By害羞草研究所� during a campaign appearance.
In his life, and in his music, he stood apart. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn害羞草研究所檛 look like a dentist. Bacharach was a 害羞草研究所渟winger,害羞草研究所� as they called such men in his time, whose many romances included actor Angie Dickinson, to whom he was married from 1965-80, and Sager, his wife from 1982-1991.
Married four times, he formed his most lasting ties to work. He was a perfectionist who took three weeks to write 害羞草研究所淎lfie害羞草研究所� and might spend hours tweaking a single chord. Sager once observed that Bacharach害羞草研究所檚 life routines essentially stayed the same 害羞草研究所� only the wives changed.
It began with the melodies 害羞草研究所� strong yet interspersed with changing rhythms and surprising harmonics. He credited much of his style to his love of bebop and to his classical education, especially under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud, the famed composer. He once played a piece for piano, violin and oboe for Milhaud that contained a melody he was ashamed to have written, as 12-point atonal music was in vogue at the time. Milhaud, who liked the piece, advised the young man, 害羞草研究所淣ever be afraid of the melody.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭hat was a great affirmation for me,害羞草研究所� Bacharach recalled in 2004.
Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He reached a new generation of listeners in the 1990s with the help of Costello and others. Mike Myers would recall hearing the sultry 害羞草研究所淭he Look of Love害羞草研究所� on the radio and finding fast inspiration for his 害羞草研究所淎ustin Powers害羞草研究所� retro spy comedies, in which Bacharach made cameos.
In the 21st century, he was still testing new ground, writing his own lyrics and recording with rapper Dr. Dre.
He was married to his first wife, Paula Stewart, from 1953-58, and married for a fourth time, to Jane Hansen, in 1993. He is survived by Hansen, as well as his children Oliver, Raleigh and Cristopher, Brausam said. He was preceded in death by his daughter with Dickinson, Nikki Bacharach.
Bacharach knew the very heights of acclaim, but he remembered himself as a loner growing up, a short and self-conscious boy so uncomfortable with being Jewish he even taunted other Jews. His favorite book as a kid was Ernest Hemingway害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Sun Also Rises害羞草研究所�; he related to the sexually impotent Jake Barnes, regarding himself as 害羞草研究所渟ocially impotent.害羞草研究所�
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but soon moved to New York City. His father was a syndicated columnist, his mother a pianist who encouraged the boy to study music. Although he was more interested in sports, he practiced piano every day after school, not wanting to disappoint his mother. While still a minor, he would sneak into jazz clubs, bearing a fake ID, and hear such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.
害羞草研究所淭hey were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before,害羞草研究所� he recalled in the memoir 害羞草研究所淎nyone Who Had a Heart,害羞草研究所� published in 2013. 害羞草研究所淲hat I heard in those clubs turned my head around.害羞草研究所�
He was a poor student in high school, but managed to gain a spot at the music conservatory at McGill University in Montreal. He wrote his first song at McGill and listened for months to Mel Torme害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Christmas Song.害羞草研究所� Music also may have saved Bacharach害羞草研究所檚 life. He was drafted into the Army in the late 1940s and was still on active duty during the Korean War. But officers stateside soon learned of his gifts and wanted him around. When he did go overseas, it was to Germany, where he wrote orchestrations for a recreation center on the local military base.
After his discharge, he returned to New York and tried to break into the music business. He had little success at first as a songwriter, but he became a popular arranger and accompanist, touring with Vic Damone, the Ames Brothers and Polly Stewart, who became his first wife. When a friend who had been touring with Marlene Dietrich was unable to make a show in Las Vegas, he asked Bacharach to step in.
The young musician and ageless singer quickly clicked and Bacharach traveled the world with her in the late 害羞草研究所�50s and early 害羞草研究所�60s. During each performance, she would introduce him in grand style: 害羞草研究所淚 would like you to meet the man, he害羞草研究所檚 my arranger, he害羞草研究所檚 my accompanist, he害羞草研究所檚 my conductor, and I wish I could say he害羞草研究所檚 my composer. But that isn害羞草研究所檛 true. He害羞草研究所檚 everybody害羞草研究所檚 composer 害羞草研究所� Burt Bacharach!害羞草研究所�
Meanwhile, he had met his ideal songwriter partner 害羞草研究所� David, as businesslike as Bacharach was mercurial, so domesticated that he would leave each night at 5 to catch the train back to his wife and children on Long Island. Working in a tiny office in Broadway害羞草研究所檚 celebrated Brill Building, they produced their first million-seller, 害羞草研究所淢agic Moments,害羞草研究所� sung in 1958 by Perry Como. In 1962, they spotted a backup singer for the Drifters, Warwick, who had a 害羞草研究所渧ery special kind of grace and elegance,害羞草研究所� Bacharach recalled.
The trio produced hit after hit, starting with 害羞草研究所淒on害羞草研究所檛 Make Me Over害羞草研究所� and continuing with 害羞草研究所淲alk on By,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淚 Say a Little Prayer,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淒o You Know the Way to San Jose,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淭rains and Boats and Planes,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淎nyone Who Had a Heart害羞草研究所� and more. The songs were as complicated to record as they were easy to hear. Bacharach liked to experiment with time signatures and arrangements, such as having two pianists play on 害羞草研究所淲alk on By,害羞草研究所� their performances just slightly out of synch to give the song 害羞草研究所渁 jagged kind of feeling,害羞草研究所� he wrote in his memoir.
Besides Warwick, the Bacharach-David team was producing winners for other performers. Among them: 害羞草研究所淢ake It Easy on Yourself害羞草研究所� for Jerry Butler, 害羞草研究所淲hat the World Needs Now Is Love害羞草研究所� for Jackie DeShannon and 害羞草研究所淭his Guy害羞草研究所檚 in Love with You害羞草研究所� for Herb Alpert.
The partnership ended badly with the dismal failure of a 1973 musical remake of 害羞草研究所淟ost Horizon.害羞草研究所� Bacharach became so depressed he isolated himself in his Del Mar vacation home and refused to work.
害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 want to write with Hal or anybody,害羞草研究所� he told the AP in 2004. Nor did he want to fulfill a commitment to record Warwick. She and David both sued him.
Bacharach and David eventually reconciled. When David died in 2012, Bacharach praised him for writing lyrics 害羞草研究所渓ike a miniature movie.害羞草研究所� Meanwhile, he kept working, vowing never to retire, always believing that a good song could make a difference.
害羞草研究所淢usic softens the heart, makes you feel something if it害羞草研究所檚 good, brings in emotion that you might not have felt before,害羞草研究所� he told the AP in 2018. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a very powerful thing if you害羞草研究所檙e able to do to it, if you have it in your heart to do something like that.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所擧illel Italie, The Associated Press
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