Burt Bacharach dies aged 94: Composer was behind hits including I Say A Little Prayer and Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2023

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Burt Bacharach, one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, has died aged 94.

The US musician composed more than 500 songs during his career and was behind hits such as I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, and Do You Know The Way To San Jose.

Bacharach had written for stars including Dionne Warwick, Cilla Black, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, and he provided a mellow alternative soundtrack to rock and roll in the 1960s and 1970s.

His music had quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies, and more than 1,200 artists performed his songs.

Bacharach won six Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award, and three Oscars during his seven-decade career.

He died of natural causes at his home in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday with his family by his side.

Earning comparisons with American greats George Gershwin and Cole Porter, Bacharach started his career as a songwriter in the early 1950s, working with Hollywood star Marlene Dietrich, before forging a professional relationship with lyricist Hal David in 1957.

But it was when Bacharach and David met Dionne Warwick in 1961 that their talents really took flight, with 39 of her chart hits written by the pair.

Singer Noel Gallagher was among the tributes, writing on Instagram: “RIP Maestro. It was a pleasure to have known you.”

‘Innovative and original’

“I’m a person that always tries to deal with melody,” said Bacharach, speaking about his music talents.

David once told an interviewer: “He was just different. Innovative, original. His music spoke to me. I’d hear his melodies and I’d hear lyrics. I’d hear rhymes, I’d hear thoughts and I’d hear it almost immediately.”

Performing in concerts around the world late into his career, Bacharach had fans across the generations thanks to a resurgence of lounge music in the 1990s.

Remixes and samples of his work kept him in the public consciousness long after he stopped turning out the hits, as did Hollywood’s use of many of his tunes as soundtracks to their movies.

Despite being crowned the king of easy listening, his fans would argue his use of mixed meters and complex melodies made his compositions far from “easy”.

Later collaborations with stars as diverse as Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello and Dr Dre, plus a Pyramid Stage performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2015, proved the point that Bacharach never went out of fashion.

Bacharach tweeted his performance of Toledo with Costello three days before he passed.

On his Instagram page, a homage was paid to Bacharach as a “father, husband and friend”.

It continued: “He gave the world so much, and we are eternally grateful. The music is always there, so please keep listening.”

Bacharach would marry four times but tied the final knot in 1993 with his surviving wife Jane Hansen, and they would have two children together.

‘A great inspiration’

More tributes flooded in on social media, with the lead singer of the Charlatans, Tim Burgess, writing: “One of the greatest songwriting legacies in the history of ever. Farewell Burt Bacharach, you were a king.”

Journalist Tony Parsons tweeted: “If Elvis gave the music its body and Dylan gave the music its mind, then beautiful Burt Bacharach gave the music its grace, sophistication, and class.”

Dave Davies, guitarist for The Kinks wrote that it was a “very sad day”.

He added: “[Burt] was probably one of the most influential songwriters of our time. He was a great inspiration.”

Entertainment

Queen Elizabeth II will appear in Paddington 3

Published

8 hours ago

November 2, 2024

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Queen Elizabeth II will appear in Paddington 3

The late Queen Elizabeth II will make a brief appearance in the new film Paddington in Peru.

It follows her skit alongside the world-famous bear in a short film for her 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations, just months before her death.

Now, a photo of Queen Elizabeth II and the marmalade-loving bear will appear in the third instalment of the Paddington movie franchise.

After the late Queen died aged 96 on 8 September 2022, many tributes left outside her residences featured nods to the bear and her skit with him.

Her latest Paddington appearance via photo came “with the consent and agreement of the royal household,” Ron Halpern, head of global productions at France’s Studiocanal, told Variety.

Rosie Alison, a producer on the film, also told the publication: “[The royal family] were actually very happy for it to happen.

“But we don’t like to make a big deal of it, because Paddington’s obviously a very modest fellow.”

In the original video for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the pair had afternoon tea together in Buckingham Palace, during which the late Queen whipped a marmalade sandwich out of her bag, telling Paddington: “I keep mine in here – for later.”

An apparent fan of film and TV, she also appeared with Daniel Craig in a James Bond-inspired sketch to mark the start of the London Olympics in 2012.

The latest Paddington movie takes the Brown family to Peru, as he visits his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears.

Getting into unexpected adventures in the Amazon rainforest and on mountain peaks, they also encounter a joyful nun, played by Olivia Colman, and a daring riverboat captain, played by Antonio Banderas.

The returning cast includes Ben Whishaw voicing Paddington, alongside stars including Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton (voicing Aunt Lucy), Hugh Bonneville and Emily Mortimer.

Paddington Bear was created by author Michael Bond in 1958 after he was inspired by the plight of refugee children arriving in the UK.

The beloved bear went on to star in more than 100 books, inspiring multiple TV adaptations and a film franchise.

Paddington In Peru will be in cinemas on Friday 8 November.

Entertainment

Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

Published

8 hours ago

November 2, 2024

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Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

Scottish comedian Janey Godley has died a month after she moved to a hospice for end-of-life care, her agent has said.

The 63-year-old, who found viral fame with her dubbed imitations of Nicola Sturgeon’s COVID-19 news briefings during the pandemic, had announced last month that she was receiving end-of-life care for terminal cancer.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client Doctor Janey Godley on 2nd November,” her agent said on Saturday.

“Janey died peacefully in the wonderful Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow surrounded by her loved ones. She will be hugely missed by her family, friends and her many fans.

“She will be remembered for her legendary voice overs of Nicola Sturgeon during the pandemic, her hilarious and outspoken comedy, but most of all for just being ‘Janey’.”

‘We got her longer because of all the support’

Her daughter comedian Ashley Storrie announced the news on social media, writing: “We got her longer because of all of the support and the love in the world.”

She said in a short video: “I believe in my heart of hearts that she felt every bit of love you sent to her. And I think it kept her going.

“I think genuinely we got her longer because of all of the support and the love in the world. But that’s it over now. So, thank you once again and bye.”

She also revealed Godley had been awarded an honorary degree from the University Of Glasgow.

Ms Sturgeon, the former first minister, wrote on X: “Janey Godley truly was a force of nature, and one of the funniest people I have ever known.

“I was able to visit her in the hospice a couple of weeks ago and though she was fragile, she still had me in stitches.”

She added: “A bond was forged between us in the darkest days of COVID when her famous voiceovers of my daily briefings went viral. In the toughest of times, she made people laugh – and that was precious.

She did more that (sic) that though. In managing to project the serious public health messages of my briefings to a much wider audience than I would have managed alone, she helped save lives.”

Paying tribute, Scottish First Minister John Swinney wrote on X: “Very sorry to hear of the death of Janey Godley.

“She brought joy and laughter on many occasions when we needed it most. My condolences to her family. May she Rest in Peace.”

That infamous Trump sign

In September, Godley cancelled her autumn tour titled Why Is She Still Here? due to her stage four ovarian cancer, which had been treated over the last few years, but had returned with added complications.

At the time, Godley said it was “devastating” to be facing the end of her life, adding “but we all come to an end sometime”.

She also joked: “I don’t know how long I’ve got left before anybody asks. I’m not a TikTok.”

In 2016, Godley went viral after protesting at Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort with her infamous “unwelcome” sign (Godley’s sign used slightly spicier language).

She then went on to gain attention during COVID times, voicing videos of Ms Sturgeon’s health briefings and became friends with the former first minister.

Overcoming adversity

Born into poverty in the East End of Glasgow in 1961 to alcoholic parents, Godley left school aged 16 with no qualifications.

She revealed both she and her sister had been abused by an uncle as a child, for which he served a two-year sentence.

After 15 years running a pub with her husband during the 1980s and 1990s, she began her stand-up career in 1994, going on to co-present BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.

She also appeared on shows including Have I Got News For You, the Scottish soap opera River City, and crime drama Traces.

Never shying away from joking about the darker side of life, in 2023, she won the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Godley wrote her debut novel in 2022, a murder mystery titled Nothing Left Unsaid set in 1970s Glasgow. Warmly received, celebrity fans included TV chef Nigella Lawson who said it was so good, she read it in two sittings.

A fierce supporter of Scottish independence, Godley was also a vocal advocate of transgender rights, she continued campaigning on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community up until her death.

She leaves behind her husband of 44 years, Sean Storrie, and her daughter.

Entertainment

Does the music stop when the bombs are falling?

Published

11 hours ago

November 2, 2024

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Does the music stop when the bombs are falling?

“You either hold a weapon or you hold a guitar,” says Raji El-Jaru, Gaza’s biggest rockstar.

Months before war broke out last year, hundreds of people packed into a concert hall to hear his band perform their distinct blend of pounding guitar riffs and impassioned lyrics.

“We’ll scream our pain; can you hear the call?” he sang to the rapt crowd. “Knock, knock, are you listening at all?”

Not long after that gig, Israeli airstrikes rained on Gaza City, tearing down buildings and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

Focused on survival rather than music, the five members of Osprey V – believed to be Gaza’s first rock band – went from dreaming of gigging in Europe to wondering if they would ever play together again.

Formed back in 2015, the group are all self-taught and cite Metallica and Linkin Park among their influences. Raji, 32, explains that he has always seen rock music as the obvious way to resist oppression. “We are the voice of the voiceless, spreading love instead of hatred and violence.”

“It’s a matter of time now,” Volodymyr says, talking about when his name will be called to join Ukraine’s armed forces.

