View source for Hal David

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Short description|American lyricist (1921–2012)}}
{{distinguish|Hal Davis}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Hal David
| image           = Hal David, ASCAP concert, 2011.jpg
| caption         = David at the 2011 [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP]] concert<ref>{{cite news|last=Padua|first=Pat|title=Pic(s) of the Week: They Write the Songs Edition|url=http://blogs.loc.gov/music/2011/05/ascap/|access-date=December 4, 2013|newspaper=Library of Congress - In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog|date=May 12, 2011}}</ref>
| background      = non_performing_personnel
| birth_name      = Harold Lane David
| birth_date      = {{birth date|mf=yes|1921|5|25}}
| birth_place     = New York City, U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2012|9|1|1921|5|25}}
| death_place     = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| genre           = Pop
| occupation      = Lyricist
| years_active    = 1940s–2012
| associated_acts = {{plainlist|
*[[Burt Bacharach]]
*[[Dionne Warwick]]
}}
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Anne (Née Rauchman) David<!-- David -->||1987|end=died}}
* Eunice Forester<!-- David -->
}}
}}

'''Harold Lane David''' (May 25, 1921&nbsp;– September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=343}}</ref> 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 [[Jew]]ish immigrants Lina (née Goldberg) and Gedalie David ({{ne}} Gedalie Dawid), who owned a delicatessen in New York. He is the younger brother of American lyricist and songwriter [[Mack David]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/78/Hal-David.html |title=Hal David Biography (1921-) |website=Filmreference.com |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref><ref name=nytobit/> David attended [[Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn)|Thomas Jefferson High School]] in [[Brooklyn]] and studied Journalism at [[New York University]].

==Career==
David is credited with popular music lyrics, beginning in the 1940s with material written for bandleader [[Sammy Kaye]] and for [[Guy Lombardo]]. He worked with Morty Nevins of [[The Three Suns]] on four songs for the feature film ''[[Two Gals and a Guy]]'' (1951), starring [[Janis Paige]] and [[Robert Alda]]. They also wrote the classic Christmas song I Believe in Santa Claus which was recorded by [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)| The Stargazers ]] in 1950.

In 1956, David began working with composer Burt Bacharach at [[Famous Music]] in the [[Brill Building]] in New York. That year, the two published several songs, including "I Cry More" (featured in the motion picture ''[[Don't Knock the Rock]]''), "The Morning Mail", and "Peggy's In The Pantry". The next year, their song "[[The Story of My Life (Burt Bacharach and Hal David song)|The Story of My Life]]" became a country hit for singer [[Marty Robbins]]. 

In the UK, a version of "The Story of My Life" recorded by [[Michael Holliday]] reached No. 1 in 1958 before being replaced by [[Perry Como]]'s "[[Magic Moments]]", the first time any songwriter had consecutive #1 hits in the [[UK Singles Chart]]. 

Subsequently, in the 1960s and early 1970s Bacharach and David wrote some of the most enduring songs in American popular music, many for [[Dionne Warwick]] and also for [[The Carpenters|Carpenters]], [[Dusty Springfield]], [[B. J. Thomas]], [[Gene Pitney]], [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], [[Jackie DeShannon]] and others.<ref name="Larkin"/>

Bacharach and David hits included "[[Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)|Alfie]]", "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head]]", "[[This Guy's in Love with You]]", "[[I'll Never Fall in Love Again]]", "[[Do You Know the Way to San Jose]]", "[[Walk On By (song)|Walk On By]]", "[[What the World Needs Now Is Love]]", "[[I Say a Little Prayer]]", "[[(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me]]", "[[One Less Bell to Answer]]" and "[[Anyone Who Had a Heart (song)|Anyone Who Had a Heart]]".<ref name="Larkin"/>

The duo's film work includes the Oscar-nominated title songs for "[[What's New Pussycat? (song)|What's New Pussycat?]]" and "[[Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)|Alfie]]", "[[The Look of Love (1967 song)|The Look of Love]]", from ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]''; and the Oscar-winning "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head]]" from ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]''. In addition, the songs "[[Don't Make Me Over (song)|Don't Make Me Over]]", "[[(They Long to Be) Close to You]]" and "[[Walk On By (song)|Walk On By]]" have been inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]].

Bacharach and David also collaborated on three musicals. Their first work in this genre was the 1966 [[television musical]] ''[[On the Flip Side]],'' which was created as a starring vehicle for [[Ricky Nelson]] and [[Joanie Sommers]].<ref>{{cite book| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BUvTYfLP624C&dq=%22On+The+Flip+Side%22+%22Ricky+nelson%22&pg=PA286|chapter=On the Flip Side|page=286|title=Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936-2012, 2d Ed.|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn=9780786474448|author=Vincent Terrace|date=June 19, 2013 }}</ref> Their second musical, the Broadway musical ''[[Promises, Promises (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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1969 GRAMMY Winners {{!}} 12th Annual GRAMMY Awards |date=1970-03-11 |publisher=[[The Recording Academy]] |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/12th-annual-grammy-awards |access-date=2023-06-01}}</ref>

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 (1973 film)|Lost Horizon]]'' was a critical and commercial disappointment.<ref>Bacharach, Burt (2012) ''Anyone Who Had A Heart'', HarperCollins {{ISBN|978-0857898012}}, p. 156</ref> Increasing tensions between the two with regard to the work led to an exchange of lawsuits, destroying their professional relationship.<ref>Dominic, Serene (2003) ''Burt Bacharach: Song by Song'', Music Sales Group, pp.242-3</ref> 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.”<ref>{{cite news |title=Life of a Song: "Alfie" |work=Financial Times |url=https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/alfie.html |access-date=3 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Burt Bacharach’s top 5 songs — in his own words |website=Goldmine |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/features/burt-bacharach-top-5-songs-in-his-own-words/ |date=2023 |access-date=3 October 2025}}</ref>

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]].<ref name="Larkin"/> He also wrote [[Sarah Vaughan]]'s "[[Broken Hearted Melody]]", with [[Sherman Edwards]]; the 1962 [[Joanie Sommers]] hit "[[Johnny Get Angry]]" also with Edwards; and "[[99 Miles From L.A.]]" with [[Albert Hammond]], recorded by Hammond and later [[Art Garfunkel]]. With [[Paul Hampton]], David co-wrote the country standard "[[Sea of Heartbreak]]", a hit for [[Don Gibson]] and others, and, with Archie Jordan, the top 20 Ronnie Milsap hit, "[[It Was Almost Like a Song]]".

David contributed lyrics to three [[James Bond film]] themes—in addition to "The Look of Love" from ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967) with Bacharach, he wrote "[[We Have All the Time in the World]]", with [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] and sung by [[Louis Armstrong]] for the 1969 film ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'', and in 1979, "[[Moonraker (soundtrack)|Moonraker]]", also with Barry, sung by Bond regular [[Shirley Bassey]] for the [[Moonraker (film)|film of the same name]].

David and Bacharach were awarded the 2011 [[Gershwin Prize]] for Popular Song, bestowed by the [[Library of Congress]], the first time a songwriting team was given the honor. David was recuperating from an illness and was unable to attend the Washington D.C. presentation ceremony in May 2012.<ref name="GrshnPrz">{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/05/hal-david-burt-bacharach-gershwin-prize-library-of-congress.html |title=Hal David, Burt Bacharach honored in D.C. with Gershwin Prize |date=May 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

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]], [[Ashford & Simpson|Valerie Simpson]], [[Barbra Streisand]], [[Cher]], [[Dusty Springfield]], [[B. J. Thomas|B.J. Thomas]], and [[Glen Campbell]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=HAL DAVID MOVIE|url=https://www.haldavidmovie.com/|access-date=August 25, 2020|website=HAL DAVID MOVIE|language=en}}</ref>

==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.<ref name=nytobit/> David lived for many years in [[East Hills, New York]], in the historic [[Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage]] of the [[Harbor Hill]] estate.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.roslynlandmarks.org/profiles/mackay-estate-dairymans-cottage | title=Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage &#124; Profiles &#124; Roslyn Landmark Society }}</ref>

On September 1, 2012, David died from a stroke at [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles, at the age of 91.<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news|last=Hoerburger|first=Rob|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/arts/music/hal-david-oscar-and-grammy-winning-songwriter-is-dead-at-91.html|title=Hal David, Songwriter, Is Dead at 91|access-date=September 1, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/iconic-songwriter-hal-david-dies-at-91-in-los-angeles/|title=Iconic songwriter Hal David dies at 91 in Los Angeles|work=[[Fox News]]|access-date=September 22, 2014}}</ref> 

He is interred in the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] beside his first wife, Anne, who died in 1987.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

==Awards and nominations==
===[[Academy Awards]]===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[38th Academy Awards|1965]]
| rowspan="4"| [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| "[[What's New Pussycat? (song)|What's New Pussycat?]]" {{small|(from ''[[What's New Pussycat]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with [[Burt Bacharach]])}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1966 |title=The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 24, 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[39th Academy Awards|1966]]
| "[[Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)|Alfie]]" {{small|(from ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1967 |title=The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners |access-date=September 4, 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[40th Academy Awards|1967]]
| "[[The Look of Love (1967 song)|The Look of Love]]" {{small|(from ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1968 |title=The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners |access-date=November 10, 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[42nd Academy Awards|1969]]
| "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head]]" {{small|(from ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1970 |title=The 42nd Academy Awards (1970) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 26, 2011|work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|}

===[[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> {{small|(shared with [[Albert Hammond]])}}
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.acmcountry.com/winners?awardTitle=To+All+the+Girls+I%27ve+Loved+Before&awardCategory=&awardYear=1984&actionButton=Submit |title=Academy of Country Music – Search Winners |website=[[Academy of Country Music Awards]] |access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| Song of the Year
| {{nom}}
|}

===[[Country Music Association Awards]]===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 1977
| rowspan="3"| [[Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| rowspan="2"| "[[It Was Almost Like a Song]]" <br> {{small|(shared with Archie Jordan)}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cmaawards.com/past-winners-and-nominees/?appSession=3YX1VS6362GF663UUD715C74IPV5159D435OEF8W169NSP2WNT3A1K2TJ9SAU36FWJ94L8168XWVM183O3H5E7C9S4Q87FN6JN23E7G12GE6IIN8KAX056H8J74A4LM1 |title=CMA Awards Past Winners & Nominees |website=[[Country Music Association Awards]] |access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1978 Country Music Association Awards|1978]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[1984 Country Music Association Awards|1984]]
| "[[To All the Girls I've Loved Before]]" <br> {{small|(shared with [[Albert Hammond]])}}
| {{nom}}
|}

===[[Golden Globe Awards]]===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[24th Golden Globe Awards|1966]]
| rowspan="4"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| "[[Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)|Alfie]]" {{small|(from ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with [[Burt Bacharach]])}}
| {{nom}} 
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/hal-david |title=Hal David – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[27th Golden Globe Awards|1969]]
| "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head]]" {{small|(from ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[29th Golden Globe Awards|1971]]
| "[[Long Ago Tomorrow]]" {{small|(from ''[[The Raging Moon]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[31st Golden Globe Awards|1973]]
| "[[Send a Little Love My Way]]" {{small|(from ''[[Oklahoma Crude (film)|Oklahoma Crude]]'')}} <br> {{small|(shared with [[Henry Mancini]])}}
| {{nom}}
|}

===[[Grammy Awards]]===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[6th Annual Grammy Awards|1964]]
| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| "[[Wives and Lovers]]" <br> {{small|(shared with [[Burt Bacharach]])}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="7"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/hal-david/1908 |title=Hal David |website=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[10th Annual Grammy Awards|1968]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Theme]]
| "Casino Royale" <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[12th Annual Grammy Awards|1970]]
| rowspan="2"| Song of the Year
| "[[I'll Never Fall in Love Again]]" <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head]]" <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Contemporary Song]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album|Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album]]
| ''[[Promises, Promises (musical)|Promises, Promises]]'' <br> {{small|(shared with Burt Bacharach, [[Henry Jerome]], and [[Phil Ramone]])}}
| {{won}}
|-
| [[20th Annual Grammy Awards|1978]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Country Song|Best Country Song]]
| "[[It Was Almost Like a Song]]" <br> {{small|(shared with Archie Jordan)}}
| {{nom}} 
|}

===[[Tony Awards]]===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[23rd Tony Awards|1969]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]
| ''[[Promises, Promises (musical)|Promises, Promises]]'' <br> {{small|(shared with [[Neil Simon]], [[Burt Bacharach]], and [[David Merrick]])}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1969/category/musical/show/any/ |title=1969 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref>
|}

===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)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/trustee-awards |title=Trustees Grammy Award |website=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref>
* 2000: received an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree from [[Claremont Graduate University]]
* 2009: Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref>
* 2011: The Songwriters Hall of Fame presented him their newest award, the Visionary Leadership Award, for his decades of service<ref>{{Citation|title=Songwriters Hall of Fame presents first ever Visionary Leadership Award to Chairman Emeritus Hal David|url=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90049024|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523102713/http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90049024|archive-date=May 23, 2011}}</ref>
* 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 (musical)|Promises, Promises]]'' (1968)&nbsp;– [[Musical theater|musical]]&nbsp;– lyricist&nbsp;
*''André DeShields' Haarlem Nocturne'' (1984)&nbsp;– [[revue]]&nbsp;– featured songwriter
*''[[The Look of Love (musical)|The Look of Love]]'' (2003)&nbsp;– [[revue]]&nbsp;– lyricist

==See also==
*[[List of songwriter tandems]]
*[[List of songs written by Burt Bacharach]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{imdb name|id=0202911|name=Hal David}}
* {{Shof|id=7|name=Hal David}}
* [http://www.haldavid.com/ Official Hal David website]
*{{Find a Grave|96357457}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Hal David
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1961–1970}}
{{Gershwin Prize}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Hal}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:APRA Award winners]]
[[Category:ASCAP composers and authors]]
[[Category:American lyricists]]
[[Category:American musical theatre lyricists]]
[[Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters]]
[[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:Burt Bacharach]]
[[Category:Gershwin Prize recipients]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Musicians from New York City]]
[[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]]