Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of 香蕉视频直播淲alk on By,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淒o You Know the Way to San Jose香蕉视频直播� and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.

Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.

Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written.

He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether 香蕉视频直播淎lfie香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淚 Say a Little Prayer香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檒l Never Fall in Love Again香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淭his Guy香蕉视频直播檚 in Love with You.香蕉视频直播�

Dionne Warwick was his favorite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. 香蕉视频直播淲alk On By香蕉视频直播� alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.

Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He grew up on jazz and classical music and had little taste for rock when he was breaking into the business in the 1950s. His sensibility often seemed more aligned with Tin Pan Alley than with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and other writers who later emerged, but rock composers appreciated the depth of his seemingly old-fashioned sensibility.

香蕉视频直播淭he shorthand version of him is that he香蕉视频直播檚 something to do with easy listening,香蕉视频直播� Elvis Costello, who wrote the 1998 album 香蕉视频直播淧ainted from Memory香蕉视频直播� with Bacharach, said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press. 香蕉视频直播淚t may be agreeable to listen to these songs, but there香蕉视频直播檚 nothing easy about them. Try playing them. Try singing them.香蕉视频直播�

He triumphed in many artforms. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for 香蕉视频直播淧romises, Promises香蕉视频直播� and a three-time Oscar winner. He received two Academy Awards in 1970, for the score of 香蕉视频直播淏utch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid香蕉视频直播� and for the song 香蕉视频直播淩aindrops Keep Fallin香蕉视频直播� on My Head香蕉视频直播� (shared with David). In 1982, he and his then-wife, lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, won Oscars for 香蕉视频直播淏est That You Can Do,香蕉视频直播� the theme from 香蕉视频直播淎rthur. His other movie soundtracks included 香蕉视频直播淲hat香蕉视频直播檚 New, Pussycat?香蕉视频直播�, 香蕉视频直播淎lfie香蕉视频直播� and the 1967 James Bond spoof 香蕉视频直播淐asino Royale.香蕉视频直播�

Bacharach was well rewarded, and well connected. He was a frequent guest at the White House, whether the president was Republican or Democrat. And in 2012, he was presented the Gershwin Prize by Barack Obama, who had sung a few seconds of 香蕉视频直播淲alk on By香蕉视频直播� during a campaign appearance.

In his life, and in his music, he stood apart. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn香蕉视频直播檛 look like a dentist. Bacharach was a 香蕉视频直播渟winger,香蕉视频直播� as they called such men in his time, whose many romances included actor Angie Dickinson, to whom he was married from 1965-80, and Sager, his wife from 1982-1991.

Married four times, he formed his most lasting ties to work. He was a perfectionist who took three weeks to write 香蕉视频直播淎lfie香蕉视频直播� and might spend hours tweaking a single chord. Sager once observed that Bacharach香蕉视频直播檚 life routines essentially stayed the same 香蕉视频直播� only the wives changed.

It began with the melodies 香蕉视频直播� strong yet interspersed with changing rhythms and surprising harmonics. He credited much of his style to his love of bebop and to his classical education, especially under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud, the famed composer. He once played a piece for piano, violin and oboe for Milhaud that contained a melody he was ashamed to have written, as 12-point atonal music was in vogue at the time. Milhaud, who liked the piece, advised the young man, 香蕉视频直播淣ever be afraid of the melody.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭hat was a great affirmation for me,香蕉视频直播� Bacharach recalled in 2004.

Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He reached a new generation of listeners in the 1990s with the help of Costello and others. Mike Myers would recall hearing the sultry 香蕉视频直播淭he Look of Love香蕉视频直播� on the radio and finding fast inspiration for his 香蕉视频直播淎ustin Powers香蕉视频直播� retro spy comedies, in which Bacharach made cameos.

In the 21st century, he was still testing new ground, writing his own lyrics and recording with rapper Dr. Dre.

He was married to his first wife, Paula Stewart, from 1953-58, and married for a fourth time, to Jane Hansen, in 1993. He is survived by Hansen, as well as his children Oliver, Raleigh and Cristopher, Brausam said. He was preceded in death by his daughter with Dickinson, Nikki Bacharach.

Bacharach knew the very heights of acclaim, but he remembered himself as a loner growing up, a short and self-conscious boy so uncomfortable with being Jewish he even taunted other Jews. His favorite book as a kid was Ernest Hemingway香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淭he Sun Also Rises香蕉视频直播�; he related to the sexually impotent Jake Barnes, regarding himself as 香蕉视频直播渟ocially impotent.香蕉视频直播�

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but soon moved to New York City. His father was a syndicated columnist, his mother a pianist who encouraged the boy to study music. Although he was more interested in sports, he practiced piano every day after school, not wanting to disappoint his mother. While still a minor, he would sneak into jazz clubs, bearing a fake ID, and hear such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.

