What the World Needs Now
RIP legendary composer Burt Bacharach, 94. Born in Kansas City Mo., he grew up on Long Island. He studied piano, preferring jazz to classical music. A six-time Grammy Award and three-time Oscar winner, his work has been recorded by more than a thousand artists. He composed 73 U.S. and 52 UK Top 40 hits. Here’s a list of his U.S. Top 25 songs, the artist, lyricist, and peak position, I apologize for the inconsistency in spacing:
1957: The Story of My Life, Marty Robbins, (Hal David), 15.
1958: Magic Moments, Perry Como, (Hal David), 4
1960: Please Stay, The Drifters, (Bob Hilliard), 14
1960: Tower of Strength, Gene McDaniels, (Bob Hilliard), 5
1961: Baby It’s You, The Shirelles, (Mack David, Luther Dixon), 8
1961: Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird), Chuck Jackson, (Bob Hilliard), 23
1961: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Gene Pitney, (Hal David), 4
1962: Make It Easy on Yourself, Jerry Butler, (Hal David), 20
1962: Only Love Can Break a Heart, Gene Pitney, (Hal David), 2
1962: Don’t Make Me Over, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 21
1962: Blue on Blue, Bobby Vinton, (Hal David), 3
1964: Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa, Gene Pitney, (Hal David), 17
1964: Wives and Lovers, Jack Jones, (Hal David), 14
1964: Anyone Who Had a Heart, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 8
1964: Walk On By, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David),
1970: (They Long to Be) Close to You, The Carpenters, (Hal David), 1
1973: You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart), The Stylistics, (Hasl Davis), 23
1966: Message to Michael, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 8
1965: What the World Needs Now Is Love, Jackie DeShannon, (Hal David), 7 1965: What’s New Pussycat?, Tom Jones, (Hal David), 3
1967: Alfie, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 15
1966: The Look of Love, Dusty Springfield, (Hal David), 22
1967: I Say a Little Prayer, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 4
1967: One Less Bell to Answer, The 5th Dimension, (Hal David), 2
1968: Do You Know the Way to San Jose, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 10 1968: This Guy’s in Love with You, Herb Alpert, (Hal David), 1
1969: This Girl’s in Love with You, Dionne Warwick, 7
1968: Promises, Promises, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 19
1969: I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Dionne Warwick, (Hal David), 6
1969: Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, B. J. Thomas, (Hal David), 1
1981: Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do), Christopher Cross, (Christopher Cross, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen), 1
1981: Making Love, Roberta Flack, (Bruce Roberts, Carole Bayer Sager),13 1982: Heartlight, Neil Diamond, (Carole Bayer Sager, Neil Diamond), 5
1985: That’s What Friends Are For, Dionne Warwick and Friends (Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight), Carole Bayer Sager, 1
1986: On My Own, Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, (Carole Bayer Sager), 1
1987: Love Power, Dionne Warwick and Jeffrey Osborne, (Carole Bayer Sager), 12
He put out a slew of albums in his own name, collaborating with artists such as Marlene Dietrich and Elvis Costello. Married four times, including to Angie Dickinson and Carole Bayer Sager, he was a father of four. His work will live on. Kudos, maestro. Photo from Google Images:
I believe John Fetterman was as terrible a political candidate as there has ever been, but I wouldn’t wish his condition on anyone. Get well, sir.
This sounds scary, as well as fodder for sci-fi writers. Headline from nypost.com: “Piece of sun breaks off, stuns scientists: ‘Very curious’.” Will someone blame global warming — oops — I mean climate change?
A gorgeous day, warm enough so that the wind wasn’t a factor. My thanks to Dave and Candy, who donated five large cook books, and to the other kind folks who chipped in with stuff; and to the young woman who bought It by Stephen King; and to the one who purchased A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark; and to the woman who selected two books in Russian; and to the young man who took home a Play Station CD; and to my Constant Benefactress, who insisted on paying for four kids’ books despite having donated a cache of non-fiction.
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