Burt Bacharach (1928-2023)

At 10:15 on Thursday morning, I received an email from the Wall Street Journal's Arts in Review editor letting me know that Burt Bacharach had died. He also asked how quickly I could turn around an appreciation essay. I had interviewed Burt at length twice for the WSJ—once in 2011 for a feature and again in 2021 for my “Anatomy of a Song" column on Walk on By.

I asked when he needed it. He said between noon and 1p.m. My two-word response was simple: “On it." Deadline writing for major media isn't for the faint of heart but it's exhilarating. You must write fast with an eye on the clock, and the result must be accurate and close to perfect. Faced with a blank page and my adrenaline surging, I set to work and delivered my Burt remembrance at 12:45 p.m.

My history with Burt began on an interesting note. In 2011, I flew out to Los Angeles to interview him at home. On the plane, I had a crazy idea. I decided to write the lyrics to a love song. My goal was to show them to Burt and get him to compose the music. All of this was an insane experiment to experience how songwriting with the master feels and to have a great anecdotal intro (or what we call “the lede") should I need it.

After our interview in his cushy, spacious living room, Burt said he knew how much I loved Alfie. He then crossed the room to his grand piano, sat down and played and sang the song. With my two digital tape recorders running, Burt had at it. My eyes swelled with tears. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. It was all too much.

Burt and I returned to his sofa, where we had been seated side by side. Burt liked being close to his interviewers. That's when I took out my lyrics and asked him to have a look. Burt put on his gold glasses, went over them and politely said, “These aren't bad." He noted that he'd probably switch a couple of lines so they'd sing better. Then I asked if he'd add music. Looking over his glasses, Burt said, “You're going to make me work now?"

Undeterred, I begged him to compose some music so I could experience the process. So back e went over to the piano, took out a pencil to switch lines, sang my lyrics and came up with a melody and chords. I nearly went into shock. I had just written a song—or, rather, two clumsy verses and a chorus—with Burt Bacharach. The lyrics had taken me the entire flight to write and edit to a point where I thought they were presentable. His music took all of five minutes. When he finished, he turned around with that Burt smile and softly said, “Not so easy, it it?"

No, it wasn't. But the process was thrilling, and when Burt and I spoke again by phone in 2021, we laughed about that afternoon and my gall. I'd always loved Burt's music and he knew it. But after he graciously indulged my Brill Building fantasy in his living room, I loved the man—the gentle kindness he showed, the generosity and the fact that he didn't toss me out on my ear.

For Burt and his fans everywhere, here are 10 clips that will tell you all you need to know about the man who loved to play tennis, nearly always wore a sweater draped around his shoulders, had the softest, kindest male voice, enjoyed the company of music fans, had a wry sense of humor and personified sexy bachelor cool:

Here's Jackie DeShannon in 1965...



Here's Cilla Black and Burt in early 1966...



Here's Burt, Hal David and Dionne Warwick in 1967...



Here's Dionne Warwick in 1968...



Here's Burt and Dusty Springfield in the late 1960s...



Here's Marilyn McCoo and the 5th Dimension with Bones Howe in the control booth on TV's It Takes a Thief with Robert Wagner in 1969...



Here are Karen and Richard Carpenter in 1970 on the Ed Sullivan Show from Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C... .



Here's Burt and Dionne in the studio in 1970...



Here's Burt and Barbra Streisand in 1971 on CBS...



Here's Burt and Cilla Black in 1971...



Bonus: Here's the definitive version of Alfie in 1966...



And here's Burt with Elvis Costello in 1998, with lyrics by Elvis and and music by Burt, who also arranged and conducted...