Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

Early life

David was born and raised in New York City, a son of Austrian

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish immigrants Lina (née Goldberg) and Gedalier David, who owned a delicatessen in New York. He is the younger brother of American lyricist and songwriter

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

. David attended Thomas Jefferson High School in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and studied Journalism at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Career

David is credited with popular music lyrics, beginning in the 1940s with material written for bandleader Sammy Kaye and for

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...

. He worked with Morty Nevins of The Three Suns on four songs for the feature film '' Two Gals and a Guy'' (1951), starring Janis Paige and Robert Alda. They also wrote the classic Christmas song I Believe in Santa Claus which was recorded by The Stargazers in 1950. In 1956, David began working with composer Burt Bacharach at Famous Music in the Brill Building in New York. That year, the two published several songs, including "I Cry More" (featured in the motion picture '' Don't Knock the Rock''), "The Morning Mail", and "Peggy's In The Pantry". The next year, their song " The Story of My Life" became a country hit for singer Marty Robbins. In the UK, a version of "The Story of My Life" recorded by Michael Holliday reached No. 1 in 1958 before being replaced by

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

's " Magic Moments", the first time any songwriter had consecutive #1 hits in the UK Singles Chart. Subsequently, in the 1960s and early 1970s Bacharach and David wrote some of the most enduring songs in American popular music, many for

and also for Carpenters,

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

, B. J. Thomas,

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 h ...

, Tom Jones,

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers; August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster who has had many hit song credits beginning in the 1960s, as both a singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-son ...

and others. Bacharach and David hits included " Alfie", " Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", "

This Guy's in Love with You "This Guy's in Love with You" is a hit song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and released by Herb Alpert in May, 1968. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on thi ...

", " I'll Never Fall in Love Again", " Do You Know the Way to San Jose", " Walk On By", " What the World Needs Now Is Love", " I Say a Little Prayer", "

(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written by American songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted ...

", " One Less Bell to Answer" and " Anyone Who Had a Heart". The duo's film work includes the Oscar-nominated title songs for " What's New Pussycat?" and " Alfie", " The Look of Love", from '' Casino Royale''; and the Oscar-winning " Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" from ''

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western (genre), Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, k ...

''. In addition, the songs " Don't Make Me Over", " (They Long to Be) Close to You" and " Walk On By" have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Bacharach and David also collaborated on two musicals with their first work in this genre being the 1966 television musical '' On the Flip Side'' which was created as a starring vehicle for

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

and Joanie Sommers. Their second musical, '' Promises, Promises'', was nominated for the 1969 Tony Award for Best Musical at the 23rd Tony Awards. The original cast recording won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the 12th Annual Grammy Awards. The Bacharach-David partnership, which had been long and both critically and financially successful, was effectively terminated by their experiences working on the score of the 1973 film '' Lost Horizons'', a critical and commercial disappointment. Increasing tensions between the two with regard to the work led to an exchange of lawsuits, destroying their professional relationship. David worked successfully as a lyricist with other composers before, during and after his time with Bacharach. Perhaps his best known non-Bacharach song was " To All the Girls I've Loved Before", with music by Albert Hammond, which was a hit for

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

and

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...

. He also wrote

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

's " Broken Hearted Melody", with Sherman Edwards; the 1962 Joanie Sommers hit " Johnny Get Angry" also with Edwards; and " 99 Miles From L.A." with Albert Hammond, recorded by Hammond and later

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

. With Paul Hampton, David co-wrote the country standard " Sea of Heartbreak", a hit for

Don Gibson Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and " I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjo ...

and others, and, with Archie Jordan, the top 20 Ronnie Milsap hit, " It Was Almost Like a Song". David contributed lyrics to three James Bond film themes—in addition to "The Look of Love" from '' Casino Royale'' (1967) with Bacharach, he wrote " We Have All the Time in the World", with John Barry and sung by

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

for the 1969 film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', and in 1979, " Moonraker", also with Barry, sung by Bond regular

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

for the film of the same name. David and Bacharach were awarded the 2011 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, bestowed by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, the first time a songwriting team was given the honor. David was recuperating from an illness and was unable to attend the Washington D.C. presentation ceremony in May 2012. The television tribute, ''What the World Needs Now: Words by Hal David'' was aired on public television stations and released on home video in 2019. The program was hosted by Bette Midler and contained archival interviews with Hal David, and commentary, tributes, and archival performances with Burt Bacharach,

, Valerie Simpson,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, B.J. Thomas, and

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

Personal life and death

David had two sons with his first wife Anne. He married his second wife Eunice and had three grandchildren. David lived for many years in East Hills, New York, in the historic Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage of the Harbor Hill estate. On September 1, 2012, David died from a stroke at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

in Los Angeles, at the age of 91. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park beside his first wife, Anne, who died in 1987.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

Academy of Country Music Awards

Country Music Association Awards

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

Honors

* 1972: inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame * 1984: elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame * 1991: received a

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (DMus, DM, MusD or occasionally MusDoc) is a doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions, musical performances, and/or scholarly publications on music. In some institutions, the award is a ...

degree from Lincoln College, Illinois, for his major contribution to American music * 1997: Grammy Trustees Award (with Burt Bacharach) * 2000: received an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree from

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

* 2009: Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

* 2011: The Songwriters Hall of Fame presented him their newest award, the Visionary Leadership Award, for his decades of service * 2011: received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

* 2012: Gershwin prize recipient

Achievements

* Founder of the Los Angeles Music Center * Member of the board of governors of

* Member of the board of directors of ASCAP, having served as its president, and later worked on reform of intellectual property rights * Served on the advisory board of the Society of Singers * Member of the board of visitors of

in California * Chairman of the board of the National Academy of Popular Music and its Songwriters Hall of Fame

Work on Broadway

*'' Promises, Promises'' (1968) –

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

– lyricist *''André DeShields' Haarlem Nocturne'' (1984) –

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

– featured songwriter *'' The Look of Love'' (2003) –

– lyricist

References

External links

* *
Official Hal David website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:David, Hal 1921 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews APRA Award winners ASCAP composers and authors American lyricists American musical theatre lyricists American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Burt Bacharach Gershwin Prize recipients Grammy Award winners Jewish American songwriters Musicians from New York City Songwriters from New York (state)