“Walk on By,” written by Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Hal David, ended up as a sizeable early-career hit for vocalist and Bacharach favorite Dionne Warwick (1964). JazzIz.com reports that it was originally a B-Side for “Any Old Time of Day,” but prominent NYC DJ Murray “The K” felt that “Walk on By” was the superior song, and played it instead.
“His insistence paid off. ‘Walk On By’ became a hit and went on to become one of Warwick’s most famous songs. It has also been covered by many artists, including numerous jazz artists, earning it jazz standard status. For example, guitarist Gábor Szabó included his own instrumental cover version of the song on his debut album as leader, Gypsy ’66 (1965). Vocalist George Benson released a jazzier version of the track on his 1968 album Giblet Gravy. More recently, it was featured on pianist and vocalist Diana Krall’s album Quiet Nights (2009). Bacharach thought of his songs as ‘three-and-a-half minute movies, with peak moments and not just one intensity level the whole way through.’”
You could listen to this tune for decades and never realize that you’ve been walked through a modulation multiple times — yet also feel that there’s a certain something which propels the song’s motion forward with unusual force. After starting in A minor, there’s a shift part-way through the verse (0:15) to the closely-related key of D minor. In keeping with Bacharach’s polished style, the shift happens just as the title is mentioned for the first time. At 0:54, we move on to verse 2 and the cycle repeats. There are many brilliant live performances of Dionne Warwick performing this classic, but we chose this one for the sound quality.
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