Happy 94rd birthday Burt Bacharach! I am sharing Kurt Swinghammer’s recollection of meeting him, and his exuberant (warranted!) appreciation of his genius. For me, there may be more Bacharach/David compositions that become “my favourite song of all time” when they are played. That would include This Guy’s in Love with You (Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass), Walk on By (Dionne Warwick, The Stranglers), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Gene Pitney, John Otway), I Say A Little Prayer for You (Aretha Franklin), Baby It’s You (The Shirelles, The Beatles), Make it Easy on Yourself (The Walker Brothers), (They Long to Be) Close to You (The Carpenters), My Little Red Book (Manfred Mann, Love), What the World Needs Now is Love (Jackie de Shannon), There’s Always Something There to Remind Me (Sandie Shaw), Trains and Boats and Planes (Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Do You Know the Way to San Jose? (Dionne Warwick), I’ll Never Fall in Live Again (Bobbie Gentry, Elvis Costello), Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (B.J. Thomas), Promises, Promises (Dionne Warwick). Many, many moments of perfection.
Here’s Kurt Swinghammer’s text: Happy 94th birthday to my all-time favorite songwriter Burt Bacharach.
In 2001 I had an amazing chance to have drinks with him and my chums Michel Wojewoda and Blair Packham at a swanky joint in Yorkville, and I had come straight from a gig at the Cameron, so I had my axe with me.
He lit up when he saw his name and crowned face on the headstock and signed it “my best wishes to you always – next time”. NEXT TIME!!!!
When he left, I sat in his chair to transfer his body heat into mine, and I drank the remaining wine from his glass. The blood of Christ. It was the most thrilling night of my life, and when I got home, I cried. God bless Burt Bacharach.
