The songwriters Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) wrote a bunch of great songs together starting in the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
Today I am focusing on their beautiful anthem, “Alfie” (in the player at the top of this blog post).
As I have mentioned in past blog posts, I perform one-hour programs of music which feature a particular lyricist or composer at retirement communities, libraries, synagogues, coffee houses, and memory cafes around the greater Boston area with the help of two different pianists, Joe Reid and Molly Ruggles.
And due to the aging Baby Boomer demographic bulge, a LOT of new retirement communities have been built in Massachusetts in the past 10-20 years.
Most of them — hurrah! — still have real pianos in their community rooms (or auditoriums in the fancier places…)
And they book a significant amount of musical entertainment for their residents.
Some places we visit just once per year.
Other places book us 4-7 times per year.
What’s lovely about doing more frequent musical visits is that we get to become better acquainted with the music-loving residents in their community.
And we have found (no surprise!) that music has an uncanny power to re-ignite memories — which, if we are lucky, the residents will share with us as we are packing up.
Some people’s memories are family-specific and often very poignant — a particular song was played at their parent’s wedding… or was the favorite song of a sister/brother/cousin… or is the song that always reminds them of a specific moment in high school.
One woman, the youngest child in a family of six, shared with us that her beloved older brother had recorded a version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” as a present to bring home with him right before he was killed serving in WWII.
That song had become a sacred — and heart-breaking — hymn for her and her family.
She was moved to tears telling us about it almost eighty years after her brother’s death.
And we were honored to listen to her tell us about the significance of this song in her life.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
Joe Reid and I started ten years ago with a program of songs composed by Harold Arlen.
Then a resident at one of the places we performed that first show asked us to create a program of Cole Porter songs.
And then the Program Director at one retirement community lent us her favorite CD compilation of Hoagy Carmichael songs.
The work of one great lyricist/composer keeps leading us to another!
So far we’ve put together hour-long programs featuring the songs of Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, the Gershwin Brothers, Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields, Oscar Hammerstein, Lorenz Hart, Irving Berlin, Yip Harburg, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne, and Harry Warren.
We’ve also created programs of songs written for great performers including Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Bing Crosby and Judy Garland.
And now we are venturing beyond music written during the 1920s-1950s — which is what has led us to the songs of Burt Bacharach.
Mr. Bacharach had a long and fascinating life.
His public profile as a pianist, arranger and composer rose significantly after Marlene Dietrich asked him to become her accompanist/band leader — which he did off and on for many years in countries around the world.
I have read Mr. Bacharach’s memoir, and he respectfully insists that his relationship with Ms. Dietrich was never sexual — although it appears that she would have liked it to be.
She championed his music, however, and sometimes would take care of him by cleaning his apartment and then preparing him a home-cooked meal.
According to Burt, she also helped him to juggle ongoing trysts and affairs with a wide variety of women while they were on the road together.
Another woman who played a significant role in Burt’s life was Angie Dickinson, who became his second wife and whose success and connections as a movie star are what led to Burt’s first film scoring opportunities.
Some of Burt’s most beloved songs were created for the movies, including “The Look of Love” (for Casino Royale), “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” (for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), and “Arthur’s Theme — The Best That You Can Do” (for Arthur).
In 1966 Burt and Hal David were asked to write something to play over the closing credits of a British film starring Michael Caine.
Hal and Burt read the script, and then Hal wrote a lyric inspired by something that Michael Caine’s character says at the very end of the film which Burt then set to music.
Cilla Black recorded “Alfie” for the British release of the movie, and version by Cher — of all people — was used when the film was released in the USA.
Bacharach and David’s muse Dionne Warwick also recorded her own version which became a big hit — and since then it has been recorded by thousands of people, including me and the pianist Doug Hammer.
Just over ten years ago I wrote a blog post which featured our recording of this song. You can click here to read (or re-read) it if you are curious.
Although we human beings continue to do horrific, greedy, short-sighted, ignorant and evil deeds on a daily basis here on planet earth, I remain a fan of love and kindness — as does the narrator in this song.
Thank you to the photographer who took this Michael Caine-esque photo of me in the late 1960s when I was working professionally as a child (doing commercials, modeling jobs, and voice-overs) in NYC.
Thank you to Stephen Fischer for incorporating it into a graphic design for this song release.
Thank you to Doug Hammer for his beautiful piano playing and excellent engineering/producing chops.
Thank you to the photographers at Pixabay and Wikimedia for their beautiful images.
And thank YOU for reading and listening to another one of my blog posts.
If you like this song well enough to listen to it again, you are welcome to stream it by clicking here.
And you are always welcome to visit my non-blog, musical website by clicking here.
amusicalifeonplanetearth 
Thanks, Will. Gorgeous!
Wow! What a treat to find a comment from you, Jeanne Ann… and so swiftly! I hope you are continuing to sing and sing and sing — as well as practice acupuncture. I continue to see Maribeth Kaptchuk once or twice a month and cherish the time I spend in her care (often with her holding my hand as she listens to my pulses…) THANK YOU (and Howard) for introducing me to the wisdom of five-element acupuncture!
Such an interesting blog, Will! I did not know you had developed this great repertoire of inspiring songwriters. Wonderful! Love them all. Also wonderful that you are performing at all these places. Touching hearts and souls in such a profound way….
Thanks for reading and listening and leaving such a lovely comment! Music is so ephemeral and yet can also be so powerful — both in the present moment AND baked into brain as memories. Immersing myself in the music and biographical details of these wonderful songwriters is one of my main coping strategies (along with donating small sums of money to key political races and writing lots of letters/postcards to potential voters) for dealing with the challenging times in which we find ourselves living here on planet earth. PS: One of the places I perform is (no surprise to you) Lasell Village….
