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".
Blue Guitar
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My blue guitar is playing
Why did you go away
The song is saying
Listen to my blue guitar call to you
While my heart is aching and breaking in two
Night and day, my song will haunt you
'Til things are like they were before
And you are in my arms once more
Play, play, my blue guitar
Tell her that I love her so
Play, play, my blue guitar
True love will find a way, I know
Play, play, my blue guitar
Tell her that I love her so
Play, play, my blue guitar
True love will find a way, I know
Every note repeats I want you
Night and day, my song will haunt you
'Til things are like they were before
And you are in my arms once more
The lyrics to Burt Bacharach's song "Blue Guitar" are a call to a lost love, sung through the instrument of a blue guitar. The singer implores the listener to hear the song and listen to the guitar call out to their lost love, as his own heart aches with the pain of separation. Each note of the guitar playing repeats the same message: "I want you." The song is a plea for the love to return and for things to be as they were before, with the two of them reunited in each other's arms.
The repeated phrase "Every note repeats I want you" provides the listener with a sense of the singer's longing and his belief that true love will eventually find a way. The guitar's melody represents the singer's heart as it weeps for the lost love, calling out to her in the hopes that she will hear its message and return to him. The song's emotional depth and vulnerability make it a poignant expression of the pain of love lost, and the hope that love can conquer all.
Line by Line Meaning
Please hear the song
Listen carefully to what my blue guitar is saying
My blue guitar is playing
My guitar is expressing my feelings
Why did you go away
I miss you and I'm wondering why you left
The song is saying
The music is conveying my message to you
Listen to my blue guitar call to you
Pay attention to the way my guitar is singing for you
While my heart is aching and breaking in two
My heart is hurting and longing for you
Every note repeats I want you
Every melody echoes my desire for you
Night and day, my song will haunt you
My music will linger in your memories day and night
'Til things are like they were before
Until we can go back to the way things used to be
And you are in my arms once more
And I can hold you in my arms again
Play, play, my blue guitar
Keep playing, my guitar
Tell her that I love her so
Let her know how much I love her
True love will find a way, I know
I believe that our love will overcome any obstacles
Every note repeats I want you
Every melody echoes my desire for you
Night and day, my song will haunt you
My music will linger in your memories day and night
'Til things are like they were before
Until we can go back to the way things used to be
And you are in my arms once more
And I can hold you in my arms again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BURT BACHARACH, HAL DAVID, BURT F BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard D. Ruttenberg
You've got to be kidding...Richard Chamberland? Too weird an idea for me to process, ha ha! Not bad...not bad at all....
NewMediaFormat / TheNewFormat
Well it ain't all that and a bag of chips too... But it will do : )