Singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach, best known for composing hits like “What’s New Pussycat?” and “What The World Needs Now Is Love” is coming to USC Friday at 3 p.m. for a free conversation with students. The event will be held in the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at the Darla Moore School of Business.
Assistant professor in sport and entertainment management Armen Shaomian will moderate as part of his SPTE 202 class, but due to Bacharach’s fame and legacy, it's open to all students. Part of the talk will be geared toward the class, but there will also be a Q&A and small performance at the end.
“I think they’re going to learn not just about the entertainment business but also how it’s changed, how it’s been and where it’s going,” Shaomian said.
The conversation and performance was facilitated by Bacharach’s connection to USC through his daughter, first-year public health student Raleigh Bacharach. He has performances set for North Carolina and offered to come speak at USC while he was in the area. Bacharach, 86, has enjoyed a long career, ranging from one of his first Billboard Top 40 hits “Magic Moments” in 1958 to “Love Power” in 1987. He has won six Grammies and written over 60 U.S. Top 40 hits. He has also done extensive movie work, winning three Academy Awards and setting the tone for the Bond films’ soundtracks by scoring the 1967 version of “Casino Royale.”
“I don’t think there’s a single student who has not heard his music — they just don’t realize it,” Shaomian said.