“Walk On By” (Dionne Warwick/Isaac Hayes)

Today’s classic song of the day is a true classic from the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. “Walk On By” is the song and it was first a hit for Dionne Warwick and then later for Isaac Hayes—in a dramatically revamped version.

Burt and Hal wrote “Walk On By” in 1963 and promptly gave it to singer Dionne Warwick, perhaps the finest interpreter of their songs. Burt and Dionne went into Bell Sound Studios in New York City in late November and cut the track, which was released as a single by Scepter Records in April of 1964. The recording featured the cream of New York’s studio musicians, including Paul Griffin on piano, Artie Butler on organ, Bill Suyker and Allen Hanlon on guitar, Russ Savakus on bass, and the immortal Gary Chester on drums.

Here’s what Burt Bacharach remembers about the recording session, where they also laid down tracks for another Bacharach-David tune, “Anyone Who Had a Heart”:

“It was a great date. I walked out of that studio and we had done two tunes in a three-hour session, ‘Walk On By‘ and ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart.’ I felt very good leaving knowing that I had two monster hits on my hands. You never know for sure but you feel a great satisfaction.”

Ms. Warwick’s recording of “Walk On By” was an instant classic, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and #1 on the Cash Box Rhythm & Blues chart. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues recording (losing, inexplicably, to Nancy Wilson’s “How Glad I Am”) and, in 1998, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

I love the way that Burt fits his melody to the conversational patterns in Hal’s lyrics. The result is a somewhat twisty melodic line, accentuated by the background singers’ incessant pleas to “don’t stop”:

If you see me walking down the street
And I start to cry each time we meet
Walk on by, walk on by

Make believe
that you don’t see the tears
Just let me grieve
in private ’cause each time I see you
I break down and cry
And walk on by (don’t stop)
And walk on by (don’t stop)
And walk on by

“Walk On By” has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Aretha Franklin, Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Lettermen, the Four Seasons, the Miracles, Brenda and the Tabulations, Lou Johnson, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, the Four Freshmen, Johnny Mathis, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Cliff Richard, Gloria Gaynor, the Average White Band, Vanilla Fudge, the Stranglers, D-Train, Jo Jo Zep, Sybil, Gabrielle, Melissa Manchester, Charlie Pride, Laura Nyro, and Cyndi Lauper. My favorite cover, however, was done by soul legend Isaac Hayes. His version of “Walk On By” transformed the easygoing bossa nova rhythm of the original into a 12-minute funkified slow jam. That version, included on Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul album and released as a shorter (4:34) single in July of 1969, peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, a truly live version of “Walk On By” performed by Miss Dionne Warwick at the 27 Club in Knokke, Belgium, on New Years Eve 1964. The entire set is up on YouTube and it is captivating; click here to view it.