November 23, 2024

Diane Warren, Brian Wilson, Sheryl Crow Remember Burt Bacharach

Hal David #HalDavid

Diane Warren, Brian Wilson, Sheryl Crow and Emmy-winning screenwriter Larry Karaszewski are among the stars remembering Burt Bacharach.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer died Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 94.

Through his partnership with Hal David, Bacharach brought swanky sophistication to pop music in the ’60s.

He won three Oscars and eight Grammys and composed the music for roughly 50 top 10 hits, including “Walk on By,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “What’s New Pussycat?” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

Crow, who performed Bacharach’s song “Dancing With My Shadow,” from the 2016 film A Boy Called Po, for which he also wrote his first score in 16 years, called getting to know him, “one of the great thrills and honors” of her life.

“There will never be anyone like him and as a songwriter, he set the bar,” she wrote on Twitter.

Many of Bacharach and David’s songs were performed by Dianne Warwick, whose singing style inspired Bacharach on his melodies for “I Say a Little Prayer” and others. A number of people remembering Bacharach on social media highlighted his collaborations with Warwick.

He also reached a new generation through cameos in the Austin Powers film series. Mike Myers’ lead character was a vocal fan of the composer. Shortly after Bacharach’s death, many people on Twitter were posting clips of his Austin Powers cameos.

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers board chairman and president Paul Williams called Bacharach “a true giant of American popular music.”

“Burt Bacharach’s music set a high bar for songwriters,” Williams said in a statement. “It was complex, yet elegant — a combination that produced hit after hit. The iconic songs he wrote with lyricist Hal David and others are an indelible part of our culture. They were an inspiration to me personally as a songwriter and to every generation since. Burt, we’ll miss you and your light touch at the piano. Thanks for the music.”

Read on to see what people are saying about Bacharach.

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