[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 24, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E945-E946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND HITS FOR HAL DAVID

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HOWARD COBLE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 2011

  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, music fans have been enjoying songs such as 
We've Only Just Begun, What the World Needs Now is Love, and Raindrops 
Keep Falling on My Head for decades. What people may not know is that 
behind the voices of those who sang the songs was the writing of Mr. 
Hal David. In honor of Hal's 90th birthday, the citizens of the Sixth 
District of North Carolina wish to join countless others in honoring 
his wonderful career.
  One of our country's greatest song writers, Hal was born the son of 
immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. During World War II, Hal served in 
the U.S. Army Entertainment Section in the Central Pacific with Carl 
Reiner and Werner Klemperer.
  Mr. David's career moved along with his first hit record, The Four 
Winds and the Seven Seas by Vic Damon, which was cowritten with Don 
Rodney. Hal David, however, would not become a one-hit wonder. Other 
early hits written by Hal David include Bell Bottom Blues for Teresa 
Brewer, cowritten by Leon Carr, Brokenhearted Melody for Sarah Vaughan 
and Johnny Get Angry for Joanie Sommers, both of which were cowritten 
by Sherman Edwards, as well as Sea of Heartbreak for Don Gibson, 
cowritten by Paul Hampton.
  As you can see, Hal always teamed with outstanding writing partners. 
In 1957, his career took another great turn when he began his now-
legendary collaboration with composer Burt Bacharach. The two worked 
together to produce the Marty Robbins hit The Story of My Life. This 
fruitful partnership between Hal David and Burt Bacharach produced hits 
for Perry Como, Jack Jones, Bobby Vinton, Gene Pitney, Dusty 
Springfield, Herb Alpert, the Carpenters, and perhaps the most-famous 
of all, Dionne Warwick. The duo of David and Bacharach's hit songs 
included Magic Moments, Wives and Lovers, Twenty-four Hours from Tulsa, 
Wishin' and Hopin,' What the World Needs Now is Love, We've Only Just 
Begun, and countless others.
  Several songs produced by this legendary twosome were nominated for 
Academy Awards including What's New Pussycat, Alfie and Raindrops Keep 
Fallin' on My Head. In 1969, Raindrops from Butch Cassidy and the 
Sundance Kid won the Oscar for Best Song.
  Hal's work with Burt Bacharach was not limited to recorded hits. The 
pair worked together to write the score for the 1968 hit Broadway show, 
Promises, Promises, which was successfully revived on Broadway in 2010. 
The original cast recording of that particular show won a Grammy Award.
  His collaborative work was not limited to Burt Bacharach. Hal David 
and Albert Hammond worked together on the 1984 worldwide

[[Page E946]]

hit To All the Girls I've Loved Before, which was recorded by Julio 
Iglesias and Willie Nelson.
  Hal David has not spent all of his time writing songs. Throughout his 
great career, Mr. David has served in several leadership roles in his 
industry. From 1980-1986, Hal served as President of the American 
Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), focusing on 
legislative issues facing music creators. During his tenure as 
President, Hal oversaw the expansion of ASCAP's presence in the area of 
country music. To this day, Hal continues to serve on ASCAP's Board of 
Directors.
  For a decade, 2000-2010, Mr. David served as Chairman and CEO of the 
Songwriters Hall of Fame. During this time the Songwriters Hall of Fame 
established an important digital presence with its Virtual Museum and, 
most recently, the launch of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery 
Museum in Los Angeles.
  The recipient of numerous awards throughout his career, Hal David has 
been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville 
Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has received the Recording Academy's 
Grammy Trustees Award and the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters 
Hall of Fame. Even the British Performing Rights Society honored the 
Brooklyn native with one of its most prestigious awards.
  On behalf of the citizens of the Sixth District of North Carolina, we 
wish Hal David much happiness on his 90th birthday and send our best 
wishes for 90 more years of health, happiness and hits.

                          ____________________