Make It Easy On Yourself - Bacharach/David

The recent death of Burt Bacharach brought this lovely tune to mind and I wanted to post a chord chart of it. It is very interesting musically and worth some discussion.

"Make It Easy On Yourself" is a 1962 song by Bacharach with lyrics by Hal David. It was a hit that year by Jerry Butler and later a hit single by the Walker Brothers in Great Britain in 1965. The original demo recording was by Dionne Warwick, who had her own hit with it in 1970. In 1972, Johnny Mathis had a hit of his own with this song. I first heard the song as part of a medley of Bacharach tunes sung by Karen Carpenter in the 1971 album simply entitled "Carpenters." For more about the involvement of Carpenters and Bacharach see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm2eR64CTIw.

The song is in a standard ABAB form extended by an additional B section. The melody is based on a linear descending 5-note phrase that is repeated multiple times in both the A and B sections. In the A section, the first phrase begins on the third of the tonic, on the first beat, and takes up a whole measure. The phrase is repeated in the second measure but Bacharach did not do what most song writers did: repeat the phrase exactly. Rather he takes the pickup note to the phrase, which would ordinarily come on the "and" of the fourth beat of the preceding measure and instead places in on the first beat of the second measure. He then begins the 5-note descending line on the "and" of the second beat. This delay in the repeat of the phrase is something that a singer or instrumentalist might do on his own but in this song, the composer actually wrote it into the melody. The technique is known as back phrasing and creates an interesting rhythmic tension (for more, see: https://jazzacademyteacherstoolkit.com/back-phrasing). Back phrasing can be subtle, as in singing notes somewhat behind the beat, or as here, beginning a phrase well after it was expected.

In the fifth measure of the A section, the phrase is repeated again, this time on the fifth 0f the tonic. This phrase is repeated again, back phrased, to end the section. The B section begins on the tonic note above the fifth; this time the phrase is presented in an elongated version, twice. Thus, the phrase is presented, in one form or another, fourteen times in the song. The presentation of the phrases in the AB section pair, creates a rising arc that supports the lyrics; the lyric "Make it easy on yourself" occurs at the beginning of each B section on the highest note.

The harmony of the song is equally interesting. The first four measures of the A section alternate between the tonic and relative minor chords. The second four measures feature a rising countermelody (5, #5, 6, b7) reflected by the harmony I, I+, vi⁶, I7 (vi⁶ is not a minor 6 chord, it is a minor chord in its first inversion). This leads to the B section, which is in the subdominant tonality. However, unlike the typical song, the B section remains in this new key and cadences there. This includes the last B section, so this song is one of the rare songs that begin in one key and end in another (see more below). The B section harmony is a basic cycle-of-fifths variation: iii–vi–IV–V presented twice and then a standard cadence.

The lyrics by Hal David are poetic and poignant. Interesting is the phrase "Breaking up is so very hard to do." I would guess this is a nod to the Neil Sedaka hit "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in which the lyrics state "Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again." David's lyrics indicate a sad resignation that the relationship is over and the singer is letting his/her lover go on to someone else.

With all this discussion out of the way (I'll bet you are relieved), here is my chord chart for "Make It Easy On Yourself." I like it using the Pop-Rock style at 100 bpm. I find using the Jazz Organ, Soft Synth, Electric Bass, and Drums in the mixer provides a fine backup track for a soloist. Users may notice that my chords may be different from those in the sheet music. The most notable difference is in measure 4 of the A section where for some unknown reason, Bacharach specifies a major chord sonority instead of keeping the minor chord in measures 3 and 4. I neither like nor understand this use of the major chord sonority and so I left it out. I did include it as an alternate chord; if you want it, simply edit the chart and make the alteration as you see fit. Likewise, I included a possible alternate chord change in the last measure; it's the sort of change that Richard Carpenter might use in a final cadence.

Make It Easy On Youself - Burt Bacharach

"Make It Easy On Yourself" joins a small group of songs that establish themselves in one tonic yet eventually end in another. Here is a list of such songs that I know of:

• Laura
• Unforgettable
• I'll Remember Her
• Lovers in New York (theme from the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's")
• The theme from the television show "Mr. Lucky"
• Why Did I Choose You
• Make It Easy On Yourself

I'll bet there are others; if you know of one, please let me know!

I did not include songs that move between a major tonic and its relative minor, like "Autumn Leaves," "Blue Skies," "My Favorite Things," and "My Funny Valentine," or one that begins in a major key and ends on the same tonic note but in the minor mode, like "Autumn In New York." Nor did I include songs that don't establish a tonic key until well into the song, like the Bacharach/David song "Walk On By," which begins in one minor tonic, quickly moves to another minor tonic, and winds up in an unrelated major key.

Interesting features of the movie theme "Laura," are discussed in a 2015 blog posting by the saxophonist Peter Spitzer (see: http://peterspitzer.blogspot.com/201...-vs-sheet.html). It, and other posts by Spitzer are well worth checking out.

After all this, I hope you will find this chord chart useful and attractive.