For the first few years of this blog, rather arbitrarily, the 20th of every month was set aside to post Burt Bacharach music. Here are some Bacharach tunes, originally introduced in some very entertaining 1960's movies - enjoy!
Started running out of Bacharach clips that hadn't been previously posted on Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog multiple times quite awhile back. Should new clips of Burt or such prime interpreters of his music as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Elvis Costello, Trintje Oosterhuis, Ron Isley and Diana Krall get uploaded to YouTube, there shall be more, but only on the 20th of a given month.
Can one pick a favorite Burt Bacharach song, besides the entire Painted From Memory album, in which intrepid multi-genre sonic explorer Elvis Costello channels his inner Sinatra (and brilliantly)? I can't!
So, in the immortal words of Rod Serling, submitted for your approval, just one dizzying (tempo and key change-packed) favorite by Burt and the late Hal David: the incredible "Promises Promises", tackled by a host of heavy hitter vocalists.
We'll start with the most recent Broadway version. Take it away, Sean Hayes!
And then there's Dionne Warwick, the vocalist synonymous with numerous 1960's pop hits by Burt and Hal. Here she is, nailing that song yet again - and making it look easy - in the studio.
And belting it out on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Bringing this posting to a stirring crescendo, THE MAN, Mr. Broadway himself, the one, the only Jerry Orbach!
Don't ask me what logic leads this blog from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Zappa to Sonny Sharrock to Dionne Warwick. I don't know. Just enjoy this 1967 performance of a worthy but lesser known Burt Bacharach-Hal David tune, "Don't Make Me Over", sung by Dionne Warwick with her customary sensitivity and panache.
"Loneliness Remembers (What Happiness Forgets)" is my favorite collaboration between Dionne Warwick - a vocalist who makes the difficult look easy - and Burt Bacharach/Hal David. Here's a clip from a 1970 episode of Kraft Music Hall of Burt and Dionne rehearsing this great song.
