OPENING THEME: Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi
Hendrix)
Burt Freeman Bacharach was born May 12, 1928, in Kansas City, Mo. He is a composer, producer, songwriter, and pianist with a jazz background who has won 6 Grammys and 3 Oscars, and has had 73 songs chart on the Billboard Top 40 in the US. He and his songwriting partner, Hal David, rank #32 in Rolling Stone magazines "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time". The songs played tonight come from the 3 CD boxed set "The Look of Love: the Burt Bacharach Collection" on Rhino Records.
[Background music for 1st hour: Burt Bacharach's instrumental "Nikki", which he wrote for his daughter with actress Angie Dickinson and later became the theme for ABC's "Movie of the Week"]
The Story of My Life - Marty Robbins (1957 - #15: the song hit the #1 spot on the Country & Western charts)
Magic Moments - Perry Como (1958 - #4: the flip side to Como's #1 hit, "Catch a Falling Star"; although this song as well as the preceding song were Bacharach/David compositions and chart hits, they were fairly bland tunes that lack the distinct Bacharach Sound)
The Blob - The Five Blobs (1958 - #33: song played over the opening credits of the hit sci-fi movie of the same name; Bacharach wrote it with Mack David, Hal's brother)
I Wake Up Crying - Chuck Jackson (1961 - #59: Jackson was a young R & B singer)
Tower of Strength - Gene McDaniels (1961 - #5: Bacharach wrote this hit with the wobbly trombone with lyricist Bob Hilliard)
Mexican Divorce - The Drifter (1962 - DNC: although Bacharach wrote other songs that were hits for the Drifters, this recording session is where he met a young back-up singer named Marie Dionne Warrick)
(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance - Gene Pitney (1962 - #4: although written for movie starring John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Lee Marvin, director John Ford disliked the tune and it was kept out of the film)
Make It Easy on Yourself - Jerry Butler (1962 - #20: song that introduced 'The Bacharach Sound' - a sophisticated song of mature themes with unusual chord progressions, including minor chords and major 7th chords that were not 3 chord rock songs; Dionne Warwick, as she was now known, sang the demo for the song and believed it would be released with her vocal, when it was given to Butler, she was livid and stormed out of the studio saying, "Don't make me over!" A future hit was born)
I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself - Tommy Hunt (1962 - #119: while Hunt, formerly of The Flamingos, didn't find success with this challenging song, Dusty Springfield's version made it to #3 in the UK)
It's Love That Really Counts - The Shirelles (1962 - #102: Dionne Warwick's demo of this song got her a contract with Scepter Records)
Don't Make Me Over - Dionne Warwick (1962 - #21: the song that Bacharach/David wrote just for her became her first hit; Bacharach's name was misspelled on the record)
Blue on Blue - Bobby Vinton (1963 - #3: the extensive liner notes in the box set call this one "an easy-listening classic")
45 Corner
Blue Guitar - Richard Chamberlain (1963 - #42: it was common practice in the early '60s for TV stars to go into the recording studio; Chamberlain played the lead role in TV's hit series, "Dr. Kildare"; the flip side was a forgotten song titled "They Long to be Close to You")
Reach Out for Me - Lou Johnson (1963 - #74: Johnson was another artist in the Bacharach/David stable, but he did not enjoy the success that Dionne Warwick did, her version of this song reached #20 in 1964)
Wishin' and Hopin' - Dusty Springfield (1964 - #6: a almost note-for-note copy of Warwick's original version which DNC)
Walk On By - Dionne Warwick (1964 - #6: Scepter Records executives weren't sure if this song or its flip side, "Any Old Time of the Day", should be the 'A' side; legendary New York DJ Murray the K put them both to a listeners' vote; guess which side won?)
Me Japanese Boy I Love You - Bobby Goldsboro (1964 - #74: song was released with the hope to capitalize on the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, but it was up against the British Invasion)
Birthday Calendar
January 10:
Johnny Ray - born 1927
Scott McKenzie - born 1939
Jim Croce - born 1943
Rod Stewart - 76
Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) - 73
Fayette Pinckney (The 3 Degrees) - born 1948
January 11:
Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons (E Street Band) - born 1942
January 12:
Ray Price - born 1926
Ruth Brown - born 1928
Glenn Yarborough - born 1930
January 14:
Clarence Carter - 85
Jack Jones - 83
January 16:
Barbara Lynn - 79
Jim Stafford - 77
[Background music: "Paradise by the C" - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live track from 1978 featuring 'The Big Man's' sax]
Just Walkin' in the Rain - Johnny Ray (1956 - #2: song spent 7 weeks at #1 in the UK; Ray's stage performances are said to have laid the groundwork for later rock and roll acts)
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie (1967 - #4: song was written by Papa John Phillips and was used to calm fears of a hippie invasion prior to the Monterey Pop Festival)
Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels) - Jim Croce (1972 - #17: Croce was inspired to write the song by his time in the military seeing fellow soldiers calling home to find out if their Dear John letters were true)
The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II) - Rod Stewart (1977 - #30: an unfortunate incident involving a friend of the group The Faces served as Stewart's inspiration for the song; the melody of Part II sounds like The Beatles "Don't Let Me Down", but it escaped the copyright police)
My Old School - Steely Dan (1973 - #63: song tells the story of a drug bust where Fagen and Walter Becker went to college)
When Will I See You Again - The 3 Degrees (1974 - #2: Fayette Pinckney was an original member of the group; "Kung Fu Fighting" kept the song out of the #1 spot)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out - Bruce Springsteen (1976 - #83: from the legendary Born to Run LP, the song tells the story of forming the E Street Band)
For the Good Times - Ray Price (1970 - #11: Kris Kristofferson wrote the song that won Price the Male Country Vocal Grammy)
Lucky Lips - Ruth Brown (1957 - #25: Atlantic Records was known as "The House That Ruth Built" due to 'Miss Rhythm's' record sales)
Take My True Love by the Hand - The Limeliters (1960 - NR: Glenn Yarborough sang lead for the group before embarking on a solo career)
Tell Daddy - Clarence Carter (1967 - DNC: companion song to Etta James' "Tell Mama", which Carter wrote; peaked at #35 on the R&B charts)
The Race Is On - Jack Jones (1965 - #15: song charted #3 C&W and #96 on the pop charts for George Jones [no relation])
You'll Lose a Good Thing - Barbara Lynn (1962 - #8: Lynn wrote and played guitar on the song that topped the R&B charts)
Wildwood Weed - Jim Stafford (1974 - #7: the song, inspired by the Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower", was banned on some AM radio stations due to its drug references)
[Background music: instrumental version of "Alfie" attributed to 'Eivets Rednow' - Stevie Wonder spelled backwards - which charted at #66 in 1968]
I Say a Little Prayer for You - Aretha Franklin (1968 - #10: her cover of the Dionne Warwick hit from the previous year and the flip side of "The House That Jack Built")
To Wait for Love - Tony Orlando (1964 - DNC: Orlando's time for stardom was still a few years away)
What's New Pussycat - Tom Jones (1965 - #3: title song from first movie written by Woody Allen, and the first movie entirely scored by the Bacharach/David team)
My Little Red Book - Manfred Mann (1965 - DNC: also from the "What's New Pussycat" movie; guitarist Arthur Lee saw the film, loved the song, and it became a minor hit for his group, Love)
Alfie - Cilla Black (1966 - #95: Bacharach traveled to England for this recording session of the movie title track, and worked with Beatles producer George Martin; Cher and Dionne Warwick also released covers of the song that Bacharach said is, "the one I'm most proud of")
Casino Royale - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1967 - #27: another movie title track)
The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield (1967 - #22: also from the "Casino Royale" movie and used during a scene with Ursula Andress; a hit for Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 the next year)
This Guy's in Love With You - Herb Alpert (1968 - #1: spent 4 weeks at the top of the charts in the summer of '68; recorded when Alpert went to Bacharach for a song for Alpert's TV special and Burt dug out an old one laying around; incredibly, Bacharach/David's first #1 song)
Everybody's Out of Town - B.J. Thomas (1970 - #26: his follow-up to the #1 "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", and another song with wobbly trombone)
(They Long to Be) Close to You - The Carpenters (1970 - #1: Herb Alpert thought the oft-recorded but heretofore unsuccessful tune was a great fit for the brother-sister duo signed to his A&M Records label - and he was right!)
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension (1970 - #2: another Bacharach/David tune that needed the right act for success; kept out of the #1 spot by George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord")
You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) - The Stylistics (1973 - #23: Dionne Warwick's original from 1964 charted at #34)
Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross (1981 - #1: song from the hit comedy movie won an Oscar)
Kentucky Bluebird (Send a Message to Martha) - Lou Johnson (1964 - #104: another miss for the hard luck Johnson, retitled "Message to Michael", the song would be a #8 hit for Warwick in 1966)
Do You Know the Way to San Jose - Dionne Warwick (1968 - #10: song won her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal)
Anyone Who Had a Heart - Dionne Warwick (1964 - #8: Warwick makes this complicated song sound easy - it changes time signatures from 5/4, to 4/4, to 7/8, and back to 5/4 in the space of eight measures)
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks)
dnc = did not chart
nr = not released as a single at the time
AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records
BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts
Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100
C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records
R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records
RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time
Host January 23, 2021: John Rudan (JR) with a 'Flute Thing' spotlight!
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