A DJ who goes by the moniker Lostlojic, before the full-scale invasion in 2022 he was flying around Europe playing his brand of electronic music but now he’s back in Kyiv, his hometown, performing to raise money for his friends on the frontline.

In the early days after the invasion there was discussion about whether club nights should continue, says 35-year-old Volodymyr, but people needed a break from thinking about war – not least the soldiers on leave from the battlefield.

“Many of my friends who are musicians are in the armed forces. They have no time to do their favourite thing. Once every few months they create some tracks, send them to me, and I play them out.”

Last weekend there was a day to celebrate the Ukrainian language, and Volodymyr incorporated samples of Ukrainian speech into his songs to mark it – an assertion of an identity that is under threat.

“Everything is about politics, you can’t be an artist without it.”

“One of the things that music can do is unify people,” says Ruth Daniel. “It’s a way to give people a space to share what they’re going through.”

She is head of In Place Of War, an organisation that helps foster music and creativity in conflict zones. When bombs are falling all around you, she believes, music can act as a form of escapism and creative resistance.

Speaking to Sky News from the recent WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo) conference in Manchester, she described how smartphones and social media make it easier than ever for those in conflict zones to write tracks and find an audience.

“I’ve seen people making music studios on the edge of checkpoints, making their own instruments, doing hip hop on street corners and making music with car sound systems.”

Gigs too, can be held anywhere, she says, giving an example of a club night she went to in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah.

“It was at a house – they basically turned the kitchen into a club. I remember leaving and there were lines and lines of police and army [soldiers] pointing guns.

“For me, the best music comes out of situations of difficulty. It’s not just art for art’s sake, it’s art with purpose and meaning.”

Mo Aziz once performed to tens of thousands of people in stadiums across Sudan as part of the popular group Igd al-Jalad. But the group’s music criticised the then-government and they were banned from performing amid a crackdown on expression.

He came to the UK as a refugee in 2017, and this year released an album calling for peace in his homeland and hoping to raise the profile of Sudanese music – traditionally a blend of African and Arabic influences.

Since the struggle for power between the army and a large militia group erupted into armed conflict in April 2023, more than 20,000 people have been killed in Sudan. There are firefights on the streets of Khartoum and a humanitarian crisis.

Mo’s mother and brother fled to Egypt, making a fortnight-long journey to escape the conflict, as the fighting led to millions being displaced.

“I was devastated,” he said. “I lost three friends as a result of the bombing in Khartoum, including one member of Igdal-Jalad.”

This unfolded as Mo was working on his album and master’s degree at Liverpool Hope University.

“I hope to show what’s happening in Sudan as well as uplift Sudanese music and put it on the international scene,” he said. “I will always dedicate my work to peace and human rights.”

Meanwhile, British-Sudanese folk singer-songwriter Saeed Gadir described the music scene in Khartoum as a “ghost town”.

“It’s really been decimated, there’s no one there. It’s a huge part of my writing,” says Saeed, who’s known as The Halfway Kid and whose new album Myths In Modern Life talks about growing up in a Sudanese migrant family.

And while he doesn’t see himself as always being explicitly political, his music is nonetheless politicised by the stories he tells and feelings he seeks to share with his audiences, he says.

“Even if you’re in London, you might get an insight into what it might feel like if there’s a coup back home.”

Sometimes there is no safe way to explore music in a dangerous place, sometimes the bombs are falling around you even as amps are plugged in and microphones set up.

That was the case in 1994, before the internet gave musicians the power to appear virtually to their fans. Back then, legendary metal singer Bruce Dickinson and his band Skunkworks were smuggled into Sarajevo during the Bosnian War while the city was under siege. The gig they played instantly became historic.

“I’d never seen devastation like it in a modern city. There wasn’t a single building that wasn’t a burnt-out shell,” Dickinson, best known as the lead singer of Iron Maiden, told the 2017 documentary Scream For Me Sarajevo.

The siege of Sarajevo was the longest in modern history, lasting nearly four years. More than 11,000 people, including over 1,000 children, were killed.

“I went out there and was just, like, how can I ever be as big as their lives need me to be for them?” recalled Dickinson.

“You could have given everything and you just felt like it wasn’t ever gonna be enough.”

All over the world, the musical tradition of building community – and resistance – in some of the world’s most dangerous places is thriving, thanks in part to social media and the ability to reach audiences around the world with live streams.

“Especially in places where people can’t get out or people can’t go in,” Ruth says. “And so that becomes the most important way of sharing people’s culture and identities.”

Still unable to return home, Raji has continued his work on Osprey V. A new video, produced in the Gaza Strip, is out soon and he hopes it will be a wakeup call to the West.

“We are normal people just like you,” he says. “We have families, we drink coffee, we wear Adidas. But we are suffering from endless wars.”