Remembering Burt Bacharach

+ Cupid's darker, more dangerous side US Edition - Today's top story: Burt Bacharach mastered the art of the perfect pop song – and that ain't easy [View in browser]( US Edition | 11 February 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( On two separate occasions while editing today’s lead story I had to pop onto a Google search and double-check a fact in the article. Did Burt Bacharach really write that song? Did Dr. Dre really collaborate with him on a track? That stands as testimony to my own spotty memory, but more importantly to the sheer range and depth of Bacharach’s back catalog. Following the songwriter’s death a couple of days ago, we tasked Gena R. Greher, a UMass Lowell music professor, to [explain what made so many of his songs endure](. Many of his tracks may indeed fall within the maligned “easy listening” genre, but “there is a harmonic and rhythmic complexity to his music that elevates it above the sweet, often saccharine arrangements that can typify easy listening,” Greher writes. “It is full of influences from jazz chord structures and progressions, as well as rhythms.” It is also perhaps why so many diverse artists were more than happy to collaborate with Bacharach, or produce their own versions of his songs. A playlist of some of the best of Bacharach accompanies the article. So give your ears a treat while your eyes peruse a selection of our recent articles. This week we also liked articles about about young sports bettors who are [seeking treatment](, the education of [gifted Black students]( and the replacement of carbon-heavy [jet fuel with more sustainable alternatives](. Also check out [our latest ebook]( examining the rise of sports gambling in the U.S. Matt Williams Senior Breaking News and International Editor A pop pioneer whose songs were performed by the great and good for decades. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images [Burt Bacharach mastered the art of the perfect pop song – and that ain’t easy]( Gena R. Greher, UMass Lowell Pop composer Burt Bacharach died on Feb. 8, 2023, at the age of 94. He left a legacy of classic songs beloved by generations. ‘Cupid and Psyche’ by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova. Bettmann via Getty Images [Don’t underestimate Cupid – he’s not the chubby cherub you associate with Valentine’s Day]( Debbie Felton, UMass Amherst Ancient Greece and Rome may have handed down the image of rosy-cheeked Cupids, but their myths about him explore the messier – sometimes scarier – sides of love. Clash of the tight ends? 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