In Memoriam 2023: Burt Bacharach (1928–2023) Tribute List

American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist, Burt Bacharach, is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. For six decades, he composed hundreds of pop songs, collaborating with lyricist Hal David (as well as Carole Sager and Christopher Cross). Bacharach's music has unusual and atypical chord progressions, unconventional and shifting time signatures, jazz harmonies, uncommon selections of instruments, and memorable melodies. Over 1,000 different artists have recorded Bacharach's songs, including Dionne Warwick and Tom Jones. He won three Academy Awards, six Grammys, and one Emmy. This tribute highlights Bacharach's legacy through song lyrics and biographical material.
14 words 84 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. create
    bring into existence
    On the day that you were born the angels got together
    And decided to create a dream come true
    – (They Long To Be) Close To You
    The Carpenters
  2. blues
    a state of depression
    The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
    It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
    – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head
    B.J. Thomas
  3. wonder
    have a wish or desire to know something
    Wonderin' to yourself
    Hey what have I found
    – Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
    Christopher Cross
  4. faith
    complete confidence in a person or plan, etc.
    And I have faith that I will shine again
    I have faith in me
    – On My Own
    Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald
  5. pray
    address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship
    At work I just take time
    And all through my coffee break time
    I say a little prayer for you
    – I Say A Little Prayer
    Dionne Warwick
  6. remarkable
    unusual or striking
    My mother played piano by ear, which I thought was remarkable, and I wondered, "Why can't she teach me to do this? It would be so much easier than sitting here doing scales over and over again." But whenever I argued this point with her, she'd say, "You have to learn to play properly."
    – Anyone Who Had A Heart
  7. conservatory
    a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts
    At that time, I had already begun taking piano lessons from a woman named Rose Raymond, who had studied with Leopold Godowsky at the Vienna Conservatory.
    – Anyone Who Had A Heart
  8. achievement
    the action of accomplishing something
    Bacharach received a number of Grammy Awards throughout his career, including for song of the year for "That's What Friends Are For" (cowritten with Sager). In 2009 he was honoured with a Grammy for lifetime achievement, and three years later he and David shared the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
    – Britannica
  9. arrangement
    a piece of music that has been adapted for performance
    Then in 1968, Bacharach received a Grammy for his instrumental arrangements on Alfie. The score for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) earned Bacharach another Grammy as well as an Oscar. With David, Bacharach also won a second Oscar for the film's easygoing theme song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," as performed by B.J. Thomas.
    – Biography
  10. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
    While in the late 1970s Bacharach’s name became synonymous with elevator music (due in great part to its sheer familiarity), a closer listening suggests that his meticulously crafted, technically sophisticated compositions are anything but easy listening.
    – Bacharach Online
  11. sophisticated
    complex or intricate
    While in the late 1970s Bacharach’s name became synonymous with elevator music (due in great part to its sheer familiarity), a closer listening suggests that his meticulously crafted, technically sophisticated compositions are anything but easy listening.
    – Bacharach Online
  12. collaboration
    act of working jointly
    "I am fortunate to have enjoyed a long-time collaboration with Burt Bacharach. Burt is a man of many talents–a masterful arranger, an outstanding conductor, but first and foremost a brilliant composer. Among songwriters there are many tune writers but just a handful of composers. He is one of the few."
    – Hal David
  13. composer
    someone who writes music as a profession
    "I am fortunate to have enjoyed a long-time collaboration with Burt Bacharach. Burt is a man of many talents–a masterful arranger, an outstanding conductor, but first and foremost a brilliant composer. Among songwriters there are many tune writers but just a handful of composers. He is one of the few."
    – Hal David
  14. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
    He and Hal David co-wrote 2004 SHOF [Songwriters Hall Of Fame] Towering Song What The World Needs Now Is Love; honored with SHOF's highest accolade, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1996.
    – Songwriters Hall Of Fame
Created on Fri Feb 17 20:28:56 EST 2023 (updated Thu Feb 23 13:08:15 EST 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.