Sometimes great composers have a Muse who propels them to new heights. In 1962, the producer and songwriter Burt Bacharach found his.
Dionne Warwick was only 22 when Bacharach discovered her singing backup vocals at a recording session that he was overseeing for the Drifters’ cover of his song “Mexican Divorce.” As he recalls in his recently published autobiography, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Bacharach was struck immediately by her “very special kind of grace and elegance” and of course her signature voice, which “had all the delicacy and mystery of sailing ships in bottles.” Bacharach also appreciated that Warwick had minored in piano in college and could read music, which he felt enabled him to “take more risks and chances” in his compositions.
What Dionne inspired Bacharach — along with his lyricist Hal David — to create for her is nothing short of music history: Over two decades, beginning in the early 1960s, Warwick charted 38 singles co-written or produced by Bacharach and David, including 22 Top 40, 12 Top 20 and nine Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The songs are all so timeless it’s well nigh impossible to pick among them, but my personal go-to tracks are the ever poignant “Walk on By” and the jazzy swing of “I Say A Little Prayer.” (The video below of Dionne singing “Walk on By” live in 1964 really shows her charm and ability effortlessly to change up the vocal she laid down on the recorded track. Also included below is a video of Bacharach and Warwick working up the arrangement of his song “Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets,” which reveals their natural chemistry together.) Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
