Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Burt Bacharach

Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music Hardcover – May 7, 2013

by Burt Bacharach (Author)

355 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$14.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Leather Bound

"Please retry"

$225.00

—

$225.00

Hardcover, May 7, 2013

—

Paperback, Large Print

"Please retry"

$28.99

$23.58

$23.54

Kindle
$14.99 Read with Our Free App
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Hardcover
from $99.00

4 Collectible from $99.00
Paperback
$28.99

9 Used from $23.54 18 New from $23.58

In his memoir Anyone Who Had a Heart, Burt Bacharach, one of the greatest songwriters of all time, offers a frank and riveting account of his unparalleled life.

From his tumultuous marriages and the tragic suicide of his daughter, to his collaborations with Hal David, Carole Bayer Sager, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello, and others, Bacharach details his long-lasting success as well as the never-before-told stories behind the hits.

Candid and emotional, and with 16 pages of color photographs, Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music is Burt Bacharach in his own words—a powerful and personal look at the award-winning songwriter and composer.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper
Publication date

May 7, 2013
Dimensions

6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0062206060
ISBN-13

978-0062206060
See all details

Carole Bayer Sager
428
Paperback
50 offers from $4.24
Burt Bacharach
95
Paperback
1 offer from $28.99
Serene Dominic
26
Paperback
10 offers from $22.49
6
Paperback
18 offers from $19.48
Burt Bacharach
486
Audio CD
3 offers from $39.99
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach
Audio CD
1 offer from $19.98

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This chatty autobiography (it feels like it was transcribed from tapes) tracks the famed composer’s life and career from childhood to the present day. Major success didn’t come immediately to Bacharach; he spent much of his early career as a pianist for such entertainers as Steve Lawrence and Marlene Dietrich. It wasn’t until he was nearly 30 when one of his songs, written with lyricist Hal David, became a number-one hit in 1957. Although he partnered with various lyricists, it was his collaboration with David that produced some of his most popular work, including a lengthy association with Dionne Warwick. Film work followed: the score for Casino Royale (the 1967 spoof, not the 2006 version) and his hugely popular song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (lyrics by David, of course), for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The list of artists who recorded Bacharach’s songs is impressive—Johnny Mathis, Aretha Franklin, the Beatles, Cher, Herb Alpert, and many more—and, during the 1970s and ’80s, he transitioned from industry star to elder statesman, seeing his early hits remade and rerecorded, making cameo appearances in television shows and films (the Austin Powers movies being perhaps the most well known). Because he’s primarily a composer and not a performer, Bacharach might not be as familiar to readers as, say, singer-songwriters like Paul Anka, who has also recently published an autobiography, but his career has been equally impressive, and his contributions to popular music of the twentieth century have been inarguably significant. --David Pitt

Review

“This chatty autobiography…tracks the famed composer’s life and career from childhood to the present day.… [H]is contributions to popular music of the twentieth century have been inarguably significant.” -- Booklist

“A congenial overview of a life devoted to music.… Illuminating and gritty.” -- Kirkus Reviews

“Absorbing.” -- Rolling Stone

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; FIRST ED edition (May 7, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062206060
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062206060
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.14 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #273,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #213 in Popular Music (Books)
- #2,429 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #9,988 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
355 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Burt Bacharach

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Burt Bacharach is a classically trained pianist whose songs have been recorded by the most influential artists of the twentieth century. He has written more than seventy Top 40 hits and has received Grammy, Oscar, and Emmy awards for his work. The father of three children, he lives in Los Angeles.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

355 global ratings

5 star		60%
4 star		21%
3 star		11%
2 star		2%
1 star		6%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Lori Romano

A Flawed Man but Brilliant Composer.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

