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".

Story of My Life
Burt Bacharach Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Someday I'm going to write
The story of my life
I'll tell about the night we met
And how my heart can't forget
The way you smiled at me

I want the world to know
The story of my life

The moment when your lips met mine
And that first exciting time
I held you close to me

The sorrow in our love was breakin' up
The memory of a broken heart
Then later on, the joy of makin' up
Never never more to part

There's one thing left to do
Before my story's through
I've got to take you for my wife
So the story of my life
Can start and end with you

The sorrow in our love was breakin' up
The memory of a broken heart
Then later on, the joy of makin' up
Never never more to part

There's one thing left to do
Before my story's through
I've got to take you for my wife
So the story of my life
Can start and end

Can start and end
Can start and end with you

Overall Meaning

Burt Bacharach's song "Story of My Life" is a touching ode to love and the desire to share one's journey with the world. The singer describes his intention to write the story of his life, which would include the moment he met his beloved and the way her smile captured his heart. He wants the world to know about the night they first kissed, and the excitement and joy he felt holding her close. Despite the ups and downs they have been through in their relationship, he declares that he cannot forget the sorrows of their love breaking up nor the memory of a broken heart, but he also cherishes the joy of making up and never wanting to part ways again. He concludes the song by expressing his desire to take his beloved as his wife so that the story of his life can begin and end with her.

This song is a moving reflection on the role that love plays in shaping and defining our lives. The singer is eager to share his story with the world, and he recognizes that his love for his partner is central to that story. The ups and downs of their relationship, the memories they share, and the promise of a future together all contribute to the richness of his life's story. Ultimately, the song celebrates the power of love to give meaning to our lives and to make our personal histories worth telling.

Line by Line Meaning

Someday I'm going to write
At some point in time, I plan on documenting

The story of my life
My personal experiences and events that have occurred

I'll tell about the night we met
I will recount the night we first encountered each other

And how my heart can't forget
I am unable to forget the emotions I felt at that moment

The way you smiled at me
The manner in which you expressed happiness towards me

I want the world to know
It is my desire for society to be well-informed

The story of my life
My firsthand accounts of different events that have happened

The moment when your lips met mine
The instance when our mouths met

And that first exciting time
The initial period of enthusiasm

I held you close to me
I clutched onto you tightly

The sorrow in our love was breakin' up
The melancholy in our romantic relationship was causing it to disintegrate