Credit: Far Out / Spotify

Burt Bacharach, legendary songwriter, dead at 94

Thu 9 February 2023 15:21, UK

Burt Bacharach, the singer-songwriter best known for songs like ‘This Guy’s in Love With You’ and ‘(They Long to Be) Close to You’, has died at the age of 94. According to his publicist, Bacharach died from natural causes.

Across more than 70 years in the music industry, Bacharach became one of the most accomplished and celebrated songwriters in the history of popular music. The list of artists that he directly collaborated with includes Tom Jones, the Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, and Cilla Black. The number of artists who have covered songs written or co-written by Bacharach is nearly unknowable

A pioneer of lounge pop and easy listening, Bacharach’s melodies and chord progressions were noted for their catchy nature and surprisingly complex undertones. As a student of jazz music, Bacharach brought the progressive compositions of bebop and big band music to the world of pop.

After a short stint in the Army, Bacharach found work as an arranger and bandleader for the likes of Vic Damone and Marlene Deitrich. It wasn’t until Bacharach was nearly 30 that he made his first connection within the world of pop music. While in New York City, Bacharach befriended Hal David, and the pair formed a lasting partnership that would go on to define the work that came out of the Brill Building.

Bacharach and David found their most consistent partnership in singer Dionne Warwick, with whom Bacharach worked for more than 40 years. Bacharach, David, and Warwick scored 22 top 40 hits throughout their partnership, including the top ten hits ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’, ‘Walk on By’, ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’, ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose?’, ‘Alfie’, and ‘I Say a Little Prayer’.

Across his career, Bacharach wrote or co-wrote more than 70 top 40 hits in America and more than 50 top 40 hits in the UK. For his work, Bacharach has been awarded six Grammys and three Academy Awards, the latter three coming from his work in the films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Arthur. Bacharach also became well-known for his cameo appearances in film and television, including in Analyze This and the Austin Power franchise.

Bacharach is survived by his wife, Jane, and three children, Christopher, Oliver, and Raleigh.