Do You Know the Way to San José

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"Do You Know the Way to San José" is a popular song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which was written for their premier interpreter, Dionne Warwick.

The 1968 version by Warwick on her album Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls made it to #10 on the U.S. Chart and #8 on the UK Chart. The song earned Warwick a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

However, it was a hit and an award that almost didn't happen for Warwick. She has maintained in interviews that she didn't want to record the song, but was heartily encouraged by the songwriters. The lyrics of "San Jose" tell the story of a woman who moved to Los Angeles to pursue fame and fortune, but plans to move back to San Jose, where she was born and raised.

The song has been covered many times, including by The George Shearing Quintet, The Temptations & The Supremes together, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Starlite Orchestra, The Avalanches, De Phazz, the Carpenters, and Stunt Monkey, a local San José punk band. Recently, this song has been covered by a local San Jose rapper. Warwick herself recorded a new salsa version of the song in 1998 along with Celia Cruz and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra for her album Dionne Sings Dionne. The song remains one of Warwick's most popular numbers, being included in almost every concert she does.

In 2006 Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis covered the song on her album "The Look of Love" with The Metropole Orchestra, as a tribute to Burt Bacharach. Bacharach himself produced the album.