Complexity isn’t typically associated with pop music. Phrases like “keep it simple” and “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” are pop mantras for creating accessible hits. Lyrically, many pop songs embrace ambiguity for universal appeal. Burt Bacharach proved emotional connections are possible while staying true to the complexities of the human condition.
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Bacharach’s background in jazz added chordal and instrumental sophistication, too. He and Hal David were one of the greatest songwriting duos of the 20th century. The beauty of Bacharach’s music is how it always sounds close to the listener. He struggled with familial life and wouldn’t sacrifice his work for anything, not even his autistic daughter. Bacharach found human connection, for better and definitely for worse, in song. Ultimately, it was how he communicated best.
His music is sometimes called “easy listening.” But the compositional genius is anything but easy. His writing and arranging were precise. The most impressive part of Bacharach’s music was his ability to make something so complex sound simple. Or, sure: easy. Spend some time with the chamber-pop maestro and his timeless hits below.
1. “Make It Easy on Yourself” by the Walker Brothers (1965)
The Walker Brothers scored a No. 1 U.K. hit in 1965 with “Make It Easy on Yourself.” Inspired by Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound,” the Walker Brothers version is the most well-known. The original demo featured Dionne Warwick’s voice, while the song was first released by Jerry Butler in 1962. Scott Walker’s iconic baritone and his group’s Baroque pop, though, were perfectly suited to this one.
2. “Walk on By” by Dionne Warwick (1964)
At some point, Bacharach and David realized their demo singer was the real star. Dionne Warwick released “Walk on By” in 1964. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pop songs ever, “Walk on By” was a hit for Warwick; it reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100. In 2023, Doja Cat sampled Warwick’s recording on “Paint the Town Red,” also a Hot 100 hit. Isaac Hayes released an epic 12-minute funk version of “Walk on By” in 1969, as well.
3. “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” by Dionne Warwick (1968)
By 1968, “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” became Dionne Warwick’s biggest hit. The song earned Warwick her first Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance. She never liked the song, and had to be convinced to record it. A tale of crushed dreams in L.A., the narrator yearns for returning home to San Jose.
[RELATED: Behind the Grammy-Winning Songwriting Duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David]
4. “What the World Needs Now” by Jackie DeShannon (1965)
In his memoir, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Burt Bacharach explains how he and Hal David struggled to complete “What the World Needs Now.” It took two years for David to write the lyrics. Dionne Warwick turned down the song, thinking it sounded “too country.” Released in 1965, it was a hit for Jackie DeShannon. Though Bacharach didn’t have much faith in this little waltz, it became his signature song. The chorus was the regular finale of his concerts.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some, but for everyone
5. “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” by Dionne Warwick (1969)
Written for the musical Promises, Promises, the film’s producers wanted to give audiences “something to whistle” while exiting the theater. Bacharach was hospitalized with pneumonia at the time, inspiring the following lyric from David:
What do you get when you kiss a guy?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
Johnny Mathis and Bobbie Gentry each released popular versions. But Bacharach’s and David’s former demo singer Warwick had the biggest hit with her version in 1969.
6. “The Look of Love” by Dusty Springfield (1967)
“The Look of Love” is peak Bacharach. The psychedelic bossa nova shows his musical range and David’s lyrical honesty. The lyric has the kind of sensuality that might have made Serge Gainsbourg blush. Bacharach intended “The Look of Love” to be instrumental, and indeed, jazz saxophonist Stan Getz recorded an instrumental version in 1966. Springfield’s version appeared in the 1967 James Bond film Casino Royale and was nominated for an Oscar. Springfield’s recording includes a tenor sax solo styled after Stan Getz.
7. “(They Long to Be) Close to You” by Carpenters (1970)
Carpenters’ breakout single was “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” released in 1970. Dionne Warwick had recorded the demo in 1963, and she re-recorded the song as a B-side in 1964. Dusty Springfield also recorded the song in 1964, but her version wasn’t released until 1967. The Carpenters version, backed by the famed Los Angeles-based session musicians dubbed “The Wrecking Crew,” was No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for four weeks.
8. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” by B. J. Thomas (1969)
Written for the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was a No. 1 hit for B. J. Thomas and won the Oscar for Best Original Song. The song appeared in film again in Spider-Man 2 (2004). It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.
9. “Alfie” by Dionne Warwick (1967)
Bacharach has called “Alfie” his favorite melody. The complex intervals are sung flawlessly by Dionne Warwick. The song was composed for the film of the same name, although David wasn’t excited to write a lyric around a man called “Alfie.” The opening line, What’s it all about?, is taken from a line in the film. Writing to a cut of the film, the line sparked the rest of David’s lyrics.
10. “Don’t Make Me Over” by Dionne Warwick (1962)
The desperation in “Don’t Make Me Over” is beautifully romantic. Dionne Warwick’s first single, this track was released in 1962 and would be Bacharach’s and David’s first Top 40 hit. The song features the Gospelaires—Dee Dee Warwick, Cissy Houston, and Sylvia Shemwell—on background vocals.
Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage
