Walk on By

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For other uses, see Walk on By (disambiguation).
“Walk on By”
“Walk on By” cover
"Walk on By" became Warwick's second international million-seller in April 1964
Single by Dionne Warwick
from the album Make Way for Dionne Warwick
A-side Walk on By
B-side Any Old Time of Day (Bacharach & David)
Released April 26, 1964
Format 7" single
Recorded 1964 at Bell Sound Studios, November 1963, Ed Smith Engineer
Genre Soul, pop
Length 2:55
Label Scepter
Writer(s) Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Producer Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Dionne Warwick singles chronology
"Anyone Who Had a Heart"
(1963)		 "Walk on By"
(1964)		 "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)"
(1964)

"Walk on By" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David for Dionne Warwick. It was recorded at the same December 1963 session that yielded "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which, in 1964, became Warwick's second Top Ten hit. Released in April of that year, "Walk on By" became a landmark single, reaching #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached the top 10 in a brief run on Billboard's easy listening survey, and was a Number One hit on Cashbox's R and B chart (Billboard did not print rhythm and blues charts during 1964, the year of the song's peak performance.)

Like many of Warwick's 1960s Bacharach-composed singles, "Walk on By" was heavily covered in different ways, some of which gained significant chart success. One notable version was by funk/soul musician Isaac Hayes, whose 1969 cover on his groundbreaking album Hot Buttered Soul was transformed into a twelve-and-a-half minute funk vamp, breaking ground for singers to release songs surpassing five minutes. In 1978, The Stranglers recorded a gritty punk-inspired version that hit #21 on the UK charts. In 1982, funk singer D-Train recorded a US-only R&B hit with the song mixing up Warwick and Hayes' versions. In 1990, singer Sybil, who had scored her biggest hit a year prior with a cover of Warwick's "Don't Make Me Over", also scored a US R&B hit with this song.

Warwick also recorded a German version of the song, entitled "Geh Vorbei".[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Other versions

Hundreds of artists have recorded and performed "Walk on By" on stage, including The Jackson 5 (often as part of a meledy with The Love You Save) Aretha Franklin (1964), The Undisputed Truth, Bobby Kris & The Imperials, Mel Tormé, The Lettermen (on their 1964 album She Cried), The Four Seasons (1965), Stan Getz (1966), The Stranglers (1978), George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Johnny Mathis, Cliff Richard (for live album Cliff "Live" in Japan '72 with Olivia Newton-John), Gloria Gaynor (1975 album Experience Gloria Gaynor), Melissa Manchester, The Beach Boys, Sybil Lynch (1990), Seal, Average White Band, Melanie Thornton, Gabrielle (1997), The Carpenters, Kelly Clarkson and Kiki Dee, Jazz Jamaica (on Massive, 2004), The Scorchers (on "Stuntin'"), The Capprells and The Sul Brothers Band (one act).

Isaac Hayes' version of "Walk on By" was sampled and revisited many times, by artists such as Comptons Most Wanted (1991), Notorious B.I.G. (1994), Slick Rick Mona Lisa (1995), Hooverphonic (1997), MF Doom (1999), The Wu Tang Clan (2000), Pete Rock (2001), Ludacris (2004).

In 2003, Alicia Keys recorded a medley of Hayes' version of "Walk on By" and Gladys Knight & the Pips' 1970 song "If I Were Your Woman" for her second album The Diary of Alicia Keys, entitled "If I Was Your Woman/Walk on By".

The Undisputed Truth version of "Walk on By" was sampled by J Dilla on his 2006 album Donuts.

Joss Stone's song "Just Walk on By", from the 2007 compilation album Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1, contains a sample from "Walk on By".

Warwick's version remains the most well-known, however, and in 1998 the song was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame. The RIAA chose it as one of the Songs of the Century. In 2004, it was ranked #70 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Youngs recorded a version of "Walk on By" appearing on their self titled album released on Mimicry Records in 2004.

“Walk on By”
“Walk on By” cover
Single by Gabrielle
from the album Gabrielle
Released August 10 1997
Format CD Single
Recorded 1995
Genre Pop, R&B, soul
Length 3:21
Label Go Beat, Universal Records
Writer(s) Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Gabrielle singles chronology
"If You Ever"
(1996)		 "Walk on By"
(1997)		 "Sunshine"
(1999)

[edit] Gabrielle version

In 1997, UK singer Gabrielle released her version of "Walk on By" as the fifth and final single from her second self-titled album. It reached #7 in the UK.

[edit] Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 7
Dutch Singles Chart 96

[edit] Track listings

CD:

  1. "Walk on By"
  2. "Walk on By" (45% Novocaine remix)
  3. "Walk on By" (live from TFI Friday)
  4. "Something to Talk About"
“Walk on By”
“Walk on By” cover
single by Cyndi Lauper
Album At Last
Released 2003
Recorded 2003
Genre Pop
Label Sony Records
Writer Burt Bacharach, Hal David
At Last track listing
At Last
(1)		 “Walk on By” Stay
(3)


[edit] Official Dance Remixes (Cyndi Lauper version)

"Walk on By" was the first single off of Cyndi Lauper's 2003 cover album, At Last. It was also included on Lauper's 2004 DVD "Live At Last". It was released as a promo only. Remixes of the song reached #10 on the U.S. dance chart.

[edit] Track listings

CD:

  1. "Walk on By" (Eddie X club mix) 10:51
  2. "Walk on By" (Eddie X dub mix) 7:52
  3. "Walk on By" (live version) 3:26
  4. "Walk on By" (S.A.F. dub mix) 8:12
  5. "Walk on By" (S.A.F.'s Walk to the Dance Floor club mix) 8:10
  6. "Walk on By" (Tony Moran mix) 4:31
“Walk on By”
“Walk on By” cover
Single by Seal
from the album Best 1991-2004
Released January 5, 2005
Format CD single
Recorded 2005
Genre Soul, pop
Label Wea
Writer(s) Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Seal singles chronology
"Waiting For You"
(2004)		 "Walk on By"
(2005)		 "Killer 2005"
(2005)
v • d • e
Gabrielle
Studio albums
Singles