4 Massive 80s Hits From the Writing Team of Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager

Don’t think for a moment that the writing success of Burt Bacharach tailed off for good after his 60s heyday with co-writer Hal David. Bacharach found a second wind when he started writing with Carole Bayer Sager.

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The two were married throughout much of the 80s. That’s also the decade when the writing pair enjoyed massive success with these five singles.

“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross was still riding high from the big hits off his 1980 debut album when the opportunity came along to do a movie song. He chose wisely, as Arthur was a smash and gave “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” excellent exposure. The principals, who include co-writers Cross, Bayer Sager, and Bacharach, probably did this song a disservice by not calling it “The Moon and New York City”. That’s the phrase, which came from Bayer Sager’s one-time co-writer Peter Allen, which ended up defining it. Even with that misstep, the song still gave Cross another No. 1 single in 1981.

“Heartlight” by Neil Diamond

There were plenty of 80s hits that were recorded specifically for movies. But Neil Diamond laid down “Heartlight” after watching E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, even though he wasn’t an official part of the soundtrack. Diamond allegedly came to a settlement with the filmmakers in order to proceed. It was probably worth the extra cash paid, as the song, co-written with Bacharach and Bayer Sager, put him back in rarefied chart air (No. 5) for the first time in a couple of years. “Heartlight” certainly played to his ability to move from sedate refrains into dramatic choruses quite well.

“That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick

This runaway hit only made it to No. 1 status the second time around. Not too many people heard the first version of the song. Rod Stewart originally tackled the song, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1982 film Night Shift. Once that film faded from memory a few years later, the song became ripe for a revisit. Dionne Warwick, whose collaborations with Bacharach and Hal David helped define pop music in the 60s, was a natural to take on “That’s What Friends Are For”. She sealed the deal by getting vocal assistance from Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John, ensuring that this one would get maximum exposure.

“On My Own” by Patti LaBelle Featuring Michael McDonald

Dionne Warwick benefited greatly from “That’s What Friends Are For”, a hand-me-down offered up by Bacharach and Bayer Sager. But then she watched as an original by the duo, “On My Own”, became a much bigger hit after she recorded it. Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald took it over and turned the song into a duet. That was a smart move, as the subject matter played well into the back-and-forth treatment. Of the four songs on his list, this one digs the deepest. It helps as well that LaBelle’s and McDonald’s two extremely distinctive vocal styles melded so well, even though they weren’t together in the studio when they laid down their individual parts.

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