Hal David

algernon

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Name's not quite familiar...can't place the face?...but one half of the second most successful song writing team of the sixties, Hal David wrote the lyrics for Burt Baccarach. A consummate craftsman..not cool at all--son of schmatas Jewish rag guys--in it for the dough...big brother Mack made it big before he did and looked upon him with disdain. He wrote songs that will ENDURE FOREVER...and made it look sooo friggin' easy.
 

Music Wench

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Lyricists are most important. Elton wasn't ever quite as good without Bernie Taupin. The best part of Bacharach songs are the lyrics. Funny how most of the general public take them for granted.
 

algernon

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Music Wench said:
Lyricists are most important. Elton wasn't ever quite as good without Bernie Taupin. The best part of Bacharach songs are the lyrics. Funny how most of the general public take them for granted.
So true, wenchie. Take a song like DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE and consider how MUCH emotion it conveys in three friggin' minutes: despair, hope, loss, passion...and all the while NOT STEPPING ON/BUT COMPLIMENTING a very complex melody without sounding STUPID. It is a fantastic craft, totally under-appreciated BECAUSE it sounds so...effortless.
 

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An old song-writing buddy of mine had the privelege of writing with Hal David in the early seventies...a Nashville publisher put them together. My buddy had the melody intact...the publisher flew him to NY and put him up in a hotel that Hal owned(HA)! Next day, he was picked up and taken to Hal's house where he was greeted warmly and into the music room they went. My buddy played the melody on piano..Hal stood at a podium and scribbled. They did this all day...him playing the melody---Hal scribbling. At the end of the day they had a grammy nominated song. This was cake for Hal since Baccarach liked to work the other way--getting the lyric first.
 
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The name of the song, oddly enough: ALMOST LIKE A SONG, recorded by Ronnie Milsap.
 

algernon

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Last time I was in NY I went to hear Steve tyrell at the Carlyle Hotel. He's doing a big "American Songbook" act, singing great American songs. He does a little intro gab about Burt Baccarach before launching into THIS GUY'S IN LOVE...how Burt's so cool and such a genius. I'd had a coupla scotches under my belt coupled with the fact that Tyrell kind of buried a song I wrote lyrics to(even though it was the single) on the last BJ Thomas album which he produced, so at the end of his number as the applause is dying I shout "HAL DAVID>". No response..a kind of stunned silence. Again I shout "HAL DAVID>". Tyrell looks pissed and petulantly remarks " I know Hal david!...he's a friend of mine!...I'm having lunch with him tomorrow!..." Oh well. that's show biz. Even his friends neglect to give him the credit he deserves.
 
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Reverend Rock

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The Bacharach/David catalog is a wonderful body of work. About a year ago, I purchased the Rhino boxset on Bacharach's work, and my gosh, what an entertaining several hours of songwriting magic that is.
 

Martin Q. Blank

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algernon said:
Name's not quite familiar...can't place the face?...but one half of the second most successful song writing team of the sixties, Hal David wrote the lyrics for Burt Baccarach. A consummate craftsman..not cool at all--son of schmatas Jewish rag guys--in it for the dough...big brother Mack made it big before he did and looked upon him with disdain. He wrote songs that will ENDURE FOREVER...and made it look sooo friggin' easy.

MikeLoveAPXcopy.jpg

"The importance of a lyricist cannot be overstated...and I was brilliant! Just look at what happened when Brian ditched me for Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks. Utter crap! I deserve my just desserts, instead of this shameful misappropriation of my likeness and contributions. As the true leader of the Beach Boys, I too made it look easy...just read my bio on my website!"
 

algernon

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Did Love really write that, Marty, are or you pulling my leg?? Fact is, I give Love his due. He did write some wonderful lyrics...his lyric for GOOD VIBRATIONS is better than the Tony Asher one that went on SMiLE. I defy anyone to say otherwise. Horse's ass? Yes...but he wrote some good words.
 

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