Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time-2010 Edition

[scotsgreg]

Has anyone noted whether or not any Bacharach songs were included in Rolling Stone's newly released list of the 500 greatest songs of all time this time around? If my memory serves me correctly, it seems like 'Walk On By' and 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' both made a previous edition of their list, although it might have been a more technically specific 'Singles' list. (I don't consider their lists by any means accurate or comprehensive, mind you. I'm just curious.)

[BachtoBacharach]

Walk on By by Dionne Warwick (1964) is on the list at # 70. Anyone Who Had A Heart may be on the list as well but I didn't go past the top 100. Dave Marsh, the noted rock historian and Rolling Stone contributor, compiled a similar list years ago (around 1987 or so) and the Bacharach-David tunes on the list were Walk on By (1964), Anyone Who Had A Heart (1963), Don't Make Me Over (1962), and Do You Know the Way to San Jose (1968) all by Dionne Warwick. Marsh commented that Warwick's recording of San Jose was perhaps the most perfect pop tune ever recorded. All those Warwick recordings with the exception of San Jose have been inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in addition to Warwick's recording of Alfie (1967).

[An Enormous BB Fan]

San Jose is certainly one of the greatest pop songs of all time. You won't get an argument from me about that. But what I find funny is that Dionne hated it and didn't even want to record it. When asked what she thought about it, she said "not much". Goes to show you!

I can name so many, many, many songs of Burt/Hal's that should be on there instead of some really bad songs that it's ridiculous! For example, if "Make It Easy On Yourself" isn't on the list, then the list is a total fraud. The same thing could be said for "I Say A Little Prayer", as well as "Alfie" and "Raindrops" and "Close To You" and..... I can keep going, believe me!

"24 Hours from Tulsa"!!!!!

[Sara D]

Rolling Stone is a rock rag and they've virtually ignored Bacharach since the very first issue. However, in The infamous albums reviews book that they published around about 1980 the very same Dave Marsh who thought so highly of 'San Jose' 'awarded' most if not all Bacharach's solo albums a bullet (zero, less than one star out of a possible 5). It just shows what he and they really know about quality music and so I treat these lists of theirs with the contempt they deserve.

[BachtoBacharach]

These lists are mostly based upon commercial hit recordings and generally not the composers reinterpretations of their hit material unless they sing their own tunes. The value in these lists (if any) is recognition and I am absolutely sure Bacharach has no issue with recognition of any of his work. I agree about Rolling Stone. Some critics such as Marsh argue that Bacharach's own interpretations of his material were sometimes less than satisfying and less than original and sometimes unfairly labeled as instrumental elevator music; how can his original version of Walk On By recorded by Warwick compete with his instrumental cover and should it? They are really two entirely different products...and the original single is the recording on the list and I revel in its inclusion...would be sad if none of Bacharach's work as a hit song writer was included. Bacharach as a composer and a performer competes with himself; recognition of his work and the fame he received (which was his PRIMARY goal) as defined by hit singles by artists such as Dionne Warwick, BJ Thomas, Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield versus his work redefined by his recordings of those hit tunes...frankly, the general public remembers the hit tunes and some of Bacharach's instrumental reinterpretations of his work and some original instrumental work remain relatively obscure except to those of us who truly acknowledge his vast back catalog of hits and non-hits and the genius of his work...critics have always sniffed at the commercial all the while promoting it and this is no different. Of course, there is also the fact that those in the UK have a little different perspective on Bacharach than those in the USA and other places...who can explain why much of Dionne Warwick's original work with Bacharach was generally relegated to the lower reaches of the UK charts in the 1960s while becoming hit material most everywhere else? Was it the UK record buying public that dismissed some of Bacharach's highest quality and best material over sometimes vastly inferior cover versions? Or just the luck of the draw? Some say Pye records was favoring its own roster of talent and Warwick's work licensed to Pye for distribution in the UK by Scepter USA was not promoted nearly as well...I tend to agree as both Warwick and Bacharach have stated their dissatisfaction of the handling of their work material in the UK. All this to say that it's cool that Bacharach was acknowledged.