Sounds like a perfect way to deal with the current challenges on our beloved planet. There are so many things to be grateful for, in spite of everything, and Nature and music are at the top of the list! Keep singing! Maybe sometime you’ll be at a library or coffee house near us. Braintree’s Thayer Library has concert series with varied performers… Great that you are at Lasell Village!
I performed at that lovely library for many years on an annual basis. Then the woman who booked music there retired and moved to Fuller Village (in Milton). Now I perform there several times per year. Maybe it’s time for me to find out who is currently booking entertainment at the Thayer Library… Thanks for this suggestion/reminder!
Sounds like a great idea! We would come for sure!
As a fan of Burt Bacharach, I found your post interesting and nostalgic.
Thanks for reading and listening, Rosaliene! After reading his memoir as well as memoirs by other people who were intimately associated with him (such as Dionne Warwick and his third wife, the lyricist Carol Bayer Sager) I am not a huge fan of Burt the person. But I am an even greater fan of Burt the composer after putting together an hour-long program of his songs…
Will, I’ve never read his memoir. Lots of great creative individuals–artists, musicians, poets, writers, singers, actors–are also very flawed individuals. It seems to come with the territory of fame and fortune.
Yes, indeed!
I enjoyed this post a lot Will, maybe because I know Burt and his music more. I’ve always love Dionne Warwick’s version of Alfie, and yours is fantastic too. I love that you and Doug have created shows and catalogs of various writer/composers and how kind that you perform at senior homes. For a few years, I was part of a choir that went to nursing homes at Christmas to sing carols. As you mentioned, music can bring so much joy and memories. Keep on singing my friend. 💖
THANK YOU, Brad, for your ongoing enthusiasm and support! I have listened to a lot of Dionne Warwick versions of Burt’s songs in recent months, and I admire her musicality tremendously. As you probably know, she and Burt and Hal had a falling out (involving lawsuits against each other!) after — if I am remembering correctly — Burt and Hal had written songs for a movie which was NOT a success. The toll that this creative/financial failure took on Burt’s psyche left him unwilling/unable to co-write and produce a bunch of new songs for Dionne’s next album — which she was understandably quite upset to learn… Burt’s third wife, the lyricist Carol Bayer Sager, claims that she helped to catalyze Dionne and Burt burying the hatchet so that they could resume performing together from time to time. Singing at retirement/assisted living communities is usually very satisfying — especially when folks are comfortable singing along on their favorite songs. And we hear such a range of stories afterwards (folks who met Judy Garland, folks whose parents moved in the same social circles with certain songwriters, etc. One woman who grew up in Alabama, I think, told us that Bing Crosby once sang her a bedtime lullaby when he was staying with her family during a big annual hunting event!
I didn’t know that backstory about Burt and Dionne, but have enjoyed some of their collaborations.
Will, this is just wonderful! I can picture all the people listening to your music and relishing in the memories you gave them. The story of the woman and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” must make you feel very good, knowing you have ‘moved’ someone. Hubby’s mother was closer to my grandmother’s age. I vividly remember watching her as we played Christmas music on the record player, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” She was always the happy one, yet she cried at the song. Her brothers were all in WWII.
Burt Bacharach was one of the most creative writers. His songs were among the best. I really enjoyed reading his history. Marlene Dietrich? I had no idea.
I was so disappointed to miss your music performance in Westford. The toe is still healing! I know you’ll let me know when you’re close by again.
Heal, toe, heal! Yes, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” probably became a significant song for millions of people with loved ones fighting during WWII… And I will certainly let you know if/when I perform in the western suburbs again. Thank you, Jennie, for finding time to write your blog, and for reading other people’s blog posts, and for leaving lovely comments about same, and for sharing your love of music with the generations of the children who have been in your care!
Thanks so much, Will! Your post was a delight to read. Just think… we’re both spreading music and joy, only at different ends of the age spectrum. That makes me smile. 😀
Yes, indeed! I share your smile. And now it’s time for me to hop on my bike and head up to Arlington Heights to lead two Music Together classes…
Wouldn’t mind if you booked more like 4-7 appearances at my retirement community, Will!
I would love that, too! I think at one point Joe and I came to NC 3-4 times per year, but nowadays it seems like our interval is more like twice a year? Maybe it’s time for me to reach out to the lovely Jill about booking another visit….
I really enjoyed your post and the music. It is wonderful that you go and share you talents at the local retirement communities. I know they enjoy all that you bring with you.
Before covid I went to our local nursing home and read my biography stories and then started taking my guitar and singing the old folk songs of the sixties with them. They seemed to really enjoy it. It was very rewarding for me as well.
Hurrah that you have shared your stories and music-making with people at your local nursing home! Music is a gently powerful way to bring human beings together and uplift our spirits.
Yes, it is a beautiful way to touch the soul. I had one beautiful experience where a woman who had a stroke came joined the group. She could barely speak to communicate with me, but when we sang she sang along with every word! Amazing!!!
Wow! I have seen a video of something similar happening, but never experienced it face-to-face in real time! What a blessing…
Very beautiful Will. I enjoyed listening while I read your post with interest, you do some great work in the community.
Thank you, Andrea! Making music for a living — unless you are a superstar — tends to be a pretty humble/modest/downwardly mobile undertaking. But the pleasure and joy I experience (whether at a retirement community or leading a Music together class) doing it is a big payoff…
Will, you have touched me once again with your lovely blend of music and story. Alfie is not an easy song to sing, and you hit each note perfectly. Bravo my friend! The world is a better place with you in it. Thank you!
You are most welcome. “Alfie” does include some interesting melodic intervals… but Doug provides a clear, inspiring sonic foundation with his wonderful piano playing!