Today’s classic song of the day is one of my favorite songs from this particular group, “One Less Bell to Answer” by the 5th Dimension. The single was released in April of 1970 and it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
You want to know how to create a hit song? Start with songwriting royalty, in this case the legendary team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Add a top-notch producer in the form of Bones Howe, along with stellar arrangers (Bob Alcivar for vocals and Bill Holman for instruments). Then contract with the best session musicians available from L..A.’s famed Wrecking Crew, including Larry Knechtel (keyboards), Tommy Tedesco (guitar), Joe Osborn (bass), and Hal Blaine (drums). Book time in one of the West Coast’s top studios (Wally Heider Studio), then top it all with the hottest vocal group around, the 5th Dimension. You do all that, you not only get a big hit, you get a true classic.
“One Less Bell to Answer” apparently sprang to life early in 1965 when Burt Bacharach and his soon-to-be wife Angie Dickinson were hosting a dinner party in London, where he and Hal David were working on the score for the movie What’s New Pussycat? Before the party, Angie told Hal, “When you arrive, don’t ring the bell, just come in. It’ll make one less bell for me to answer.” Hal recognized a great line when he heard it and wrote the rest of the lyrics from there.
The 5th Dimension weren’t the first to record this song. Jazz singer Keely Smith released her version of “One Less Bell to Answer” in 1967. It’s not bad but doesn’t quite have the magic of the 5th Dimension version, despite a very similar arrangement.
Unlike many 5th Dimension songs, this one is pretty much a solo feature for vocalist Marilyn McCoo. She really brings it on this one; just listen to her on the bridge, singing “I end each day the way I start out, crying my heart out.” It’s a terrific song with a terrific performance, one of the group’s best and also one of the best from Bacharach and David. It really doesn’t get much better than this.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, a clip from the February 23, 1970, episode of Robert Wagner’s TV show, It Takes a Thief, showcasing the 5th Dimension “in the studio.” You get to see the group singing “One Less Bell to Answer,” along with real-life producer Bones Howe and engineer Marc Gordon behind the mixing board. Yeah, this is all fake for TV (including Marilyn playing left-handed guitar!), but it’s still something to see and still a great song.
