Bacharach studied music at McGill University and the Mannes School of Music. In the 1950s and the early 1960s he was the pianist, arranger and bandleader for Marlene Dietrich with whom he toured. He teamed with lyricist Hal David and others to write many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s.
Bacharach's music has been sung by a number of popular singers including The Beatles,The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Luther Vandross and The Drifters. He met Dionne Warwick, with whom he would form a famed collaboration. His songs are characterized by (1) the use of unexpected harmonic changes and (2) unusual rhythmic patterns and time signatures. He employs times such as 5/4 or 3/2, and frequently goes from one time signature to another in the same song, often after each measure. He also changes keys frequently. An excellent example of his style is "Promises, Promises", from his score to the musical of the same name. He has a total of 52 Top 40 hits. In addition, many of his songs were adapted by jazz artists of the time, such as Stan Getz and Wes Montgomery. The Bacharach-David composition "My Little Red Book", originally recorded by Manfred Mann for the film What's New, Pussycat, and promptly covered by Love in 1965, has become a rock standard. He composed and arranged the soundtrack of the 1967 film Casino Royale.
He has been married four times, to Paula Stewart (1953-1958), to actress Angie Dickinson (1965-1980), to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (1982-1991) - with whom he collaborated on a number of pieces - and (since 1993) Jane Hanson. He has a total of four children, two girls and two boys.
In 1998 he collaborated on an album called Painted From Memory with singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. His 2005 album At This Time features collaborations with Costello, Rufus Wainwright, and Dr. Dre (who provides bass-and-drum loops).
Bacharach has had cameo roles in a number of Hollywood movies including all three Austin Powers movies. His music is also credited as providing inspiration for these movies.
During subsequent Burt Bacharach concert tours, each show would open with a very brief video clip from the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, with Mike Myers (as Austin Powers) uttering "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach".
24 Hours From Tulsa
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause something happened to me while I was driving home
And I'm not the same anymore
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
I saw a welcoming light and stopped to rest for the night
And that is when I saw her as I pulled in outside of the small motel she was there
And she showed me where
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
She took me to the café, I asked her if she would stay, she said okay
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
The jukebox started to play and night time turned into day as we were dancing
Closely, all of a sudden I lost control as I held her charms
And I caressed her, kissed her, told her I'd die
Before I would let her out of my arms
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
I hate to do this to you but I love somebody new, what can I do?
And I can never, never, never go home again
"24 Hours From Tulsa" is a heart-wrenching song about infidelity and regret written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, performed by Gene Pitney. The song is about a man who is driving home to his lover, but he stops at a motel where he meets another woman. He is swept off his feet and makes a terrible mistake by cheating on his girlfriend. The singer of the song is writing to his lover proclaiming that he won't be returning home to her despite being just 24 hours away from her arms.
The first verse suggests that something life-changing happened to the singer on the way home. It doesn't become clear until the end of the song when he's telling his lover that he's found someone and can never go home again. The singer saw a welcoming light outside a small motel where he stopped for the night. He met a woman who showed him where to get something to eat. She took him to a café and agreed to stay with him. As they danced to the jukebox, night turned into day. The singer acknowledges that he lost control and held her charms, caressed her, and kissed her, all actions with deep regret. Finally, the singer confesses his infidelity and tells his lover he loves somebody new and can never go home again.
The song is a warning of the consequences of infidelity and the damage it can do to a relationship. The melody and lyrics work together to convey the sense of remorse felt by the singer. The song is melancholic, with a sense of longing and regret. The chorus reinforces the main theme of the song, that the singer has lost something valuable as he is only one day away from his lover's arms. The song emphasizes the emotional distress the singer feels; he is not the same anymore, and he can never go back, he is trapped in his circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Dearest darling I had to write to say that I won't be home anymore
I'm breaking up with you and I'm not coming back
cause something happened to me while I was driving home
I met someone else while driving
And I'm not the same anymore
I fell in love with someone else
Oh I was only 24 hours from Tulsa
I was so close to you, yet I still cheated on you
Ah only one day away from your arms
I was only one day away from coming home to you
I saw a welcoming light and stopped to rest for the night
I stopped at a motel to spend the night
And that is when I saw her
I first saw the other woman at the motel
As I pulled in outside of a small motel
I arrived at a small motel
She was there and so I walked up to her
I approached the other woman and started talking to her
Asked where I could get something to eat and she showed me where
I asked the other woman for food and she showed me where to get it
She took me to a cafe I asked her if she would stay
I went to a cafe with the other woman and asked her to stay with me
She said okay
The other woman agreed to stay with me
Oh the jukebox started to play
The jukebox in the cafe started playing music
And night time turned into day as we were dancing closely
We danced all night until it became morning
All of a sudden I lost control as I held her charms
I couldn't resist the other woman's charm and beauty
And I caressed her, kissed her
I touched and kissed the other woman
Told her I'd die before I let her out of my arms
I vowed to never let go of the other woman
I hate to do this to you
I'm sorry for hurting you
But I love somebody new
I'm in love with someone else now
What can I do
I can't change how I feel
And I can never never never go home again
I can never go back to you and our old life together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@popeyedish
A travesty that this only has 76k views...Beth might not have made it big but to sing such an iconic song with Burt on piano must be an experience she will never forget.
@darrensatoru6634
100 % she is a star. Beautiful and a fantastic singer
@robertupcraft5687
Astonishing - I’ve enjoyed this song for about 60 years and never was moved by it like this. As well as the singing, the method acting she puts into the story is stunning - as someone else said, the gesture on the line ‘I said ok’ speaks volumes. And lots more too - brilliant. Bob u
@EnglishVirgo
Ooohhh, she really performs this, truly emotes it. The way she looks when she says that she said okay to staying at the cafe with the guy, she emoted that shame that would come with that. Brilliant.
@nobbygecko
a brilliant performance .. so stylish like her predecessors .. dusty, dionne and the like she is a very under rated artist her first album and Gota Fria are excellent.
@davidfletcher452
I love this lady, a great song stylist
@TheShakinandStirred
I’m here because I’ve recently been watching C. B. Strike and looked up the singer of the theme song. Wow! This performance can proudly stand beside the grand dames of Brit song, like Cilla, Dusty and Sandi. Kudos and cheers Beth, well done!
@stuartmcintyre6134
Me too!, I actually went to one of Beth’s gigs to ask her about the Strike theme tune… she told me it was Session job, recorded one afternoon and the rest of the song was never finished…
I think its one of the best TV theme tunes ever, and I’ve been a fan of Beth ever since!
@TOFJR1
I have a double CD of Gene Pitney. I am 77 years old and to me he was one of the very best. I love all his tracks but the one that always comes back to me is the haunting "Tower Tall".
@Joe-jo3ot
Gene made this song his own!