What the World Needs Now Is Love

Co-songwriter Burt Bacharach revealed in his 2014 autobiography that this song had among the most difficult lyrics Hal David ever wrote, despite being deceptively simple as a pop hit. He explained that they had the main melody and chorus written back in 1962, centering around a waltz tempo, but it took another two years for David to finally come up with the lyric, "Lord, we don't need another mountain." Once David worked out the verses, Bacharach said the song essentially "wrote itself" and they finished it in a day or two.[2]

The song's success caught the two songwriters completely by surprise, since they were very aware of the controversy and disagreements among Americans about the Vietnam War, which was the subtext for David's lyrics. Bacharach has continuously used the song as the intro and finale for most of his live concert appearances well into the 2000s.

The song was originally offered to Dionne Warwick, who turned it down at the time, saying she felt it was "too country" for her tastes and "too preachy"[3] though she later recorded it for her album Here Where There Is Love. (Warwick also recorded a second version in 1996, which scraped the lower reaches of the US Hot 100.) Bacharach initially did not believe in the song, and was reluctant to play it for DeShannon.[4] The song was also rejected by Gene Pitney, reportedly over a financial dispute. DeShannon's version was recorded on March 23, 1965, at New York's Bell Sound studios.[5] Bacharach arranged, conducted and produced the session.

"What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John"
Single by Tom Clay
from the album What the World Needs Now Is Love
B-side	"The Victors"
Released	July 1971
Recorded	Early 1971
Genre	Pop, spoken word
Length	6:10
Label	Motown (MoWest MW5002F)
Songwriter(s)	Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Producer(s)	Tom Clay
Tom Clay singles chronology
"What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" (1971) "Whatever Happened to Love" (1971)

In addition to the DeShannon hit recording and the numerous cover versions, "What the World Needs Now is Love" served as the basis for a distinctive 1971 remix. Disc jockey Tom Clay was working at radio station KGBS in Los Angeles, California, when he created the single "What the World Needs Now is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" (combining with the top 5 hit, in 1968, by Dion), a social commentary that became a surprise hit record that summer.[6] The song begins with a man asking a young girl to define such words as bigotry, segregation, and hatred (to which the girl says she doesn't know); she says that prejudice is "when someone's sick". Following that is a soundbite of a drill sergeant leading a platoon into training, along with gunfire sound effects, after which are snippets of the two songs – both as recorded by the Blackberries, a session recording group.[7] Interspersed are excerpts of speeches by John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, the eulogy given (by Ted Kennedy) after Robert's assassination, and Martin Luther King Jr., and soundbites of news coverage of each assassination. The ending of the song is a reprise of the introduction.

"What the World Needs Now is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1971, and was Clay's only Top 40 hit.[8]Popular Youtube Version

"What the World Needs Now is Love" has been used in many film soundtracks, notably Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and For the Love of Fred (used as the film's closing theme song in both), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, My Best Friend's Wedding, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, The Boss Baby, Hot Shots!, Happy Gilmore, and Forrest Gump. In the Danish zodiac porn comedy I Jomfruens tegn (1973), an extended version is used for the hardcore underwater orgy that ends the film.[20]

• Two versions of the song, one performed by Burt Bacharach himself, were played near the end of the film Austin Powers in Goldmember.
• In 2017, the song was recorded by Missi Hale for the film The Boss Baby.
• In the Netflix original series Green Eggs and Ham, the song is played in the first season finale during a presentation at the SnerzDay gala. The video is about the employees "no longer with [them]." However, it's a video memorializing the employees' firings.
• Dionne Warwick sang "What the World Needs Now is Love" during part one of the season three finale of the US version of The Masked Singer (Warwick had competed in the same season as the Mouse). She performed with the finalists Night Angel, Frog and Turtle, as a tribute to the healthcare workers working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the performance there was cameos from judges Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy and Ken Jeong; fellow season three competitors Bret Michaels, Hunter Hayes, Tom Bergeron, Jackie Evancho, Sarah Palin, Barry Zito, Tony Hawk, Jordyn Woods and JoJo Siwa; and Masked Singer alumni Gladys Knight, Tori Spelling, Joey Fatone, Margaret Cho, Tommy Chong, Adrienne Bailon, Dr. Drew, Laila Ali, Sherri Shepard, Victor Oladipo, and Paul Shaffer, all sharing handmade signs and thank you messages to the healthcare workers during the performance.
• In Boots' 2020 Christmas ad, The song was sung by Rachel Chinouriri.

The Broadway Stars singing "What the World Needs Now is Love" during the Democratic National Convention in 2016

Cilla Black recorded a version of the song for her 1967 hit album Sher-oo!. Black's version was arranged by Mike Vickers, and showcased her powerful vocal styling that readily lent itself to solid interpretations of Burt Bacharach & Hal David songs. For Bacharach's part, he said "… there weren't too many white singers around, who could convey the emotion that I felt in many of the songs I wrote but that changed with people like Cilla Black".[21]

British legend Petula Clark recorded a version live at the Royal Albert Hall on February 14, 1974 with a musical arrangement by Peter Knight. It was released by Polydor later that year on her Live in London album.

Luther Vandross recorded a version of the song in his 1994 album "Songs", which include remakes of songs recorded in the 1960s and 1970s.

Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann recorded a version of the song on a compilation album called Sweetheart: Love Songs (2004). The CD is part of a series of albums put out by the coffee chain Starbucks.

In the wake of the June 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, a group of performers under the name "Broadway For Orlando" recorded a charity single to raise money for the LGBT Center of Central Florida. Participants included Sarah Jessica Parker, Carole King, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane and Kate Shindle.[22]

The Supremes recorded a cover of the song, on their 1968 album Reflections.

Bill Frisell included the song in his 2020 album Valentine.[23]

• Platts, Robin (2003) Burt Bacharach & Hal David: What the World Needs Now, Collector's Guide Publishing, ISBN 1-896522-77-7

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• Hal David Recollections. Accessed June 2007.
• Songfacts Accessed July 2008
• Jackie de Shannon Discography, Accessed July 2008
• Jackie DeShannon - What the World Needs Now Is Love on YouTube
• Tom Clay - What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John (medley) on YouTube
• Dionne Warwick - What the World Needs Now (Is Love) on YouTube