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.
Early life
David was born and raised in New York City, a son of Austrian Jewish immigrants Lina (née Goldberg) and Gedalie David ( Gedalie Dawid), who owned a delicatessen in New York. He is the younger brother of American lyricist and songwriter Mack David. Their second musical, the Broadway 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 their third musical. The 1973 musical film Lost Horizon was 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. Despite the professional split, Bacharach continued to acknowledge David’s contributions, frequently highlighting the lyrics of Alfie, which he described as “one of the best lyrics Hal, or anyone else, has written,” and calling the song “as close to the best [they] ever wrote.”
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 and Julio Iglesias.
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, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, and Glen Campbell.
Personal life and death
David had two sons with his first wife Anne. After his first wife died, he married his second wife Eunice Forester. At the time of his death he had three grandchildren.
On September 1, 2012, David died from a stroke at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 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
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 1965
| rowspan="4"| Best Original Song
| "What's New Pussycat?" <br>
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1966
| "Alfie" <br>
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1967
| "The Look of Love" <br>
|
| align="center"|
|-
| 1969
| "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" <br>
|
| align="center"|
|}
Academy of Country Music Awards
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1984
| Single Record of the Year
| rowspan="2"| "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" <br>
|
| align="center" rowspan="2"|
|-
| Song of the Year
|
|}
Country Music Association Awards
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 1977
| rowspan="3"| Song of the Year
| rowspan="2"| "It Was Almost Like a Song" <br>
|
| align="center" rowspan="3"|
|-
| 1978
|
|-
| 1984
| "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" <br>
|
|}
Golden Globe Awards
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 1966
| rowspan="4"| Best Original Song
| "Alfie" <br>
|
| align="center" rowspan="4"|
|-
| 1969
| "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" <br>
|
|-
| 1971
| "Long Ago Tomorrow" <br>
|
|-
| 1973
| "Send a Little Love My Way" <br>
|
|}
Grammy Awards
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 1964
| Song of the Year
| "Wives and Lovers" <br>
|
| align="center" rowspan="7"|
|-
| 1968
| Best Instrumental Theme
| "Casino Royale" <br>
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1970
| rowspan="2"| Song of the Year
| "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" <br>
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" <br>
|
|-
| Best Contemporary Song
|
|-
| Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album
| Promises, Promises <br>
|
|-
| 1978
| Best Country Song
| "It Was Almost Like a Song" <br>
|
|}
Tony Awards
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 1969
| Best Musical
| Promises, Promises <br>
|
| align="center"|
|}
Honors
- 1972: inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- 1984: elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
- 1991: received a Doctor of Music 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
- 2009: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 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
- 2012: Gershwin prize recipient
Achievements
- Founder of the Los Angeles Music Center
- Member of the board of governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- 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 Claremont Graduate University 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 – lyricist
- André DeShields' Haarlem Nocturne (1984) – revue – featured songwriter
- The Look of Love (2003) – revue – lyricist
See also
- List of songwriter tandems
- List of songs written by Burt Bacharach
References
External links
- Official Hal David website