Walk On By (Burt Bacharach and Hal David song)

"Walk On By" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David. The song was originally recorded by, and a hit for, Dionne Warwick. It has subsequently been covered many times, and has been a hit for several other artists as well, including Gloria Gaynor, Alan Price, Isaac Hayes, Average White Band, The Stranglers, D-Train, Jo Jo Zep, Sybil, Gabrielle, Cyndi Lauper, Alicia Keys and Seal.

Charting versions

"Walk On By" has charted numerous times in various countries, with wildly different arrangements. The following entries discuss the chart versions of the song, in the order in which they appeared:

Dionne Warwick version (1964)

The original version of "Walk On By" 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 number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number one hit Cashbox's R&B chart.^[1] (Billboard did not print rhythm and blues charts during 1964, the year of the song's peak performance.) The song also reached the top 10 in a brief run on Billboard's easy listening survey.

Warwick also recorded a German version of the song, entitled "Geh Vorbei".^[2]

Isaac Hayes version (1969)

Funk/soul musician Isaac Hayes 1969 cover on his groundbreaking album Hot Buttered Soul transformed the song into a twelve-and-a-half minute funk vamp. Edited for single release down to under 5 minutes, this single reached #30 on the US charts.

Stranglers version (1978)

In 1978, The Stranglers recorded a gritty punk-inspired version (with an extended organ solo) that hit #21 on the UK charts.

D-Train version (1982)

In 1982, funk duo D-Train recorded a UK and US R&B/dance hit with the song in a boogie/funk cover.

Jo Jo Zep version (1983)

In 1983, Australian act Jo Jo Zep covered the song in a slow, moody version that featured electronics and synthesizers. The track was a minor hit in Australia, peaking at #55, but was a major hit in New Zealand, hitting #6.

Sybil version (1990)

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 and UK hit with "Walk On By".

Gabrielle version (1997)

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.

Track listing

UK CD: (GODCD 159)

1. "Walk on By"
2. "Walk on By" (45% Novocaine remix)
3. "Walk on By" (live from TFI Friday)
4. "Something to Talk About"

Cyndi Lauper version (2003)

"Walk on By" was the first single from Cyndi Lauper's 2003 covers 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.

Track listing

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

Seal version (2005)

Seal released a version of "Walk On By" as a single in January, 2005. Though the song did not chart in his native UK, it made the lower reaches of the charts in several European countries, including #57 Austria, #49 Germany, and #46 Switzerland.

Other versions of note

• The Beach Boys covered the song in a studio outtake included on their 20/20 CD paired with Friends as bonus track from that period.
• A 1960s garage rock version was recorded by The Outcasts from Manhasset, New York^[3]
• Melissa Manchester covered the song on her Tribute album (1989)
• Alicia Keys recorded a hip hop version of the song on mutli-platinum album The Diary of Alicia Keys, (2003)
• Diana Krall recorded a jazzy version of the song on Quiet Nights, (2009)
• In 1994, British guitarist Peter White covered the song off his album Reflections.^[4][5]
• 3 years later, an instrumentalist named Bob Baldwin covered the song from the 1997 album Cool Breeze.^[6][7]
• Ronan Keating recorded the song for his album "When Ronan Met Burt" (2011)
• Kiki Dee recorded Walk On By in 1969 for Motown records during her work on the Great Expectations album, but the song was not released until 2005. It was then included on the retrospective album Kiki Dee - Love Makes The World Go Round: The Motown Collection (2005) This recording may be heard on youtube.com (Uploaded by LudaMalaMara on Jul 31, 2011) Link: KiKi Dee - Walk On By

References