THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

740-Bobby Gentry-I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.

1969-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 1.03. The words of advice from the good Doctor Hal David,’Don’t kiss a guy, because you’ll get enough germs to catch pneumonia, and after you do, he’ll never phone ya.’

‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ was co-written by Burt Bacharach, (1928-2023) who wrote the music, and Hal David (1921-2012) who provided the lyrics. The song was written for the 1968 musical ‘Promises, Promises,’ which was based on the 1960 film ‘The Apartment,’ written by Billy Wilder, (1906-2002) and I. A. L. Diamond (1920-1988.) In total Bacharach and David wrote five songs for the musical, with ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ being the final one written. At the time when Bacharach and David (see also best songs 902-832-815-644 and 224) were commissioned to write ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,’ Burt Bacharach was hospitalised with pneumonia, and it was that event which gave Hal David the idea for those ‘strange’ lyrics.

Burt Freeman Bacharach was born on May 12th, 1928, in Kansa City, Missouri, United States, he died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, California, on February 8th, 2023, at the age of 94. Burt Bacharach was a composer, songwriter, record producer, pianist, singer, and a conductor, he also played the piano, and the keyboards, and was a vocalist as well. He composed several hundred songs, that have been covered by over 1000 artists, including co-writing 73 Billboard, and 52 UK top 40 singles. It was while serving his draft in the United States Army in the late 1940’s, that Bacharach met the singer Vic Damone, (1928-2018) while they were both stationed in Germany, following his discharge Bacharach spent the next three years as a pianist and conductor for Damone. In 1956, at the age of 28, Bacharach was recommended by the composer Peter Matz (1928-2002) to the German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich, (1901-1992) and for the next five years Bacharach toured worldwide with Dietrich as her arranger and conductor for her nightclub shows. In the early 1960’s Bacharach parted ways with Dietrich, making the decision to dedicate far more of his time to songwriting.

Burt Bacharach had first met Hal David in 1956 when the pair were both working as songwriters in the ‘Brill Building,’ in New York City. One of the first songs that they published as co-writers was ‘I Cry More,’ which was featured in the motion picture ‘Don’t Knock the Rock,’ in 1956, being performed by Alan Dale (1925-2002.) Between 1956, and until they first parted ways in the mid 1970’s, the partnership of Bacharach and David produced in excess of 230 songs written for the Pop market, motion pictures, television, and Broadway. Burt Bacharach released eight solo Albums between 1965-2005, and three collaboration Albums with Elvis Costello, (1998) Ronald Isley, (2003) and Daniel Tashian (2020.) Bacharach also scored the music for 10 films between 1965-2016, including ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ (1969) and ‘Arthur’ (1981.) His production work includes three Albums with Neil Diamond, five Albums with Marlene Dietrich, and two with his protege Dionne Warwick.

‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ was first performed as a duet in 1968 in the Broadway premier of ‘Promises, Promises,’ between the characters played by Jill O’Hara and Jerry Orbach, (1935-2004) their recording appears on the original Broadway cast Album. The first recording of the song to reach any chart was by Johnny Mathis, whose cover made Number 35 on the Billboard ‘Easy Listening’ chart in May 1969. The most successful version of the song in America is from Dionne Warwick, who took her version to Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1969. In the UK, in 1990 the Scottish Pop/Rock band Deacon Blue took their arrangement of the song to Number 2, the song had been released as part of an extended play entitled ‘ Four Bacharach & David Songs.’

The most successful version of ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ in the UK, is this recording I have chosen by the American singer Bobbie Gentry, (see also best songs 18) who recorded the song for her fifth studio Album ‘Touch ‘Em with Love,’ from July 1969. It was the second of two singles released from the Album, which was produced by Kelso Herston, (1931-2018) and went all the way to Number 1 in the UK. Kelso Herston was born Kelton Dean Herston on April 23rd, 1931, in Alabama, United States, he died on December 4th, 2018, at the age of 87. Herston was a top session musician, and can be heard playing on either bass or guitar, on countless songs for artists including Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. In 1971 Herston set up his own very successful production company to make ‘jingles’ for such companies as ‘Budweiser, and Pepsi. By 1969 the career of Bobby Gentry had peaked, and her record label ‘Capitol’ felt that a change of musical direction was needed to keep her in the public eye, so they brought in Herston, who provided her with a more mainstream sound, which has been described as ‘Country Soul,’ or ‘Blue Eyed Soul.’

‘Don’t tell me what it’s all about, ’cause I’ve been there and I’m glad I’m out, out of those chains, those chains that bind you, that is why I’m here to remind you.’