Burt Bacharach: One of the Most Important Composers of the 20th Century
Burt Bacharach was an American composer, producer, and pianist whose career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1950s. His distinctive blend of jazz harmonies, unconventional time signatures, and instantly memorable melodies helped redefine popular music.
A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winner, Bacharach’s songs have been recorded by over 1,000 different artists. This remarkable legacy has earned him recognition as one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century.
Among his best-known works are Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, (They Long To Be) Close To You, Walk On By, Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do), That’s What Friends Are For, The Look of Love, What the World Needs Now, and I Say a Little Prayer.
Burt Bacharach’s Last Great Album
You might assume that Burt Bacharach’s career had long since wrapped up by the time we entered the new millennium, but as recently as 2020, he released a 5-song EP with Daniel Tashian entitled Blue Umbrella.
This was easily my favourite record of the year. The tracks Bells of St. Augustine, Whistling in the Dark, and the title track Blue Umbrella are all sensational compositions, paired with stunningly rich recordings.
Sadly, the EP didn’t make waves commercially—at least not yet. Perhaps, like Close To You half a century earlier, it simply needs time to find its audience.
There’s a brilliant episode of the Broken Record podcast where Daniel Tashian discusses meeting Burt and how deeply committed he remained to the music, right to the end.
Some unreleased material from their sessions is still to come. Tragically, Burt won’t get to hear the final versions, as he passed away on 8 February 2023.
I’ve included the podcast episode in the playlist above..
Burt Bacharach Tunes | Related Pages
(They Long To Be) Close To You | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play (They Long To Be) Close To You by Carpenters using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| Csus2 | Bm | Bm7 | Em Esus2 E5 Em7 |
Why do birds suddenly appear, every time, you are near…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: (They Long To Be) Close To You (Carpenters) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Arthur’s Theme | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Arthur’s Theme by Burt Bacharach using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| Dm7 G | C Fmaj13 |
Once in your life you find her, someone that turns your heart around…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Arthur’s Theme (Christopher Cross) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
I Say A Little Prayer | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play I Say A Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| F#m | Bm7 | Bm7 |2/4 E7 |4/4 Amaj7 |
The moment I wake up. Before I put on my makeup (makeup)…
The Look Of Love | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play The Look Of Love by Dusty Springfield using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C#m7 | C#7sus4 | G#m7 | G#m7 |
The look of love is in your eyes…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: The Look Of Love (Dusty Springfield) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Burt Bacharach on the web
