Through the looking glass with Burt Bacharach... part 2

1963
Let the music play – The Drifters
Blue on blue – Bobby Vinton
True love never runs smooth – Gene Pitney
Blue guitar – Richard Chamberlain
Reach out for me – Lou Johnson
24 hours from Tulsa – Gene Pitney
Anyone who had a heart – Dionne Warwick
Wives and lovers – Jack Jones
Too late to worry – Richard Anthony
Call off the wedding – Babs Tino
Lifetime of loneliness – Steve Alaimo
Rain from the skies – Adam Wade
That's the way I'll come to you – Bobby Vee (unreleased)
True love never runs smooth – Don & Juan
Be true to yourself – Bobby Vee
It's love that really counts – The Exciters
Little Betty falling star – Gene Pitney
Keep away from other girls – Helen Shapiro
Who's been sleeping in my bed? - Linda Scott
Forgive me – Noeleen Batley
Saturday sunshine / And so goodbye, my love – Burt Bacharach

Something of a holding pattern year. The all important follow up for Dionne, 'Anyone who had a heart' is a landmark. '24 hours from Tulsa' a triumph. But some of the other records veer close to schmaltz or formula. And you can't help the impression that part of the increased demand was met with song from a lower shelf. Still, the formula holds up well. Some other favorites:

Steve Alaimo – 'A lifetime of loneliness' (no video)

Adam Wade – 'Rain from the skies'

Very old fashioned but a pleasure: Noeleen Batley – 'Forgive me'.

In 1963 Burt tried out recording under his own name again as well, with the (mostly) instrumental single 'Saturday sunshine' b/w 'And so goodbye, my love'. A small taste of a new career in soundtracks and instrumental albums still to come.

1964
A house is not a home – Brook Benton
Wishin' and hopin' – Dusty Springfield
Walk on by – Dionne Warwick
(There's) Always something there to remind me – Lou Johnson
Me Japanese boy I love you – Bobby Goldsboro
To wait for love – Tony Orlando
Kentucky bluebird (Send a message to Martha) – Lou Johnson
Land of make believe – Dionne Warwick
The last one to be loved – Lou Johnson
Errand of mercy – George Hamilton
Living without love – Art Smalley
Send me no flowers – Doris Day
I cry alone – Maxine Brown
There goes the forgotten man – Gene McDaniels
The love of a boy – Julie Rogers
Look in my eyes, Maria – Jay & the Americans
Forever yours I'll remain – Bobby Vinton
Rome will never leave us – Richard Chamberlain
From rocking horse to rocking chair – Paul Anka

God yes, the year they dropped 'Walk on by'. You think Brian Wilson wasn't listening thinking how he could answer that? No one was going there in 1964. And as if that's not enough they've got 'A house is not a home', 'Always something there to remind me', 'Send a message to Michael/Martha', 'The last one to be loved' and 'Land of make believe' up their sleeves. Not everything that year was up to that level – Richard Chamberlain's 'Rome will never leave us' surprisingly isn't very good. But 'There goes the forgotten man' by Gene McDaniels really should've been better remembered.

Maxine Brown did a fine 'I cry alone' in 1964 too.

1965
Fool killer – Gene Pitney
What the world needs now is love – Jackie DeShannon
What's new pussycat? - Tom Jones
My little red book – Manfred Mann
Here I am – Dionne Warwick
A lifetime of loneliness – Jackie DeShannon
Are you there (with another girl) – Dionne Warwick
Who’s got the action – Phil Colbert
To wait for love – Paul Anka
This empty place – Janie Marden
If I never get to love you – Gene Pitney
More time to be with you – Brook Benton
That's not the answer – Vi Velasco
Promise her anything – Marty Paich
Make it easy on yourself – Frankie Vallie & the Four seasons
Long after tonight is all over – Jimmy Radcliffe
If I never get to love you – Marianne Faithfull
I fell in love with your picture – Freddie & the dreamers
Anonymous phone call - Frank Ifield
What's new, pussycat – Joel Grey
My little red book – Tony Middleton

'What the world needs now is love' is the year's classic. There are more great records, several written for Dionne. On the other hand, I refuse to believe Burt didn't set out to write exactly the sort of song Tom Jones deserved with 'What's new pussycat', one of his worst records.

Some more:

Jane Marden – 'This empty place'

Vi Velasco – 'That's not the answer'

There are still a lot of credits but a lot are covers with little involvement from Burt himself. A new UK market opens. From 1965 on Burt and Hal were setting their sights on longer form musical statements. Remember they were a generation (at least) older than most of their pop rivals, so for them that doesn't necessarily mean LP-length musical statements, but movie soundtracks, orchestral easy listening collections of hits and – greatest of all ambitions- stage musicals. There would still be pop hits/singles but more and more these came from soundtracks or musicals – just like 'What's new pussycat', 'My little red book' and 'Here I am' in fact. I'll discuss all these longer works further down.


