The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

I found this 1986 exchange between Bacharach and music journalist Michael Fremer interesting, regarding the 1982 Air Supply song "Even the Nights Are Better". I think what Fremer is getting at is the similarity between the Air Supply melody on the chorus of "Even the Nights" and Burt's melody on the verse sections of "Arthur's Theme". Maybe Burt was sanguine about the rip-off of "Arthur's Theme" because when writing "Arthur's Theme", he himself was borrowing the iconic chord progression from the "A" sections of Jerome Kern's "All The Things You Are" for his own song. (Though legally speaking, borrowing a chord progression is not usually considered plagiarism, while borrowing a melody is considered plagiarism.)

MF:One question I meant to ask you, if I ever had a chance to interview you is, there's a song by "The Little River Band" that's a complete lift from the "Arthur" theme.

BB: Oh. I know the record you're talking about, its not The Little River Band, it was a group on Arista...

MF: It was Air Supply. "Even the Nights Are Better."

BB: Oh yea, that was like really....we thought about suing, but ah....

MF: I mean it was a complete lift.

BB: Yea, it was a complete liftoff, yea.

MF: But you held back and didn't sue.

BB: Yes. We didn't sue.

MF: I was annoyed for you when that came out!

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/bu ... scinates-0

I can honestly say that I've never heard 'Arthur's Theme' compared to 'All The Things You Are' before, it's nearly always been 'Killing Me Softly With His Song' or occasionally the Cat Stevens number, 'Wild World'. But yes, it's a chord progression that's been used a lot in popular music and I'm not surprised that Bacharach decided not to sue the writers of ''Even The Nights Are Better' when 'Arthur's Theme' itself was so obviously derivative.

All those songs are basically doing the same thing harmonically, but the root movement of Arthur tracks most closely to All the Things You Are

Hello,

It's fascinating to discover these connections between different songs and chord progressions, isn't it? Popular music is full of these connections, which can sometimes be surprising. It reminds me of a discussion I had recently about the similarities between certain chords and the subtle effects they can have on our emotions. In fact, some pieces of music are even associated with workout sessions, as their rhythm and energy can help boost metabolism and promote fat burning - a kind of sonic fat burner!

A daily dose of vitamin BB always does the trick !

'blue'