There has been an outpouring of tributes to Burt Bacharach following his death last week, coming from everyone from Paul McCartney, Carole King, and Andrew Lloyd Webber to Noel and Liam Gallagher and Richard Coles, crime writer and ex-Communard. There have also been plenty of attempts at 'best of' playlists, but although Burt wrote a huge number of hits, I've always been struck by how many great songs of his remain more or less unknown. Of course, there were some terrible songs (the 'teenage death song' Two Hour Honeymoon, the theme song to Love in a Goldfish Bowl, Dick Van Dyke's One Part Dog, Nine Parts Cat, and Take Me to Your Ladder, about very tall female aliens living on the moon, to name but four) but there are many hidden gems.
So just as I like reviving obscure classic crime stories, here are some songs that I enjoy which I think will be mostly unfamiliar - but are definitely worth a listen. I've picked 50, but I could have picked plenty of others, not least Three Wheels on My Wagon!
The Beginning of Loneliness - Dionne Warwick
I have to start with Dionne and a song that begins quietly before building to high drama. And it has that touch of drama that I love in his best songs.
Where Did the Time Go - The Pointer Sisters
Obscure and melancholic but a lovely song
The Bells of St Augustine - Daniel Tashian
A recent song from the Grammy-nominated Blue Umbrella album
Falling Out of Love - Aretha Franklin
The Queen of Soul at her best
Why isn't this great song better known?
Theme song to a fun movie
Strange and untypical but striking - written for a film of the same name
Long After Tonight is All Over - Jimmy Radcliffe
Northern Soul classic, but not many people realise Burt wrote it
Checkout Time - Dionne Warwick
Wonderfully compelling melody, who else could write it?
Perfect Lovers - Ray Parker Jr
Co-written by Ray and Carole Bayer Sager
Welcome to My World - Andrew Mueller
From the musical 'Some Lovers'
Rain from the Skies - Delroy Wilson
A reggae version of an early song - and it works amazingly well.
What Am I Doing Here? - Liz Callaway
Gorgeous melody, inexplicably cut out of Promises, Promises
Long Ago Tomorrow - B.J. Thomas
A film theme song, but very different from 'Raindrops...'
Don't Count the Days - Marilyn Michaels
Unknown but classy mid-60s melodrama
And Then You Know What He Did - Dionne Warwick
A 'lost' song of astonishing complexity
Seconds - Gladys Knight and the Pips
Lyric by the famed playwright Neil Simon
Heartbreak Storms - Daniel Tashian and Burt Bacharach
Released last year, one of his last songs, and a very good one
From the soundtrack to Arthur.
Theme from the cult sci-fi movie, co-written with Hal David's brother Mack
Fairly recent but in the classic style
A 2017 makeover for a minor Walker Brothers hit first recorded by Gene McDaniels
Living on Plastic - Stephanie Mills
Written for Dionne before Burt split up with her and Hal David
One of Burt's last music videos
A film song that was much better than the film
Leave it to the Girls - Tomi Malm
A Finnish singer's recent version
New York, I Love You - Emma Hunton et al
Lyric by Steven Sater - very far from typical Bacharach and yet there are moments...
Riverboat - Libby Titus and Burt Bacharach
From the fascinating but under-estimated 'Woman' album
Something That Was Beautiful - Mario Biondi
Another Sater lyric, here with a great melody
Lyric by Tim Rice, from the film 'Stuart Little'
Obsession - Desmond Child and Marie Vidal
Obscure but undeservedly so
Pleasing title track from her album
Another 'lost' song, one of several co-written by Bobby Russell
Everybody's Out of Town - B J Thomas
A 1970 song that might have been written for lockdown...
A fascinating one-off collaboration
Easy to Love Again - Carole Bayer Sager
From the album Carole made with Burt when their relationship began
My Rock and Foundation - Peggy Lee
Unknown, but pretty good
Every Other Hour (Come Ogni Ora) - Karima and Mario Biondi
Terrific live version of a song from the musical Some Lovers
If I Could Go Back - Alfie Boe
The best song written for Lost Horizon - bizarrely cut out of the film
I Live in the Woods - Carly Simon and Burt Bacharach
A strange song by great songwriters
Who Gets the Guy? - Dionne Warwick
A quintessential Bacharach melody
The Love Too Good to Last - Phyllis Hyman
Good example of his 80s songwriting
What's Her Name Today? - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach
A very dark song
The title song from the movie musical - very good, just deserved a better film
Lyric by Paul Anka, from the forgettable film Together
From the soundtrack of Night Shift
After the Fox - Peter Sellers and The Hollies
A crazy song for a crazy film
Hearts Don't Lie - Joana Zimmer
Again highly obscure but classic modernish Bacharach
Two Hearts - Earth, Wind and Fire
A good collaboration
Go Ask Shakespeare - Rufus Wainwright and Burt Bacharach
A shorter version of the track from the great album At This Time
And believe me, there are plenty more good ones out there...
Well, that's given me a project for the next few days! When I should be writing something completely different! Thank you, Martin. However, if anyone wants just a taste to encourage the whole wonderful meal, try some of the newer work, especially Go Ask Shakespeare with Rufus Wainwright (who also does one of the best versions of Message To Martha ever) and What's Her Name Today? written with Elvis Costello, who performs this lovely song impeccably. Also great to be reminded of After The Fox; having been a foxhunter and coming from the ultimate foxhunting country (the Quorn) all my friends saw this film and were singing this song on the school bus for months afterwards. Bonkers film, great, mad Sixties music. Sellers did so many classic comedy records at that time: anyone remember It Has Been A Hard Day's Night?
ReplyDeleteExcellent points as always, Liz!
ReplyDeleteGiven your enthusiasm for our American pop music I'm sure there's a typo when the e-book of All the Lonely People I'm reading refers to a song written by the duo Coffin and King. This is an impressive introduction to your Devlin Series. This anonymous Paul from Ohio
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paul. So glad you enjoyed All the Lonely People, a book that meant a lot too me after years of dreaming about becoming a published author. And yes, that is definitely a typo and it's not in the original version so it must have crept in later. Gerry Goffin actually wrote a few songs with Burt Bacharach, pleasant although far from their most memorable work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a privilege to share with a highly regarded author! So thankful for your work with the British Library and introducing the incredible ECR Lorac. One of Burt's finest efforts is his 1980 project with Carole Bayer Sager, the LP Sometimes Late at Night. The playlist is off the charts, original for the album. Guest vocalists and musicians All Stars every one. Burt's arrangements are superb. Might be out of print, but there are many you tube uploads. In my opinion one of the finest in pop music. Paul
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with Burt's project from 1980 with Carole Bayer Sager, Sometimes Late at Night? One the best collections of her great songs, an all star lineup of the finest singers and musicians in pop music. All with Burt's incredible arrangements. Might be out of print, but lots of YouTube uploads.Paul
ReplyDeletePaul again! Bacharach's work with Carole Bayer Sager on the 1980 LP Sometimes Late at night --great title for a mystery!-- may be his finest hour. Her awesome songs,an all star ensemble of singers and musicians with his amazing arrangements one of the best albums ever. Her vocals areincredible. But hard to find.
ReplyDeleteMany apologies for jamming your in box. I thought my comments had not been published. This record is so good I kept posting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paul, and absolutely no need to apologise. I don't get notifications of comments so sometimes it takes me a while to get round to approving them. Suffice to say that I very much agree about this album. I bought it when it first came out (having previously heard one song that had been recorded by the Carpenters) and was greatly impressed. It's very under-rated and although Carole's voice, like Burt's, is not to everyone's taste, I'm definitely a fan.
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