I Say A Little Prayer; Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, Love Is What the World Needs Now, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again… Burt Bacharach, the legendary composer, was responsible for all these truly legendary songs.
Bacharach wrote hundreds of songs during his decades-long career, many of which we’ve all danced to or sung along to at some point. In total, 73 of his songs charted in the top 40 in the United States.
Sadly, the legendary songwriter passed away on February 8th at 94. Bacharach died of natural causes.
Bacharach grew up in New York and was a classically trained musician. He had also served in the United States Army.
He didn’t become the sensation he is today, however, until he met fellow lyricist Hal David in 1957. Together, they produced Marty Robbins The Story of My Life (Michael Holliday in the UK hit version) and Perry Como’s Magic Moments. Both of which become UK number-one hits.
And, as they say, the rest is history. Following their first two hits, David and Bacharach would go on to write several more chart-topping songs, including Aretha Franklin’s I Say a Little Prayer, Tom Jones’s’ What’s New Pussycat?, Dusty Springfield’s The Look of Love and the Walker Brothers’ Make It Easy on Yourself.
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, performed by BJ Thomas and featured in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, won a Grammy and an Oscar in 1969, according to the Guardian, while Bacharach’s music for the film won an Oscar for best original score.
Bacharach married four times in his life. In 1993, he married his fourth wife, Jane Hansen.
Hansen and three of his four children survive him. Nikki Bacharach, Bacharach’s daughter, committed suicide in 2007 at the age of 40.
