HAL DAVID:LYRICIST HAL David, who has died at the age of 91, resembled a president of a suburban Rotary Club – in contrast with his songwriter partner Burt Bacharach, whose suave looks belonged in a 1960s Martini ad.
David was a suit-and-tie figure from an earlier generation who was modest and unassuming in conversation, but it was his words as much as Bacharach’s melodies that created hits such as Anyone Who Had a Heart, I Say a Little Prayer, Walk on By, (They Long to Be) Close to You, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head and Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
Their period of greatest productivity, between 1962 and 1968, coincided with the heyday of their partnership with Dionne Warwick. David’s empathy with female listeners was particularly evident. “The moment I wake up / Before I put on my make-up / I say a little prayer for you” is a key example.
David took a while to discover his vocation as an heir to the great Broadway lyricists.
He was born in Manhattan, New York, the son of Austrian-Jewish immigrants. He was a copywriter at the New York Post. It was not until he emerged from wartime army service that he followed the lead of his songwriter brother Mack.
In 1957 he and Bacharach wrote The Story of My Life for Marty Robbins and a year later Magic Moments, a worldwide smash for Perry Como, leading Bacharach to shed his other collaborators.
They also provided 24 Hours from Tulsa for Gene Pitney, The Look of Love for Dusty Springfield, Make It Easy on Yourself for Jerry Butler and What’s New, Pussycat? for Tom Jones. Their songs have been covered by countless artists.
David’s first wife, Anne, died in 1987. He is survived by their two sons and Eunice, his second wife.
Hal David, born May 25th, 1921; died September 1st, 2012