One of the greatest composers of our age has left the stage. Burt Bacharach was 95 and he will be missed.
True story: I met Bacharach twice. As a kid, I played This Guy’s In Love With You for him (not knowing who he was) on the piano at a friend’s house in Oakland; he was playing at the Paramount Theater, I think, as my friend’s mother was some sort of big wig there. He was so very, very kind and helped a little kid (tried to, anyway) to get the extremely difficult register and tempo changes. I had no idea what a big deal it was to have a composer —THAT composer— give me a piano lesson.
Years later I met him again at another small event, told him we had met once before in Oakland at So-and-So’s house, and he immediately asked me if I was still playing piano, and I thought “Pfft, he probably says this to all the kids who tell him they met him once upon a time,” and he immediately began playing TGILWY, with a big, toothy grin. I nearly swooned.
There will never be another like him.
Mock Paper Scissors 
RIP.
And what a couple of events for you! I’m glad he was a good person, kind to kiddoes, and even recalling them. What a great person. His music made so many people of all ages happy.
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I’ve read he was difficult (and he probably was; geniuses often are), but I was utterly stunned by the generosity. It’s not an anecdote about me, it is about him.
Rgds,
TG
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Understood; I shoulda used the word “memory” rather than event. It’s a harder loss when it’s kinda personal like that. He will be missed.
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Thank you, my thoughts as well.
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Great stories, TG. That is six kinds of awesome.
That kind of pop isn’t usually my cup of tea, but I acknowledge and appreciate his genius. I admit that when I hear Dionne Warwick on the radio, I stop fiddling with the dial and listen every time.
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Ten, that’s an awesome story. You’ve had an interesting life and met some great people.
I’m sorry for your loss – sorry for all of us.
Lucky world to have had him for 95 years.
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Even more that when he wrote it.
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BTW, his father Bert went to VMI, as did I.
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BTW, his father Bert went to VMI, as did I, Class of 1962, a bit after Bert.
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My followup comment only showed up after I posted this one. What up, WordPress?
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That’s a great story. Not as great as the French grandma story, but still great.
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Lucky you, TG.
His musical works were/are the soundtracks of many of our lives since birth.
Sucks that they’re phasing out his generation’s oldies/retro on the radio stations these days. That was quality stuff -actual music. Nowadays 80’s is the retro fodder.
I digress … Burt Bacharach was the GOAT, a musical Midas -and the absolute idol of almost every music teacher I ever had. RIP, bud.
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My dad used to insist that Bacharach hung around our back door & heard my father’s doodlings on the piano & that’s where he got the chord changes for “This Guy’s in Love With You” … we all laughed at that, of course. My father was a HUGE Bacharach fan.
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