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".
Blob
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of The Blob
Beware of The Blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of The Blob
Beware of The Blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of The Blob
Beware of The Blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of The Blob
The lyrics to "Beware of The Blob" by Burt Bacharach describe the dangers of an unidentifiable and ominous creature - The Blob. The song's repeated chorus warns of the creature's ability to "creep and leaps and glides and slides" across any surface it encounters, even managing to slip through doors and around walls without being detected. The splotchy and blotchy appearance of the Blob is described through visual imagery in the lyrics, creating a sense of terror and unease for the listener.
Through the lyrics of "Beware of The Blob," Bacharach creates a playful and somewhat comical tone to a typically serious and ominous subject matter. The song was inspired by a 1950s science-fiction horror film called "The Blob," which portrays a similarly terrifying creature from outer space. Rather than creating a truly terrifying song, Bacharach highlights the absurdity of the concept and leans into the campiness of the monster movie genre. Overall, the song serves as a warning to listeners to be careful of the unknown and unpredictable nature of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Beware of The Blob, it creeps
Be cautious of this Blob as it moves slowly and sneakily
And leaps and glides and slides
The Blob can also jump and move effortlessly across surfaces
Across the floor
The Blob can travel on the ground
Right through the door
The Blob can even pass through closed entrances
And all around the wall
The Blob can move in any direction and cover various surfaces
A splotch, a blotch
The Blob is a shapeless mass that leaves a mark wherever it goes
Be careful of The Blob
Warns the listener again to be careful and aware of this strange and uncontrollable entity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: BURT BACHARACH, MACK DAVID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve McDonald
Bernie Nee recorded and performed all the singing and other multi-track musical sounds, except for Paul Roberts, on the saxophone. When I first heard this at a theatre on the Army base where I was stationed, I was so taken by the music, I stayed for the 2nd showing, just to hear the theme song again. I memorized those words just from hearing it twice and could still recite them, decades later. By the way, this presentation of the song is the best, out of dozens on this website. It's one of the few that plays it at the correct, full-speed tempo. My rear-channel speakers come alive, much better than with the others. Paul Roberts playing was rated at #37 on the all-time, top-50 list of best saxophone solos.
Past Colours
This...Yes...Just Yes...Best Wishes from Australia.
tycerium
The best theme song ever is back! This high quality recording was on youtube previously, but one day, it was gone! How can I pay my bills without The Blob in stereo? But now it's back, and I can balance my check book!
Steve McDonald
Yes, this version sounds the best. Better stereo and surround effects and at the correct, fast tempo. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy, playing this thing loudly, so often!
Rafael Salas
Finally I found THE BLOB (the original song) from Hal David and Burt Bacharach. The spanish version (Titled as La Burbuja) is one of the most remembered masterpieces recorded by one of the highest dance orchestras in Latin America, the venezuelan BILLO´S CARACAS BOYS (1961, LP Pobre del Pobre, B-DCM-002)
Eric Seal
Great song! Has a very distinctive, unique, and haunting quality to it. Always play around halloween!
Maleiva
Beware of the blob, it creeps And leaps and glides and slides Across the floor Right through the door And all around the wall A splotch, a blotch Be careful of the blob Cool song :D
Super Tigress
I actually think this song is good for a movie because it has a good beat to it that my family's cats will sometimes purr in time with when they hear it. The words have good feel to them as they are synergized with the movie.
Luis Vivanco
Even as a small kid, this song was puzzling for me, because it is definitely humoristic, and the movie was really terrorific!!! I never understood why they made this so joyful or playful music for such a suspense movie.
Steve McDonald
The movie was tongue-in-cheek, a parody of the genre of monster movies, so a humorous theme song to lead into it was quite appropriate.