香蕉视频直播淭hey were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before,香蕉视频直播� he recalled in the memoir 香蕉视频直播淎nyone Who Had a Heart,香蕉视频直播� published in 2013. 香蕉视频直播淲hat I heard in those clubs turned my head around.香蕉视频直播�

He was a poor student in high school, but managed to gain a spot at the music conservatory at McGill University in Montreal. He wrote his first song at McGill and listened for months to Mel Torme香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淭he Christmas Song.香蕉视频直播� Music also may have saved Bacharach香蕉视频直播檚 life. He was drafted into the Army in the late 1940s and was still on active duty during the Korean War. But officers stateside soon learned of his gifts and wanted him around. When he did go overseas, it was to Germany, where he wrote orchestrations for a recreation center on the local military base.

After his discharge, he returned to New York and tried to break into the music business. He had little success at first as a songwriter, but he became a popular arranger and accompanist, touring with Vic Damone, the Ames Brothers and Polly Stewart, who became his first wife. When a friend who had been touring with Marlene Dietrich was unable to make a show in Las Vegas, he asked Bacharach to step in.

The young musician and ageless singer quickly clicked and Bacharach traveled the world with her in the late 香蕉视频直播�50s and early 香蕉视频直播�60s. During each performance, she would introduce him in grand style: 香蕉视频直播淚 would like you to meet the man, he香蕉视频直播檚 my arranger, he香蕉视频直播檚 my accompanist, he香蕉视频直播檚 my conductor, and I wish I could say he香蕉视频直播檚 my composer. But that isn香蕉视频直播檛 true. He香蕉视频直播檚 everybody香蕉视频直播檚 composer 香蕉视频直播� Burt Bacharach!香蕉视频直播�

Meanwhile, he had met his ideal songwriter partner 香蕉视频直播� David, as businesslike as Bacharach was mercurial, so domesticated that he would leave each night at 5 to catch the train back to his wife and children on Long Island. Working in a tiny office in Broadway香蕉视频直播檚 celebrated Brill Building, they produced their first million-seller, 香蕉视频直播淢agic Moments,香蕉视频直播� sung in 1958 by Perry Como. In 1962, they spotted a backup singer for the Drifters, Warwick, who had a 香蕉视频直播渧ery special kind of grace and elegance,香蕉视频直播� Bacharach recalled.

The trio produced hit after hit, starting with 香蕉视频直播淒on香蕉视频直播檛 Make Me Over香蕉视频直播� and continuing with 香蕉视频直播淲alk on By,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淚 Say a Little Prayer,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淒o You Know the Way to San Jose,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淭rains and Boats and Planes,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淎nyone Who Had a Heart香蕉视频直播� and more. The songs were as complicated to record as they were easy to hear. Bacharach liked to experiment with time signatures and arrangements, such as having two pianists play on 香蕉视频直播淲alk on By,香蕉视频直播� their performances just slightly out of synch to give the song 香蕉视频直播渁 jagged kind of feeling,香蕉视频直播� he wrote in his memoir.

Besides Warwick, the Bacharach-David team was producing winners for other performers. Among them: 香蕉视频直播淢ake It Easy on Yourself香蕉视频直播� for Jerry Butler, 香蕉视频直播淲hat the World Needs Now Is Love香蕉视频直播� for Jackie DeShannon and 香蕉视频直播淭his Guy香蕉视频直播檚 in Love with You香蕉视频直播� for Herb Alpert.

The partnership ended badly with the dismal failure of a 1973 musical remake of 香蕉视频直播淟ost Horizon.香蕉视频直播� Bacharach became so depressed he isolated himself in his Del Mar vacation home and refused to work.

香蕉视频直播淚 didn香蕉视频直播檛 want to write with Hal or anybody,香蕉视频直播� he told the AP in 2004. Nor did he want to fulfill a commitment to record Warwick. She and David both sued him.

Bacharach and David eventually reconciled. When David died in 2012, Bacharach praised him for writing lyrics 香蕉视频直播渓ike a miniature movie.香蕉视频直播� Meanwhile, he kept working, vowing never to retire, always believing that a good song could make a difference.

香蕉视频直播淢usic softens the heart, makes you feel something if it香蕉视频直播檚 good, brings in emotion that you might not have felt before,香蕉视频直播� he told the AP in 2018. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a very powerful thing if you香蕉视频直播檙e able to do to it, if you have it in your heart to do something like that.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播擧illel Italie, The Associated Press

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