BURT BACHARACH 100 ESSENTIAL SONGS. . This post: #2. Concludes: tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS CO/WRITTEN BY

BURT

BACHARACH

Burt Bacharach has had a major impact on popular music with a catalogue spanning many decades. His songbook boasts some of the most elegant and unforgettable songs of all time. His compositions have been recorded by a vast array of acts ranging from The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones and Carpenters. He is best remembered for his collaborations with Hal David that were brought to life with Dionne Warwick’s vocal skills.

Burt Bacharach died in his home in February 2023. He was 94 years old. This special countdown pays tribute to Bacharach’s immense talent and impressive legacy, celebrating 100 of his best compositions…

 

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WALK ON BY

Dionne Warwick (1964)

Burt Bacharach and Hal David found the perfect conduit for their collaborations in Dionne Warwick. She is often overshadowed by her pop/ soul contemporaries such as Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross. Warwick managed to develop her own individual vocal approach to songs. She could lift compositions like “Do You Know The Way To San Jose” as easily as break our hearts with “Anyone Who Had A Heart”. On recordings such as “Don’t Make Me Over” and “Reach Out For Me”, she could express vulnerability and devotion so convincingly, without ever slipping into saccharine.

“Walk On By” remains the best example of her vocal skill in interpreting the work of Bacharach and David. The latter’s lyrics evoke sadness and longing for a lost relationship. Warwick attacks the song with precision. Her voice is soft in all the right places, but gather momentum where it is needed. She is attempting to be strong, but fears that she won’t be able to hold it all together so pleads with her ex to just continue moving past her.

Released in 1964, the single made the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. “Walk On By” has been covered numerous times, by acts as varied as Sybil, Alicia Keys, Jo Jo Zep, Isaac Hayes and Gabrielle. Doja Cat sampled the song on her 2023 international hit “Paint The Town Red”.

 

Follow the countdown on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1nYjYdZQeXUUOLLnkehRj7?si=132a524084ae466f&pt=b46ae886558caeaeb131e7d76b44e203