The music of Bacharach and David includes songs written for, or made popular by artists such as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, B. J. Thomas, Gene Pitney, Tom Jones, Jackie DeShannon, and others in the 1960s. His best selling hits include: "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", "This Guy's in Love with You", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", "Do You Know the Way to San Jose", "Walk on By", "What the World Needs Now Is Love", "I Say a Little Prayer", "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", "One Less Bell to Answer", and "Anyone Who Had a Heart".
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" won an Academy Award as the score for the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. "Don't Make Me Over", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and Walk on By are all in the Grammy Hall of Fame. "What's New Pussycat?" (the theme song to the film of the same name), "Alfie", and "The Look of Love" received Oscar nominations. He also co-wrote many country music hits, including Willie Nelson's "To All the Girls I've Loved Before". For these and many other songs, Hal David is considered to be one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.
In 1970 Johnny Mathis issued a double-LP album set, "Sings the Music of Bacharach & Kaempfert," for Columbia. It consisted of a total 21 tracks in a heavyweight gatefold picture sleeve. The Bert Kaempfert tracks were done in the arrangement style of the great German composer and orchestra leader, and the Bacharach/David tracks were done in the Americans' unique upbeat style.
Other achievements:
* In 1984 he was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
* He received a Doctor of Music degree from Lincoln College, Illinois in 1991 for his major contribution to American music.
* In May 2000 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree from Claremont Graduate University.
* He is a Founder of the Los Angeles Music Center
* He is a member of the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
* He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of ASCAP, having served as its President, and where he now works on reform of intellectual property rights.
* He serves the Advisory Board of the Society of Singers.
* He is a member of the Board of Visitors of Claremont University in California.
* He is currently the Chairman of the Board of the National Academy of Popular Music and its Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Work on Broadway:
* Promises, Promises (1968) - musical - lyricist - Tony Nomination for Best Musical
* André DeShield's Haarlem Nocturne (1984) - revue - featured songwriter
* The Look of Love (2003) - revue - lyricist
Close To You
Hal David Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of golden starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
The lyrics of Hal David's song "Close to You" narrate the inexplicable attraction that one person feels towards another, and the fact that everything around that person seems to be moving and feeling the same way. The opening lines of the song express the unexplained phenomenon of birds suddenly appearing every time the person is near, just like the singer who longs to be close to the subject. The same happens with stars, which fall down from the sky every time the person walks by. The singer again compares this to their own feelings, saying that they, too, long to be close to the person, just like the stars want to circle around them.
The second verse of the song is an ode to the person's birth and attributes. The lyrics suggest that the angels created this person's dream come true by sprinkling moon dust in their hair of golden starlight in their blue eyes, which is why all the girls in town follow them around. The singer believes that everyone wants to be near the person since their charms are inexplicable. The song ends with the line "just like me, they long to be close to you," reaffirming that the singer's desire to be near the person is unexplainable, just like everything else around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
The presence of the person causes a sudden appearance of birds that seem to have the same desire as the singer to be near to the person.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
The birds also want the same closeness as the singer.
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
The person's presence causes the stars to fall from the sky, again highlighting the person's allure.
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of golden starlight in your eyes of blue.
The person is seen as a celestial being, created by the angels with a special sprinkle of moon dust and starlight, giving them an otherworldly quality.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
The person's irresistible charm draws the attention of all the girls in town, not just the singer, demonstrating that the person's appeal is widespread.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
The other girls are also drawn to the person, wanting to be near them just like the singer.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheSystemsGO
Think Up Anger need to be in Spotify!
@thebigdyl5974
TheSystemsGO definitely, I'm glad I seen your comment cause I was about to ask if this song was on spotify.
@zeynepciftci7550
apple music +1
@tommyliautaud
Thank you guys so much for listening to my cover song! It was really fun making it and it means a lot that you guys like it. If you want to hear some of my own original music you can look at my channel. Hope you guys like it!
@shadydragon22
I've been listening to this for years and recommending it to friends but only now found this comment! This is beautiful and I will definitely check the rest of your tracks and hope to find similar stuff there
@sophiam.krager3815
I came from a video of the drama "the smile has left your eyes"
@honeyluvv8550
lovemaid samee
@danielameza173
Saaaammmmeeee
@t3rani866
same!!
@vietinis7050
sm