"The Windows of the World" is a song written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

(music) and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

(lyrics) which was a hit single for

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

in 1967.

Background

"The Windows of the World" represented a thematic departure for Warwick who had built her career as a romantic balladeer and had passed on the chance to introduce "What the World Needs Now is Love" (although her stated objection to the last-named was not its theme but rather that it sounded "too country"). The track was recorded in a 13 April 1967 session produced by Bacharach and David with Bacharach as conductor and arranger. Bacharach and David had scored a number 7 hit in 1965 with

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...

's message song hit "

What the World Needs Now is Love "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a relea ...

" but "The Windows of the World" was unique in the composers' canon in being a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

. Inspired by such songs as "

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is a modern folk-style song. Inspired lyrically by the traditional Cossack folk song "Koloda-Duda", Pete Seeger borrowed an Irish melody and the first three verses in 1955 and published it in ''Sing Out!'' magaz ...

" and "

Blowin' in the Wind "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about ...

", Hal David wrote lyrics for "The Windows of the World" which overtly but gently lament U.S. involvement in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

(an especial concern to David, who had two young sons, one of them almost of eligible age for the draft). The arrangement for "The Windows of the World" has a subtle Asian flavor featuring strings plucked in the style of a

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

and also

finger cymbals Zills or zils (from Turkish 'cymbals'), also called finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are called () in Egypt. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pai ...

the latter evoking the sound of raindrops on a window.

Chart performance

Released in July 1967, "The Windows of the World" was not one of Warwick's biggest hits, reaching number 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 27 on the R&B charts. "The Windows of the World" was also a minor hit on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart, where it peaked at number 32. Despite its moderate showing on the charts, Warwick stated in 2002 that "The Windows of the World" was her favorite of all of her singles. Warwick's September 1967 album release featured "The Windows of The World" as its title cut (see ''

The Windows of the World ''The Windows of the World'' is the title of the eighth studio album by Dionne Warwick, released on August 31, 1967 by Scepter Records. The LP features the title cut was in the Top 40. History The single "The Windows of the World" had been r ...

''). The album cut "

I Say a Little Prayer "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967. On the R&B Singles chart it peaked at number ...

" was released that October as a single and proved to be the track which would re-establish Dionne Warwick as a Top Ten hitmaker.

Track listings and formats

*US, 7" Vinyl single :A: "The Windows of the World" – 3:17 :B: "Walk Little Dolly" – 3:20

Credits

*Arranged, Conductor – Burt Bacharach *Producer – Bacharach-David *Written-By – Burt Bacharach, Hal David

Charts

Weekly charts

Cover versions

"The Windows of the World" has also been recorded by: * Scott Walker (''Scott 2'' - 1968) *The Icelandic rendering "Regn Óréttlætisins" was recorded by Hljómar for their 1968 eponymous album. *

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

(''The Windmills of Your Mind'' - 1969) *

Rita Reys Rita Reys (born Maria Everdina Reijs; 21 December 1924 – 28 July 2013) was a jazz singer from the Netherlands. She was promoted as "Europe's First Lady of Jazz". In the 1980s, Rita returned to the American Songbook, recording albums such as ...

(''Rita Reys sings Burt Bacharach'' - 1971) *

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

(on the multi-artist album for the soundtrack to the film ''

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

'' - 1988) *

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

with

(''Isley Meets Bacharach'' - 2003) *

Trijntje Oosterhuis Judith Katrijntje "Trijntje" Oosterhuis (; born 5 February 1973) is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She formed the band Total Touch in 1990 with her brother Tjeerd Oosterhuis before she started as a solo singer. She represented the Netherlands in ...

('' The Look of Love'' - 2006). *

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter, who was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Sou ...

's rendition of the song was included on her 2007 compilation ''The Best of Bobbie Gentry: The Capitol Years''. *Dionne Warwick also recorded an Italian-language version of "The Windows of the World" as "La Vita Come Va" ( helife as it should be).

References

Bibliography

*Serene Dominic. ''Burt Bacharach, song by song: the ultimate Burt Bacharach reference for fans''. Schirmer Trade (New York NY) 2003.

External links

Bacharachonline.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windows of the World 1967 songs 1967 singles Dionne Warwick songs Songs of the Vietnam War Songs with lyrics by Hal David Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Scepter Records singles Anti-war songs