Most of this book is Burt tooting his own horn about all his accomplishments. But lets face it, the man has a lot to brag about. He is one of the greatest composers and arrangers of all time. A fascinating read for the most part. Burt has a very blunt way of writing. The way he comes out with stuff, so matter of fact. You can see why he needed Hal David to write lyrics! Burt and Angie had an autistic daughter. I think Burt has Asperger's traits as well based on what he wrote in the book. While an amazing and impressive song writer, he admits he wasn't the greatest husband or father for his autistic daughter. To cut him some slack, back in those days, no one even diagnosed his child correctly. Angie was an incredible mother to her daughter. Burt made big mistakes with her. Burt has to be applauded for giving his three ex wives a chance to express themselves about Burt throughout the book. I especially liked the parts where Burt talked about what all he put into songwriting and arranging. He is O.C.D and drove many a musician and singer nuts in the studio with his demands. But than, INCREDIBLE RECORDS (with the help of HAL DAVID) was usually the result of his anal ways. Burt talks about Dionne Warwick (his main singer) a lot in the book. He states she could be very jealous of his wives, other singers, and ended up suing Burt in the end. Burt's biggest mistake in business and friendship was insulting and hurting Hal David (who was an amazing lyricist, and a sweet man) to the point where the two men didn't talk for ten years. All due to Burt's ego. It took a long time but he realized the error of his ways. Particularly satisfying was reading about his song writing techniques. Burt was consumed by songwriting to the point that he would hear music in his head all night and could only get about 4 hours of sleep a night. Lots of writers might be thinking, "Nice problem to have" but that kind of thing takes a toll of a person. Burt's stories about touring the world with Marlene Dietrich (who was clearly madly in love with him based on Burt's stories) were a highlight in the book. Burt Bacharach = Musical Genius, not a singer, great piano player, a very human human being. What a life he led. A real page turner of a book.

25 people found this helpful

Helpful

J.C.

So much heart and soul

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

I have always admired Burt Bacharach's music and all of his contributions to the art of writing music. I immensely enjoyed his book and especially the parts where his wives and contemporaries express themselves in their own words. He is a consummate perfectionist and as he admits a control freak. His mother was the motivating force behind him to pursue music and he felt that she controlled him. But, he hankered down and lived and breathed music all of his life. Being an only child he immersed himself in the music that he came to love by some of the classic masters. I was surprised to learn that he went on worldwide tours with the great Marlene Dietrich. He married young, his first marriage that didn't last. He then married Angie Dickenson a movie star. She even helped him while he was obsessed with perfection on a score for a movie and some of his other works. The marriage was not working and Burt became involved with someone else. He planned to divorce Angie but discovered she was pregnant. He stayed with her. Nikki, their daughter was born extremely premature and had health problems. They both committed themselves to raising their daughter who went through many changes in her short life. There was never a real diagnosis for Nikki and gradually Burt was so overwhelmed with her and her problems that he took himself out of the equation for a time. His writing partner, Hal David wrote beautiful lyrics to Burt's music and was recorded with Dionne Warwick singing the memorable songs. I remember the song A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME and how it influenced my thinking as I grew up. As did many others that they collaborated on. The poignant music and lyrics are so much a part of Burt because he is super sensitive and has so much heart and soul. As you read on in the book you'll come to admire him for his great talent, his striving for excellence and his dedication to perfection. You'll discover that even though he married a movie star, a songwriter, Carol Bayer Sager and a ski instructor his one and only woman is his music that was and is his vast love.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

The Cats Mother

I STILL DONT KNOW BURT BACHARACH

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is heavy on facts but light on emotions .
I’m view of the heartbreaking melodies that Burt was able to create , along with Hal David’s equally heartbreaking words , I kind of expected a bit more “ heart” a bit more insight into what goes into the creation of those amazing chord sequences and seagues into the completely unexpected - I loved Carol Bayer-Sager in the 1970’s with “ You’re Moving Out Today” but had no idea she’d been married to Burt Bacharach , so , there were were surprises but I wanted detail on the way he and Hal David wrote .

Kindle Customer

What a strange style but brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

I have been a massive fan of Burt for over 50 years. This story gives a totally different view of his life.
Tragic in parts, anguish and turmoil.
The story of one of the greatest partnership writers of all time, plus other legendary musicians.
Thanks for the music Burt, Hal and the others.

Nigel J Chapman

A must read for musicians and songwriters

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 20, 2020

Verified Purchase

A brutally honest insight into an incredibly hectic life. It's a warts and all account of his professional and personal life, which were more often than not at odds with each other. For aspiring songwriters everywhere it's a great read, and charts his early struggles to establish himself, as well as his successes.
He takes much of the blame for his failed relationships, and doesn't spare the details. I found it completely engrossing and couldn't put it down.

Alastair Ballantyne

Inappropriate language

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

Well it was all well and good - but a bit inappropriate the use of the f word and describing women as "she had nice tits" etc was a bit shocking in 2019. I guess Burt is a gentleman of a pervious generation.

Olfat Esfandiari

Burt Bacharach

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

If you live his music and he has kept it on fir decades. Given great concerts. You will enjoy his book

See all reviews

Follow the Author

Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music Hardcover – May 7, 2013

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Review

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Burt Bacharach

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries