Friends,
Back in 2007 the US Library of Congress created the Gershwin
prize to honor achievement in popular music songwriting. The first
recipient of the award was the great Paul Simon, followed in 2009 by Stevie
Wonder, and Paul McCartney in 2010.
This year the award has been bestowed on the legendary
songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Responsible for some of
the most memorable songs of the 1960s, the art of Bacharach-David
represents a bridge from the classic pop music of Irving Berlin, the
Gershwins, and Cole Porter to the era of Rock and Roll. With complex chord
structures and insanely catchy hooks, the songs of the duo set the standard
for the era. Songs like “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “The Look of
Love,” and “Walk on By” – among so many other classics – continue to be a
central part of our culture and are routinely used in motion picture
soundtracks. Most famously there are the examples of Mike Myers’ “Austin
Powers” films as well as the prominent use of “I Say a Little Prayer” in
the romantic comedy “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”
Burt Bacharach and Hal David set a high standard for American
pop music and their influence on our culture remains strong to this day.
The event honoring Bacharach and David has recently been aired
on PBS and can be viewed on-line:
*http://video.pbs.org/video/2237921072*
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*http://www.pbs.org/inperformanceatthewhitehouse/*
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As with the other broadcasts of the award ceremony, the performances are a
mixed bag with a combination of inspired choices and some more pedestrian
and even questionable artists singing the material. Stevie Wonder does a
wonderful job with “Make it Easy on Yourself,” cannily altering it to a
reggae beat. Less successful is Lyle Lovett whose style is not always
conducive to the sophisticated pop music of Bacharach-David. Younger
artists like Shelea and Rumer do passable versions of the classic songs,
but do not hold a candle to the inexplicably absent Dionne Warwick who is
the single most important artist singing Bacharach-David songs. Also in
attendance was the comedian Mike Myers doing his now-famous version of
“What’s New Pussycat?” a song he previously performed at a tribute to
Bacharach in New York in 1998. At that tribute we saw Rock singer Sheryl
Crow do an outstanding version of “One Less Bell to Answer” though her
performances at the Gershwin ceremony are less thrilling. Also
inexplicably missing is Bacharach’s one-time collaborator Elvis Costello,
though Costello’s wife Diana Krall is one of the featured performers on the
broadcast.
For further information on the Gershwin award ceremony and on the career of
Burt Bacharach and Hal David, see the following sites:
*http://www.loc.gov/about/awardshonors/gershwin/*
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/library-of-congress-gershwin...
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*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Amazing_Night*
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http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/various-artists-the-look-of-love-th...
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http://www.amazon.com/Burt-Bacharach-A-Night-Remember/dp/B0000DKKWV/r...
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David Shasha
