BURT BACHARACH 100 ESSENTIAL SONGS. . This post: #9. Continues: next week.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS WRITTEN BY

BURT

BACHARACH

Burt Bacharach was born in 1928 in Kansas City. He went on to have a major impact on popular music with a catalogue that has spanned over seven decades. His songbook boasts some of the most elegant and unforgettable songs of all-time. Bacharach’s compositions have been recorded by a vast array of acts ranging from The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Carpenters, Elton John, Elvis Costello to Neil Diamond, The Shirelles, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, Roberta Flack, Luther Vandross, Gene Pitney, The Drifters and Perry Como. We mourned his loss in February 2023. Bacharach died at his home in Los Angeles, aged 94. This countdown celebrates his immense legacy…

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WHAT THJE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE

Diana Ross & The Supremes (1968)

When Hal David came up with the embryo of what would become a pacifist anthem, the Summer of Love was looming ahead. Just as The Beatles declared that “All You Need Is Love”, the lyricist was trying to come up with the right words to convey his message. Once he felt he had the start of something, he brought it to his collaborator Burt Bacharach. The composer created the right melody for David’s lyrics.

“What The World Needs Now Is Love” holds the dubious distinction of being the only Bacharach/ David composition rejected by Dionne Warwick. Gene Pitney also declined to record it. David suggested Bacharach play it for Jackie DeShannon. The singer/ songwriter loved the song instantly. She recorded her version which was issued as a single in 1965. The disc topped the chart in Canada and made the US Top 10.

Warwick changed her mind and recorded a version of the song for her 1966 album ‘Here Where There Is Love’. The song has been covered by a wide range of other acts, including Diana Ross & The Supremes (on the trio's 'Reflections' album), Barbra Streisand, Tom Clay, James Brown, Luther Vandross, The Isley Brothers & Santana, Tom Jones, Barry Manilow and Rumer.

With such timeless lyrics, the song is still performed and recorded to this day. In 2016, a large gathering of Broadway stars recorded a version to raise funds for the GLBT community in Florida as a response to the tragic shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.