Burt Freeman Bacharach(May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American com… Read Full Bio ↴Burt Freeman Bacharach(May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, and musician who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music.

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".

Message To Michael
Burt Bacharach Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Spread your wings for New Orleans
Kentucky bluebird, fly away

And take a message to Michael, message to Michael
He sings each night in some cafe
In his search to find wealth and fame
I hear Michael has gone and changed his name

It's a year since he was here
Kentucky bluebird, fly away

And take a message to Michael, message to Michael
Tell him I miss him more each day
As his train pulled out down the track
Michael promised he'd soon be coming back

Oh tell him how my heart just breaks in two
Since he journeyed far
And even though his dreams of fame fell through
To me he will always be a star

Spread your wings for New Orleans
Kentucky bluebird, fly away

And take a message to Michael, message to Michael
Ask him to start for home today
When you find him please let him know
Rich or poor, I will always love him so

Fly away, Kentucky bluebird

Fly away, Kentucky bluebird
Fly away, fly away, fly away, fly away

Overall Meaning

The song "Message to Michael" tells the story of a person who is deeply in love with someone named Michael. Michael is a struggling musician, who left to pursue a career in the music industry with dreams of wealth and fame. However, time has passed, and the songwriter has not seen Michael in a year. The task at hand is given to the Kentucky bluebird, who is asked to find and deliver the message to Michael.

The lyrics are an expression of love, longing, and regret. The first stanza of the song calls for the Kentucky bluebird to spread its wings and fly away to New Orleans to deliver the message to Michael. The title of the song is repeated twice, emphasizing the importance of the message.

The songwriter expresses how much they miss Michael and how their heart breaks each day they are apart. They reminisce about Michael's promise to come back and his dreams to become a famous musician. However, the songwriter still sees Michael as a star, even though his dreams of fame did not come true.

The last stanza calls for the bluebird to find Michael and relay an important message. The songwriter tells Michael that they will always love him, rich or poor. They ask Michael to start for home today, signaling that they want him back in their lives.

In conclusion, "Message to Michael" is a story of love and longing. The songwriter expresses the pain of being away from the one they love and sends a message of hope that Michael will return. The song is a powerful expression of emotions that many people can relate to.

Line by Line Meaning

Spread your wings for New Orleans
Head in the direction of New Orleans

Kentucky bluebird, fly away
Leave Kentucky now, bluebird

And take a message to Michael, message to Michael
Deliver a message to Michael

He sings each night in some cafe
Michael sings every night in a cafe

In his search to find wealth and fame
Michael is trying to find riches and popularity

I hear Michael has gone and changed his name
I heard that Michael has modified his name

It's a year since he was here
It has been a year since Michael has been here

Tell him I miss him more each day
Inform Michael that I miss him more and more every day

As his train pulled out down the track
When his train departed down the railroad tracks

Michael promised he'd soon be coming back
Michael promised to return shortly

Oh tell him how my heart just breaks in two
Express to Michael how my heart is torn apart