"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" is a 1968 popular song written and composed for singer

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

wrote the lyrics. The song was Warwick's biggest international hit to that point, selling several million copies worldwide and winning Warwick her first

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. David's lyrics tell the story of a native of

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, who, having failed to break into the entertainment field in Los Angeles, is set to return to her hometown. The song was released on the 1968 RIAA Certified Gold album ''

Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls ''Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls'' is the title of Dionne Warwick's ninth album for the Scepter label. It was recorded during the summer and fall of 1967 and was released early the next year on March 23, 1968. It was recorded at A&R and ...

''. "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" was issued as the follow-up single to the double-sided hit "

(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" is a 1967 song by André and Dory Previn, composed for the film version of the Jacqueline Susann novel '' Valley of the Dolls'', and recorded by Dionne Warwick. Actress Barbara Parkins, who starred in the mo ...

"/ "

I Say a Little Prayer "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967. On the R&B Singles chart it peaked at numbe ...

" in April 1968. It became Warwick's third consecutive top ten song in the closing months of 1967 and into 1968, punctuating the most successful period of her recording career. The song peaked at No. 8 in the UK, Ireland, and Canada. It also charted highly in France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Lebanon, Japan, and many other countries throughout the world. The single was one of the most successful of Warwick's international hits, selling over 3,500,000 copies worldwide. The flip-side of the single, "Let Me Be Lonely", also penned by Bacharach/David, charted in the Billboard Hot 100 as well and became one of many double-sided hits for Warwick.

Production

Bacharach had composed the music for the song before David wrote its lyrics. David had a special interest in San Jose, having been stationed there while in the Navy. The track was the last Dionne Warwick single to be recorded at New York City's

Bell Sound Studios Bell Sound Studios was an independent recording studio in New York City from 1950 to 1976. At its height, the studio was the largest independent recording studio in the United States, and the site of recording sessions that produced seminal hits by ...

. It features a prominent use of bass drum, played by session musician Gary Chester. The engineer was Ed Smith, who devised the famous introduction to the tune by directly attaching a microphone to the head of Chester's bass drum. The electric bass was played by studio musician Lou Mauro. Warwick did not like "Do You Know the Way to San Jose", and she had to be convinced to record it. In a May 1983 interview with ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'', she said: "It's a dumb song and I didn't want to sing it. But it was a hit, just like er recent Top Ten hit'

Heartbreaker Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to: Film and television *''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle *'' The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff * ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American ...

' is. I'm happy these songs were successful, but that still doesn't change my opinion about them." Though she still does not like it, the song remains one of Warwick's most popular chart selections, and she still includes it in almost every concert she performs.https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09f3vxm

Awards

*In 1969, Warwick won her first

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

, for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose". She told '' Jet'' in May 2002; "that winning this award was the overall highlight of her career".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...

in the album '' Welcome to the Pleasuredome'' (1984) *

Sandi Griffiths Sandi Griffiths (born Sandi Jensen on August 1, 1946) is an American singer. She is best known as a performer on American television's ''The Lawrence Welk Show''. Early years A native of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California; she st ...

and

Sally Flynn Sally Flynn (born July 23, 1946 in Ontario, Oregon) is an American singer and musician (also known as Sally Hart) who was a featured performer on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' television program. A graduate of Brigham Young University (BYU), she a ...

aka Sandi and Sally Duet this song twice, once in 1968 and in 1969 on the

Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 t ...

References

External links

* {{authority control 1967 songs 1968 singles Dionne Warwick songs Celia Cruz songs Songs with lyrics by Hal David Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Scepter Records singles Songs about Los Angeles Songs about California Songs about cities in the United States Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance