Remembering Hal David

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(Sunday's events are in the Acoustic Americana Music Guide's next item; but we must take time to salute someone who has passed.)
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One of music's all-time greatest lyricists, HAL DAVID, who wrote the words for composer BURT BACHARACH'S melodies, died Saturday at age 91. In May this year, PRESIDENT OBAMA presented the duo with the nation's highest music award, the Library of Congress GERSHWIN PRIZE. The President said, "These guys have still got it," noting their songs are still being recorded 55 years after their first million-seller first hit radio airwaves.
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That song was "Magic Moments," and there would be hundreds more of those moments to come for them, propelling countless memories for individual experiences. Their music has been the soundtrack for life, as much as the songs of the Beatles or Bob Dylan or anyone else you can name.
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Almost forgotten now is the fact that the duo split up from 1973 to 1992. In 1979, three-way lawsuits were resolved between the two and singer DIONNE WARWICK, whom the duo had backed since 1962. Still, it took years to heal.
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David collaborated with other composers during the interim, including ALBERT HAMMOND, creating the WILLIE NELSON / JULIO IGLESIAS hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before;" and with HENRY MANCINI and JOHN BARRY.
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David once explained his approach to songwriting: "Try and tell a narrative. The songs should be a little film, told in three or four minutes. Try to say things as simply as possible, which is probably the most difficult thing to do."
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Hal David's songs have been iconic in film, TV, on Broadway, and in the catalogues of 55 top-selling artists.
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He won countless awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 and into its country counterpart in 1984. He served as president of ASCAP from 1980-1986. He was a founder of the Los Angeles Music Center. Just last year, he was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
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David married Anne Rauchman in 1947. They had two sons. He was married to second wife Eunice David for the past 25 years. The couple donated part of their art collection to the UCLA Hammer Museum in 2003.
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Here are just a few of Hal David's songs. Be prepared to be surprised how many you recognize, whatever your age:
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What the World Needs Now is Love; Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head; Walk on By; I Say a Little Prayer; Wishin' and Hopin'; That's What Friends Are For; (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me; Alfie; What's New Pussycat; The Look of Love; One Less Bell to Answer; (They Long to Be) Close to You; I'll Never Fall in Love Again; Do You Know the Way to San Jose; This Guy's in Love with You.
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Altogether, Hal David penned more than 700 songs, many during the '60s and '70s. As the New York Times observes in its obituary for David, "Not everybody went to Woodstock."
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Copyright (c) 2012, Acoustic Americana Music Guide.
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