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 specifically for Dionne Warwick.
The 1968 international hit version by Warwick -- featured as the follow-up to the title tune 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 versions by Connie Francis, The George Shearing Quintet, The Avalanches, The Baja Marimba Band, The Temptations & The Supremes together, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Starlite Orchestra, De Phazz, The Carpenters, the Ian Levine-produced group Croisette, 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 performs.
From 1987 to 1995, then-ABC affiliate KNTV in San Jose, California, had its news theme based on Do You Know the Way to San José.
In 2000, e-Bay did a cover of the song for their commercial, titling it "Do You Know the Way To Use e-Bay". 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.
The song was used in an advertising campaign for Guinness Irish Draught in Ireland and the UK and for the Chrysler-Dodge Corporation advertising the Dodge Charger and Challenger in 1968 and 1969.
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