Jackie DeShannon What The World Needs Now Is Love Live 1965

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Jackie DeShannon's version of the song was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2023. "What the World Needs Now Is Love" lyrics were written by Hal David and the music was composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, the Imperial Records single was released on April 15, 1965. The popular song peaked at number seven on the US Hot 100 in July 1965. In Canada, the song reached number one. 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 on 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.

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 singer Dionne Warwick, who turned it down at the time, saying she felt it was "too country" for her tastes and "too preachy" though she later recorded it for her album Here Where There Is Love. Bacharach initially did not believe in the song and was reluctant to play it for DeShannon. 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. Bacharach arranged, conducted, and produced the session. Source: Wikipedia