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".
Living Together Growing Together
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
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Add on a woman and then you have two.
Add on a child and what have you got?
You've got more than three.
You've got what they call a family.
Living Together, Growing Together, just being together,
Three loving hearts all
Pulling together, working together, just building together,
That makes you strong.
If things go wrong we'll still get along somehow,
Living and growing together.
It just takes wood to build a house.
Fill it with people and you have a home.
Fill it with love and people take root.
It's just like a tree
Where each branch becomes a family that's
Living Together, Growing Together, just being together,
That's how it starts.
Three loving hearts all
Pulling together, working together, just building together,
That makes you strong.
If things go wrong we'll
Still get along somehow,
Living and growing together.
Living Together, Growing Together, just being together,
That's how it starts.
Three loving hearts all
Pulling together, working together, just building together,
That makes you strong.
If things go wrong we'll still get along somehow,
Living and growing
Just like we're doing now, together.
The song "Living Together Growing Together" by Burt Bacharach is a heartwarming tribute to the power of family and community. The lyrics paint a picture of how a family is formed, starting with individual people coming together to build a home and a life, and then filling that home with love and nurturing it like a tree.
The opening lines focus on the simple math of family: one man plus one woman equals two, but adding a child to the mix creates something more than the sum of its parts. The word "family" is introduced explicitly to convey this idea, and the rest of the song expands on how that family grows and thrives over time.
The song emphasizes the importance of togetherness and cooperation among family members, with the repeated refrain of "living together, growing together, just being together" underscoring this theme. The idea is that a family is more than just a group of people living in the same house; it's a web of relationships built on love, trust, and mutual support. Building a family is hard work, but it's also what makes life worth living.
Overall, "Living Together Growing Together" is a celebration of the joys and challenges of family life, and a reminder of the importance of community in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Start with a man and you have one.
A single person makes up an individual.
Add on a woman and then you have two.
Another person added makes a pair.
Add on a child and what have you got?
Introducing another person, what do you have?
You've got more than three.
The group of people is greater in number than three.
You've got what they call a family.
The group of people are considered a family unit.
Living Together, Growing Together, just being together,
Existing in the same space, emotionally developing, and staying close.
That's how it starts.
This is how a family bond begins.
Three loving hearts all Pulling together, working together, just building together,
Working as a team to create a unified family structure.
That makes you strong.
The family unit becomes stronger when everyone contributes.
If things go wrong we'll still get along somehow,
Even if things don't go as planned, the family will still find a way to stay connected.
Living and growing together.
Living and continuing to emotionally develop together.
It just takes wood to build a house.
Building a physical structure requires materials like wood.
Fill it with people and you have a home.
A home is created by filling the physical structure with people.
Fill it with love and people take root.
Love is what sustains the family unit.
It's just like a tree
The family structure can be compared to a tree.
Where each branch becomes a family that's
Each branch represents a family connected to a family tree.
Just like we're doing now, together.
Continuing to develop and live as a family unit.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BURT F BACHARACH, HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind