Knit to This
Hal David Songbook
Dear Ann,
Watching a Hal David documentary that Channel Thirteen was running this week during a fundraiser, I found myself teary in spots: what a mensch Hal David was. What a brilliant wordsmith. What a prescient soul. Such a rare combination of humility alongside steady confidence in his talent.
The documentary features knockout performances of Burt Bacharach/Hal David hit collaborations. Of course, Dionne Warwick looms large, the essential interpreter of that mighty string of hit songs. (She was 18! when she sang her first Bacharach/David song, “Don’t Make Me Over.”)
Watching all this sent me rocketing back to junior high summer band mornings in 1970. Our sole sheet music was a Bacharach/David songbook including “Walk on By,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “The Look of Love,” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.” It was romantic literacy boot camp for a rising seventh grader on second clarinet.
The day after watching the documentary, I cranked up YouTube and blasted Bacharach and David all afternoon. I highly recommend doing this. The video up top has a bunch of the songs. Dionne! Dusty! Barbra! Even Andy Williams, who 1970s me found a bit too be-cardiganed for love songs, knocked it out of the park with his version of “Alfie.” (Fun fact: Hal David felt that “Alfie” was the song in which he had come closest to expressing what he meant to say about love.)
YouTube will just keep playing them. And if you have strength for a further journey down the Burt Bacharach rabbit hole, I highly recommend his 1998 album with Elvis Costello, Painted from Memory. Elvis Costello has the guts to let himself in for comparison to Hal David, and he comes out fine.
Do you know the way to San Jose? Dionne Warwick didn’t like that song! Amazing.
Love,
Kay
P.S. More listening: here’s Terry Gross interviewing Bacharach and David on Fresh Air in 2010.
Loved the link – thank u
And next down the nostalgia road might be The Carpenters and then a field trip to see “Beautiful” (Carole King) … I hope the documentary is on the PBS app, sounds perfect to watch while sewing or knitting. Thanks for the recommendation.
(and only one more “Upstart Crow”. I hope LIW plays the last xmas special … the end quote was apparently from “King John”, so sad and such a clever way to fit in a history play)
Great songs. Great memories. Brings me all the way back to the time when I was wondering what life would be like. You know, grown-up life. I have now lived through an awful lot and I’m a much much better knitter today for it!
I just listened to Andy Williams singing Alfie. I think I never really paid attention to the lyrics, always hearing the “what’s it all about Alfie” part. The lyrics are beautiful! Thank you so much for that fun fact, Kay.
So many memories attached to all these songs, certain ones firmly attached to different countries I lived in as a kid, especially the fabulous Dionne Warwick ones. Thanks for such a nostalgic road trip!
Oh man. That was a time!! The memories and FEELINGS rush in like a flood. Thanks… this is soothing my (why did I wait so long) tax prep woes right now.
What a nostalgic trip listening to these songs led me on…to look at my old 45’s (yes I still have some vinyl!)…The Carpenter’s verson of “Close to You”…an 8th grade crush on some long forgotten boy Thanks for this post!!
What fun! This has brought back many happy memories.
You play clarinet?! That is so awesome!
I did but that summer the music teacher recruited me for cello!
Like the song…..the sounds of silence…..my soul mate passed away last monday..April 8th….so strange how quickly life can change…deb
Thanks for this. Talk about bringing back my childhood. The radio station my mother listened to when I was growing up played so much Burt Bacharach/Hall David. It was like the soundtrack of my childhood. That and Beatles covers that I never knew was Beatles. 😀
What a sweet piece! I was raised on show tunes and popular music. My dad was an insurance broker, and he was SO proud to have Hal David as a client.
Painted from Memory is the best. My sons were 3 and 5 when it came out and they knew all the words to “God give me Strength”. Little did they know it was my mantra at the time!