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".
God Give Me Strength
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I'm weak in her wake
And if I'm strong I might still break
And I don't have anything to share
That I won't throw away into the air
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
I can't hold onto her, God give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And I'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As I tumble back down to the earth
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well, wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell, as she becomes my enemy
Maybe I was washed out like a lip-print on my shirt
See, I'm only human, I want her to hurt
I want her
I want her to hurt
Since I lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
Wipe her from my memory
I might as well
God give me strength
God give me strength
I might as well
The lyrics to Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello's song "God Give Me Strength" are a painfully raw and honest expression of heartbreak and desperation. The singer is asking God for strength because he is weak in the aftermath of a devastating breakup, and fears that even if he tries to be strong he will still break. He has lost everything and has nothing left to share or hold onto. The metaphor of the "song sung out" and "bell rung out" suggests a sense of finality or death, as if the relationship has ended for good and the singer's hope for happiness has died along with it. The woman who he loved was his last chance at happiness, and now he is left with nothing but pain and longing.
The singer's desperation intensifies in the second verse as he struggles to let go of his love and move on, but finds himself lost in his memories and unable to imagine a life without her. He acknowledges the power of love, and the fact that it is worth all the pain and heartache that comes with it, but he can't seem to find the strength to hold onto it. The bridge of the song provides a powerful moment where the singer begs God for the strength to forget about his love, to wipe her from his memory and move on with his life. He acknowledges his own weakness and how he is only human, and reveals his darkest desire to see the woman who broke his heart suffer just as he has.
Overall, "God Give Me Strength" is a powerful and emotionally charged song that captures the universal experience of heartbreak and the desperate desire to find the strength to move on. The lyrics are simple and direct, but incredibly effective in expressing the singer's pain and longing. The song has become a classic in the canon of sad love songs, and continues to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I have nothing, so God give me strength
I am in a state of loss and despair, so I pray for divine fortitude to help me endure.
'Cause I'm weak in her wake
I am left helpless in the wake of the woman who has left me.
And if I'm strong I might still break
Even if I try to be strong, I may still fall apart.
And I don't have anything to share
That I won't throw away into the air
I have nothing meaningful to offer, as everything I had before has been lost or abandoned.
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance at happiness
So God give me strength
I have sung of this loss before, this mourning is complete, and I know that any chance of happiness with her is gone. I pray for strength to endure.
I can't hold onto her, God give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And I'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As I tumble back down to the earth
I am unable to keep her in my life, and I struggle with the pain that comes from reflecting on what our love was and what it meant. I fall back to reality in anguish.
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well, wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell, as she becomes my enemy
Maybe I was washed out like a lip-print on my shirt
See, I'm only human, I want her to hurt
I want her
I want her to hurt
If she would only show me a sign of disinterest, then I would try to erase her from my memory and break free of her spell, even though doing so would make me see her as my enemy. Perhaps, in my frustration and anger, I might wish some pain upon her, even though I recognize that such a thought is petty and human.
Since I lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
I have come to accept the reality that our relationship will not have a happy ending, and the realization has stripped me of the ability to pretend otherwise.
Wipe her from my memory
I might as well
God give me strength
God give me strength
I might as well
I desperately want to forget her and move on with my life, so I appeal to God's compassion to help me with my struggles.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BURT BACHARACH, ELVIS COSTELLO, BURT F BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@henrymartinez5075
I'm fighting cancer this song means a lot to me please god give me strength 🙏
@adamkelm1043
hang in there....I'm prayin' for ya.
@BabyDoll-bu7ce
henry martinez I'm fighting cancer as well and this is the first song I thought of. mostly asking for strength to beat it. I'll keep you in my prayers 😃
@deborahhigginbotham7276
May God give you both strength, and health, and hope.
@shiznicks74
@@deborahhigginbotham7276 I hope everyone in this comment thread is still with us.
@wnerko7484
GOD BLESS YOU ALL THAT ARE STRUGGLING.I NEED TO INCLUDE EVERYONE IN PRAYERS
@nichellejohnson3340
I’m listening to this today on 2/09/2023. Burt Bacharach just passed away. This song is just so powerful. Elvis can bring me to tears with this song. God Give Me Strength indeed!
@anthonym5705
When Elvis gets to say "I want him ..I want him to hurt" and the orchestra takes over.... chokes me up everytime
@Richard_Fouts
@@anthonym5705 If this song doesn't give you a reaction you have ice water in your veins. It's spectacular.
@fernandoiturburu3718
@@anthonym5705 Indeed. Thinking about it now.