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".
April Fools
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once she came to me
When you smiled I looked into your eyes
And I knew I'd be loving you
And then you touched my hand
And I learned April dreams can come true
Oh are we just April fools
If we're just April fools
I don't care, true love has found us now
Little did we know
Where the road would lead
Here we are a million miles away from the past
Travelin' so fast now
There's no turning back
If our sweet April dream doesn't last
Are we just April fools
Who can't see all the danger around us
If we're just April fools
I don't care, we'll find our way somehow
No need to be afraid
True love has found us now
The April Fools by Burt Bacharach is a love song that speaks about an unexpected love that blossomed between two people in the month of April. In the first verse, the singer reminisces about the moment this woman came into his life, when she smiled at him and he looked into her eyes. The sheer beauty of that moment made him realize that he was going to love her. In the next verse, when the woman touched his hand, he learned that April dreams can come true. The chorus pertains to the doubts they have in their minds about the relationship. They wonder if they are just being foolish for falling in love, or if their love is pure and real. They are aware of the dangers that lurk around them and the risks that come along with this newfound love, but they still believe that true love has found them.
The third verse talks about how they had no idea what was about to come next, and how much they have traveled since then. They are aware that they have come a long way, leaving their past behind, and that they can’t look back. The singer admits that if their sweet April dream doesn’t last, they might end up with nothing, but he is willing to take that risk, even if they are just April fools. In the end, the song ends on a positive note, reassuring that they don't have to be afraid because true love has found them now.
Line by Line Meaning
In an April dream
During a dreamlike moment in time, represented by the month of April,
Once she came to me
At one point, she appeared in my life,
When you smiled I looked into your eyes
When you smiled at me, I gazed into your eyes,
And I knew I'd be loving you
In that moment, I realized I would love you,
And then you touched my hand
At a later point, you physically touched my hand,
And I learned April dreams can come true
This interaction made me believe that dreams like these can actually become reality,
Oh are we just April fools
Are we simply naive and foolish in believing in this dream,
Who can't see all the danger around us
Unable to perceive the potential pitfalls or risks that surround us,
If we're just April fools
If we truly are naive and foolish in our beliefs,
I don't care, true love has found us now
I don't care, because I believe that this is true love and it has found us in this moment,
Little did we know
We were completely unaware at the time,
Where the road would lead
Of the direction that our journey would take us in the future,
Here we are a million miles away from the past
Currently, we are in a far different place than where we started,
Travelin' so fast now
Moving at an incredible pace,
There's no turning back
There is no going back to the way things were before,
If our sweet April dream doesn't last
If our idealized situation doesn't continue to be idyllic,
Are we just April fools
Will our continued foolishness cause us to fail and not see the big picture,
Who can't see all the danger around us
We still can't see the potential danger up ahead,
If we're just April fools
If we are still operating under a naive mentality,
I don't care, we'll find our way somehow
Even if things go wrong, I believe we will be able to work through it and find our way in the end,
No need to be afraid
There is no reason to be fearful,
True love has found us now
We have found true love and it has brought us to where we are now,
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David, BURT F. BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind