Burt Bacharach

I've been trying to figure out what my favorite Burt Bacharach song is since the news of his death at age 94. 

Futile, I know. At first I thought it might be "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," and that's definitely high up on my list. Before I knew who Bacharach (or Hal David) was, I was a fan of their songs because I knew them through Dionne Warwick. I don't think there was a bad song of theirs by Warwick among the ones that I heard on the radio when I was a kid.

But then I realized that Bacharach also wrote the sound track to the 1960s version of Casino Royale, and also the song "Casino Royale," recorded by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. That's one of my all-time favorite songs. Plus it has no lyrics, so it's wholly Bacharach's song. 

So I guess that puts it at the top of the list, if such a thing is possible.

Ah, Casino Royale.