This Must Be The Place- “Do You Know The Way To San Jose”- Dionne Warwick. The combination of Burt Bacharach and Hal David writing songs covered by Dionne Warwick was money in the bank in the late 60’s. Of the hits they had together this is my favorite. The song went to #10 in 1968 and won Dionne Warwick her first Grammy- for Best Female Pop Performance. Burt Bacharach had written the music first then Hal David wrote the song about a woman who failed to make it in Los Angeles and was coming back to her San Jose. Hal David had been stationed in San Jose when he was in the Navy. How many times have you heard this story? Dionne Warwick didn’t like the song and had to be convinced to record it. She said in the 1980’s”It’s a dumb song and I didn’t want to sing it. But it was a hit. I’m happy these songs were successful, but that still doesn’t change my opinion about them.” I think she is wrong- it’s a great song.
slicethelife 
George Jones said the same thing about “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
I have a book – I will have to dig out- something like the 500 greatest country songs ever- that song is #1 if I recall correctly.
I know! You never do country here! “Not that anything’s wrong with that…”
I think I have featured some country — and I have a few country songs in mind for this feature. Classic country. I also did a few country songs on the Songs of Summer.
“I was borned a coal miners daughter…”
My grandmother wasn’t quite as country as Loretty, but she always said, “I was borned in Humboldt, TennAHsee.”
That is surely a word in the country folks dictionary.
One of my songs for today is a Burt Bacharach/Hal David, Dionne Warwick-sung song. How cool is that?
Dionne Warwick should have done only- Bacharach-David tunes… great minds think alike right!
🙂
I grew up in San Jose, and though I loved Dionne Warwick, I thought it was a sappy song at the time. Ironically, San Jose eventually became a great big freeway just like L.A.
Never been to San Jose…did you like it there?
I really liked it growing up. I went to college at San Jose State University, and lived in Santa Clara & San Jose until the age of 26, at which point I moved to L.A. to attend grad school at UCLA.
San Jose is one of those places I have heard very little about- being back east. I’ve been to SF/Oakland/ LA and SD–but San Jose seemed like a backwater- a backwater with over a million people now!