1966
Made in Paris – Trini Lopez
Promise her anything – Tom Jones
Come and get me – Jackie DeShannon
Alfie – Cilla Black
In between the heartaches – Dionne Warwick
So long Johnny – Jackie DeShannon
Take a broken heart – Rick Nelson
They don't give medals to yesterday's heroes – Ben E King
Don't go breaking my heart – Sergio Mendes
Trains and boats and planes – Dionne Warwick
Long day, short night – Shirelles (unreleased demo)
Windows and doors – Jackie DeShannon
After the fox – Hollies with Peter Sellers
The story of my life – Herman's hermits
The breaking point – Normie Rowe
Another tear falls – Walker brothers
Try to see it my way – Little Peggy March
After the fox / The fox trot – Burt Bacharach and his orchestra
Nikki / Juanita's place – The Burt Bacharach orchestra & chorus

The trend continues. You could still count on them for an annual 2 or 3 classic singles (and they supplied Dionne with classy, woderful songs all the while), but meanwhile they were otherwise occupied. The numbers are made up by British covers, versions of songs a couple years old by a multitude of artists and 'solo' singles.

Rick Nelson – 'Take a broken heart'

Ben E King – 'They don't give medals to yesterday's heroes'

How great is 'In between the heartaches'?

1967
The windows of the world – Dionne Warwick
I say a little prayer – Dionne Warwick
Casino royale – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana brass
The look of love – Dusty Springfield
Walk on by – Morgana King
Long after tonight is all over – Paris sisters
Don't say I didn't tell you so – Herbie Mann
I say a little prayer – Sergio Mendes

1968
Do you know the way to San José – Dionne Warwick
This guy's in love with you – Herb Alpert
Knowing when to leave – Jill O'Hara
Promises, promises – Dionne Warwick
Are you there (with another boy)? - Buckinghams
Wanting things – Connie Francis
The bell that couldn't jingle – Burt Bacharach

1969
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head – B.J. Thomas
Odds and ends – Dionne Warwick
I'll never fall in love again – Dionne Warwick
Dream sweet dreamer – Dionne Warwick
What the world needs now is love – Sweet inspirations
I'll never fall in love again – Ella Fitzgerald
The look of love – The Meters
Let me be lonely – Sweet inspirations
This guy's in love with you – Roy Ayers
A house is not a home – Mavis Staples
I'm a better man – Engelbert Humperdinck

The last years Burt could still attract a mass audience with new, self-produced material. The songs often derive from movies and musicals: 1967's Casino Royale (title theme and 'The look of love'), 1968's Promises, Promises (title song, 'Knowing when to leave', 'I'll never fall in love again'), 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid OST ('Raindrops keep fallin' on my head'). In truth, you can wonder how much of this mass audience was still young (and hip). These new songs were from a more mature, you might say world-weary perspective.

Some less familiar nuggets:

Buckinghams - ' Are you there (with another boy)?'

'Dream sweet dreamer' – Dionne Warwick

1970
Everybody's out of town – B.J. Thomas
(They long to be) Close to you – Carpenters
Paper maché – Dionne Warwick
One less bell to answer - 5th dimension
Check out time – Dionne Warwick
Raindrops keep falling on my head – Young-Holt Unlimited
Send my picture to Scranton, PA – B.J. Thomas

1971
Ten times forever more – Johnny Mathis
Something big – Mark Lindsay
Long ago tomorrow – B.J. Thomas

1972
The balance of nature – Dionne Warwicke
Living together, growing together - 5th dimension
(They long to be) Close to you – Carmen McRae
All kinds of people – Jerry Butler

1973
You'll never get to heaven (if you break my heart) – Stylistics
Let me be lonely - 5th dimension

The Carpenters and the Fifth dimension rode some old songs to the top of the charts. Burt & Hal kept to their bubble, writing increasingly disillusioned lush ballads for Dionne, at least until they packed it in after the failure of the second musical, 'Lost horizon'. Some of my out and out favorites are from this period though:

'Paper mache'

BJ Thomas – 'Long ago tomorrow'

Jerry Butler – 'All kinds of people' (no video)


1977
Mexican divorce – Dan Johnson

1978
I took my strength from you - Sylvester

1981
Arthur's theme (best that you can do) – Christopher Cross
1985
That's what friends are for – Dionne & friends

1986
On my own – Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald

1988
Love theme from Arthur – Burt Bacharach

Let's just pretend the '80s never happened, ok? Deal.

Dan Johnson – 'Mexican divorce'