GroUp Entertainment is proud to present Two Rooms Live, a spectacular live theatre / concert experience celebrating legendary songwriting partnerships. Between 1962 and 1972 the Burt Bacharach and Hal David were everywhere. Hardly a week went by without a least one of their songs appearing on the Billboard Singles Chart.
Their first success came with “The Story of My Life,” by Marty Robbins Driven which reached #15 which was followed by another collaboration for Perry Como’s “Magic Moments.” Neither song gave any indication of what was to follow; a string of hit songs for some of the world’s best-known recording artists. Bacharach/David collaborations included Jane Morgan single “With Open Arms,” and Connie Stevens’ “And This Is Mine.”
In 1962, they wrote “The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance,” and “Only Love Can Break a Heart” for Gene Pitney, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself,” for Tommy Hunt and “Forgive Me (For Giving You Such A Bad Time)” by Babs Tino. Although their collaboration with Gene Pitney would produce two more hits, the duo had just discovered the singer who would become the definitive interpreter of their songs. Over the next ten years, Dionne Warwick would record more than sixty Bacharach/David compositions and would make nineteen of them Top 40 hits. Unforgettable songs such as; I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, There is Always Something There to Remind Me, Do You Know the Way to San Jose, I Say a Little Prayer, Alfie, Don’t Make Me Over, Wishin’ and Hopin,’ Anyone Who Had a Heart and Walk On By. The pair went on to collaborate on hit songs such as Blue On Blue for Bobby Vinton, One Less Bell to Answer and Living Together, Growing Together for the 5th Dimension, What the World Needs Now for Jackie Del Shannon, (They Long to Be) Close to You for The Carpenters, This Guys in Love with You for Herb Alpert, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head for B.J. Thomas, The Look of Love for Dusty Springfield. Their songs have also been recorded by Cilla Black, Isaac Hayes, Gloria Gaynor, The Stranglers, Average White Band, The Stylistics, Sérgio Mendes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, Bobbie Gentry, Naked Eyes, Tom Jones and Cher.
Though never credited with bringing about any social, political or fashion revolutions, Bacharach and David's music was as much a part of the decade as the Beatles, the Stones or Dylan.
One thing a lyricist must learn is not to fall in love with his own lines. Once you learn that, you can walk away from the lyric and look at it with a reasonable degree of objectivity.
Never be ashamed to write a melody that people remember.
Music breeds its own inspiration. You can only do it by doing it. You may not feel like it, but you push yourself. It's a work process. Or just improvise. Something will come.
In writing, I search for believability, simplicity and emotional impact.
I try to create an emotion to which others can respond.
I never liked hearing anyone say I was the new George Gershwin, because I knew I could have never even carried that man's music case. If George Gershwin hadn't died when he was thirty-nine years old, there is no knowing how much more great music he would have written.