I had this conversation back in the 1980s with this comic book writer, and he was lightly complaining about how the artist always seemed to get the credit for a magazine’s success. That may or may not have been a valid complaint, given the Marvel style of putting the product together.
My own complaint is that in a songwriting duo with defined roles, it seems that the person writing the music seems to get more attention than the guy who writes the words. Perhaps lyricists are less outgoing. That certainly appears to be the case with lyricist Hal David, who died recently, in a relationship with long-time partner Burt Bacharach. Check out this article for a history of their team.
The duo was recently awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
I have nothing more to say. Hal David said it all, with his lyrics. Links to all songs.
(I made a point of NOT picking only Dionne Warwick songs, which would have been easy to do.)
Gene Pitney – Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
Cilla Black – Anyone who had a heart
Dusty Springfield – Wishin and Hopin
Jackie DeShannon – What the World Needs Now
Billy J Kramer – Trains And Boats And Planes
Dionne Warwick – Message To Michael
Dionne Warwick – The Windows of the World
Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer
Herb Alpert – This Guy’s in Love with You
Isaac Hayes – Walk on By short (4:30) version; the longer version here
B.J. Thomas – Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
The 5th Dimension – One Less Bell to Answer
Carpenters – Close to You
Naked Eyes- Always Something There To Remind Me
James Taylor – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Luther Vandross – A House Is Not A Home (live)
When I wrote about the theme for ‘The Blob’ being co-written by Burt Bacharach, what I didn’t say it that his collaborator was Mack David, elder brother of Hal. I don’t know if this was a necessary precursor to Bacarach and Hal David working together.
For me the melody is easier to remember than the lyrics, though I always find words very important.