FEW musicians did as much for getting couples in the mood for love as the legendary Burt Bacharach who has died age 94.
The handsome composer wrote a string of romantic songs for artists including Cilla Black’s Anyone Who Had A Heart and Aretha Franklin’s I Say A Little Prayer.
With lyricist Hal David, he formed one of the greatest songwriting partnerships and was behind 52 UK Top 40 hits and 73 in the United States, with Tom Jones’s What’s New Pussycat? and The Carpenters’ Close To You among them.
He also won two best song Oscars, one for Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head and the other for Arthur’s Theme.
The American was happy to send up his image as a smooth operator, making cameo appearances in all three Austin Powers movies.
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But while Burt was the undisputed king of easy listening, there was nothing straight forward about his life. Married four times, he confessed to having a roving eye which led him to cheat on many of the women in his life.
He also had a massive bust up with his long time songwriting partner Hal David, which led to a bitter legal action.
He had four children, Cristopher, 35, Oliver, 29, and Raleigh, 26, but his daughter Nikki took her own life at the age of 40 in 2007 after a long struggle with mental health problems.
While Burt was at his peak in the Swinging Sixties, he never went out of fashion.
His talents were appreciated by the younger generations, with rap legend Dr Dre writing a track with him, Oasis including his face on the cover of Definitely, Maybe, Adele duetting with him, and Elvis Costello creating an album with him.
Farewell genius
Last night Noel Gallagher tweeted: “RIP maestro. It was a pleasure to have known you.”
Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall wrote “farewell genius” and Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley called him “one of the greatest composers and songwriters to have lived”.
Last night his publicist announced that Burt had died on Wednesday, but did not give a cause of death.
Today people across the planet are sure to be singing along to his songs as they blare out of radio stations in tribute. That would please Burt who once said: “Forget all the awards. When I hear someone humming one of my tunes on the street, man, that still makes me the happiest.”
Born in Kansas City, Missouri he enjoyed a comfortable upbringing as the only child of Bert Snr, a fashion journalist, and Irma, an amateur singer who encouraged him to study music.
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But he did not find it easy growing up as a young Jewish man in the borough of Queens in New York after his family moved there in 1932.
He said: “I was rather isolated, I didn’t have a lot of friends. Those I did have were all Catholic, attending midnight mass at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs church, and I never wanted them to know I was Jewish.
“It wasn’t very fashionable.”
Burt went on to study at several music schools but it was the wisdom of one tutor that persuaded him not to follow the avant-garde route of fellow student John Cage.
The teacher told him: “Never be ashamed to write a melody that people remember”. And that’s what he did.
A year after leaving the US Army in 1952 he married his first wife Paula Stewart, a singer who he performed with. But Paula’s mother proved to be right when she said “He’s really not marriage material” because they divorced after five years.
By that point he’d already been touring with German-born movie star and singer Marlene Dietrich for a couple of years.
Despite being 27 years his senior, the blonde sex symbol tried to kiss him.
Burt shunned her advances and fell for movie star Angie Dickinson, 91, instead, marrying her in 1965.
He claimed that a jealous Marlene stuck pins in voodoo dolls made up to look like Angie. But the songwriter was more than capable of wrecking the marriage by himself.
In his autobiography he confessed: “I had only been married to the Hollywood actress Angie Dickinson for about nine months when I started thinking about getting a divorce.
“I’d already had a couple of affairs by this time. There was a stunning violinist who was on the road with me, and another woman in New York, too.”
But the couple stuck together for 15 years, breaking-up, seeing other people and getting back together again.
From early on it was apparent that their daughter Nikki, who was born three months prematurely in 1966, had problems. Burt told how she would throw animals at the wall and threaten to kill herself.
When Nikki was aged 16 he decided to have her placed in care for a decade and he believed she resented him for it.
He said: “I wish somebody would have just said, you’re not going to heal her, let her be.”
Nikki was later diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and became a geologist.
Of her suicide, he said: “I hated the way she did it . . . alone.”
That was the greatest tragedy in his life. But he also regretted the way he handled a financial fall out with Hal David in 1973.
Hal, who died in 2012 aged 91, wrote the lyrics for many of Burt’s biggest hits, such as Perry Como’s number one Magic Moments and Alfie by Cilla Black, which was the theme song for the 1966 Michael Caine movie.
They were supposed to share five per cent of the profits of a movie called Lost Horizon, that they wrote the score for. But Burt demanded that he get three per cent.
Hal told him, “I can’t do that” and Burt replied, “F*** you and f*** the picture.” As a result Burt refused to produce Dionne Warwick’s new album, which resulted in her suing him and Burt taking legal action against his old pal Hal.
Younger women
Ironically, the film was a total flop, which neither of them would have profited from and Burt later admitted: “It was all my fault, and I can’t imagine how many great songs I could have written with Hal in the years we were apart.”
The 1970s proved to be a fallow period for Burt but his third marriage to singer and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, 75, in 1982 helped revive his career.
They worked together on the Oscar winner Arthur’s Theme and 1986 hit On My Own for Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald.
After being unable to conceive a child, the couple adopted a son, Cristopher. Burt, though, could not remain faithful to his wife.
He claimed it was tough working with his other half, explaining: “We were in the same profession.
“Having worked together all day, you leave the studio together, go home together, go to bed together. Then you do it all again.”
The other problem was his attraction to younger women.
Aged 61 he spied a 29-year-old ski instructor named Jane Hansen while on the slopes of Aspen Colorado. He couldn’t resist “that smile”, so his marriage to Carole ended in 1991 and two years later he was hitched to Jane.
Burt claimed: “I don’t like splitting up with people. But then the harder part of me will say, ‘I’ve just got this one shot, and I’ll just keep going until I get it right.’
“So it’s not so far away from trying to make the perfect record.”
Jane and Burt remained married until the end, so it seems he did manage to perfect the art of relationships. He said: “I am at my happiest with Jane. There was never any thought in my mind not to marry again once I had met her.”
The couple had a son Oliver and daughter Raleigh.
Burt commented: “Having kids later on in your life is a much more powerful thing. I wish I could have done everything I’ve done with this family and been 20 years younger, but then I wouldn’t have valued it in the same way.”
Despite his songs being used for courtship by many, Burt didn’t like music to be playing in the background when he was between the sheets with a woman.
But he was happy that so many lovers got a thrill out of his songs.
During one flight a young woman told him “I can’t make out properly unless I’m listening to your music”. Burt laughed and said: “So that”s been my contribution.”
It is a legacy that is sure to live on.
