Hal David dies aged 91
Written by admin on September 1, 2012 – 11:02 pm -Legendary lyricist Hal David died this morning (September 1) in Los Angeles of complications from a stroke. He was 91.
David will be most remembered for his many timeless hits penned with songwriting partner Burt Bacharach.
Harold Lane David was born in Manhattan, New York, on May 25, 1921. He was inspired to become a songwriter by his brother Mack, who wrote songs for the likes of Patti Page and Ella Fitzgerald. After serving in the army during World War II, David began working for the New York Post, but he hadn’t given up on his songwriting ambitions. His earliest successes came writing for band leader Sammy Kaye, and Guy Lombardo. He also collaborated with Morty Nevins on songs for the movie “Two Guys and a Guy” in 1951.
The real turning point for Hal David’s career was his decision to team up with composer Burt Bacharach in 1957. Their first success was Marty Robbins’ “The Story of My Life,” which reached number 15 on the pop chart and was a country number one. This was soon followed by Perry Como’s “Magic Moments” and Sarah Vaughan’s “Broken Hearted Melody,” which both reached the Top Ten. “Magic Moments” and “The Story Of My Life” were back-to-back number ones in the UK, although the latter was a recording by Michael Holliday.
Burt Bacharach (left) and Hal David (right)
Together, Bacharach and David wrote some of the biggest hits of the 1960s. Many of their best songs were performed by Dionne Warwick, who they met in 1961 when she was a back-up singer. They would pen 38 hits for Warwick, starting with “Don’t Make Me Over” in 1963, and including such classics as “Walk On By,” “Alfie,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and “I Say A Little Prayer”. The latter was the biggest hit of them all, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. With “I Say a Little Prayer,” David’s imaginative lyrical style combined romantic declarations (“Forever, forever, you’ll stay in my heart/And I will love you”) with a conversational focus on the mundane, everyday activities of life (“The moment I wake up/Before I put on my make-up/I say a little prayer for you”). It was a technique that drew the listener in and made the lyrics resonate that much more. Aretha Franklin would later have a hit with a fine cover of the song.
“I Say a Little Prayer” – Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick was certainly the main voice that Bacharach and David wrote for, but their talents were called upon by many of the big names of the era, including Gene Pitney who achieved some of his biggest hits with Bacharach and David songs (“Only Love Can Break a Heart,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa” and “True Love Never Runs Smooth”).
“Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa” – Gene Pitney
Other classic hits from Bacharach and David include:
“The Look of Love” – Dusty Springfield
“What’s New Pussycat?” showed that David also knew when to just have fun with a lyric. The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 1965 movie of the same name. Although Tom Jones was initially unsure about the track, it would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award. Bacharach and David also received nominations for “Alfie,” “The Look of Love” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” but only the latter won.
There was also Broadway success for Bacharach and David, with their score for “Promises, Promises” winning the pair a Grammy for best score from an original cast album. The Tony-nominated musical ran from 1968 to 1971, and was revived in 2010.
There were failures too though. After the poorly received score for the musical “Lost Horizon” in the early 1970s, and some legal wranglings, David and Bacharach did not write together for two decades. David remained busy in this period though, writing with other composers, such as Albert Hammond (“To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”), and taking the position of president of Ascap, the songwriters and publishers’ organisation, from 1980 to 1986.
Hal David received numerous awards and honours for his outstanding contribution to popular music, including inductions into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the NARM Presidential Award, the B’Nai B’rith Creative Achievement Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One of the most prestigious honours came last year when the Library of Congress named David and Bacharach as the winners of the 2011 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The award was presented at a ceremony at the White House in May of this year, but David was not well enough to attend. On that occasion, President Obama paid a fitting tribute to the songwriting team, which is worth recalling today:
| “Like the Gershwin brothers, Burt and Hal have never been limited to one genre or even one generation. Burt once said that all he looks for in writing a good melody is, ‘to write something that I like.’ Hal agreed, saying, ‘We just tried to write with as much integrity as we could.’ Above all, they stayed true to themselves. And with an unmistakable authenticity, they captured the emotions of our daily lives — the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. They have lived their lives on their own terms, and they’ve taught Americans of all ages to embrace their individual stories, even as we move forward together.” |
David is survived by his wife, Eunice, sons Jim and Craig, two stepsons, and three grandchildren.
Tags: Bacharach and David, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Dustry Springfield, Gene Pitney, Hal David, Hal David death, Hal David obituary
Posted in 60s pop, Obituaries |
