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".
My Little Red Book
Burt Bacharach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The minute that you said good-bye
I thumbed right through my little red book
I wasn't gonna sit and cry
And I went from A to Z
I took out every pretty girl in town
They danced with me
And while I held them
Hear your name and I'd start to cry
There is just no getting over you
No girl who's in my little red book
Just ever could replace your love
And each girl in my little red book
Knows you're the one I'm thinking of
Won't you please come back to me?
Without your precious love I can't go on
Where can you be?
I need you so much
All I do is to talk about you
Hear your name and I start to cry
There is just no getting over you, no, no, no
Won't you please come back to me?
Without your precious love I can't go on
Where can you be?
I need you so much
All I do is to talk about you
Hear your name and I start to cry
There is just no getting over you, no, no, no
All I do is to talk, talk about you
Hear your name and I start to cry
There is just no getting over you, no, no, no
All I do is to talk, talk, talk
Hear your name and I start to cry
There is just no getting over you
The song 'My Little Red Book' by Burt Bacharach is a reflection of the pain and desperation one feels after a break-up. The opening lines depict the singer who, upon hearing the news of the breakup, rushes to his little red book - a notebook filled with the contact information of his past female conquests. He "thumbed right through" it, hoping to distract himself from his heartbreak by finding another woman to occupy his time.
As he goes from A to Z, dating every pretty girl in town, his mind incessantly returns to his ex-girlfriend. He talks about her to every girl he meets, revealing that he cannot get over the loss of this particular relationship. He is aware that no one can replace the love he shared with her, and that their bond is irreplaceable. His love for her echoes through his every interaction with each of these women, and he reflects on his desire for her love and his inability to cope without it. The song, therefore, is a way of expressing his feelings on the aftermath of his breakup and serves as a warning to others not to make the same mistake.
Line by Line Meaning
I just got out my little red book
I pulled out my small book of contact information
The minute that you said good-bye
Right after you bid me farewell
I thumbed right through my little red book
I flipped through the pages of my little book
I wasn't gonna sit and cry
I refused to sit and weep
And I went from A to Z
I went through my entire list
I took out every pretty girl in town
I went out with every attractive woman in the area
They danced with me
We danced together
And while I held them
But even as I held them close
All I did was to talk about you
I couldn't stop talking about you
Hear your name and I'd start to cry
Hearing your name would make me burst into tears
There is just no getting over you
I'm just unable to move on from you
No girl who's in my little red book
None of the women in my book
Just ever could replace your love
Could ever replace your affection
And each girl in my little red book
Every woman in my small book
Knows you're the one I'm thinking of
Knows that you are the one on my mind
Won't you please come back to me?
Could you please return to me?
Without your precious love I can't go on
I can't continue without your invaluable love
Where can you be?
Where are you located?
I need you so much
I have such a strong need for you
All I do is to talk about you
I spend all my time discussing you
All I do is to talk, talk, talk
All I do is endlessly converse
Hear your name and I start to cry
When I hear your name, I break down in tears
There is just no getting over you
I'm just unable to move on from you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris Giovanni
I love Burt Bacharach's music!! He has such a unique style!!
sirguyslady
Love's version doesn't sound that different other than it is made into a rock song. I love that Burt and Hal wrote it. Just shows how relevant they were/are. Uncmparable!
Rhubarb 68
I have loved this song forever. Great performance by Tony Middleton.
Patricia Lutz
Burt Bacharach is definitely legendary, in that his style was one of a kind, and unique to the music industry. I can tell by the first few bars of a song If it's written by Burt. he is incomparable!
Vader Is Awesome
Genius, Immortal Master Burt Bacharach !
A C
Burt Bacharach played this song when he toured Oz ..being a big fan of legendary Brian Wilson from The beach boys this song reminds me so much of his style....BB was a great composer ...
marcello bruno
splendido capolavoro tra i capolavori del grande Burt
Alan Teague
Loved this at Glastonbury this year.
Dermot Cassidy
My brother, Ditch Cassidy,recorded this in 1965 with his group fromIreland, The Kingbees.
soozin2
LOVE Burt Bacharach...and Hal David.