Do You Know the Way to San Jose
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2009) |
| "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Let Me Be Lonely" |
"Do You Know the Way to San José" is a popular song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which was written specifically for Dionne Warwick. The 1968 international hit version by Warwick was featured as the follow-up to the title tune on her album Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls and reached #10 on the U.S. pop chart and #8 on the UK pop chart. The song earned Warwick a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Female.
Warwick has maintained in interviews that she did not want to record the song, but was heartily encouraged by the songwriters.[1] The lyrics of "San Jose" tell the story of a woman who moves to Los Angeles to pursue fame and fortune, but plans to move back to San Jose, where she was born and raised.
The song has been covered many times, including versions by Connie Francis, The George Shearing Quintet, The Avalanches, The Baja Marimba Band, The Temptations and The Supremes together, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Starlite Orchestra, De Phazz, The Carpenters, the Ian Levine-produced group Croisette, and Stunt Monkey, a local San José punk band. Warwick herself recorded a new salsa version of the song in 1998 along with Celia Cruz and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra for her album Dionne Sings Dionne. The song remains one of Warwick's most popular numbers, and is included in almost every concert she performs.
From 1987 to 1995, then-ABC affiliate KNTV in San Jose, California, had its news theme based on Do You Know the Way to San José.
In 2000, e-Bay, which coincidentally holds its headquarters in San Jose, CA, did a cover of the song for their commercial, titling it "Do You Know the Way To Use e-Bay". In 2006 Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis covered the song on her album "The Look of Love" with The Metropole Orchestra, as a tribute to Burt Bacharach. Bacharach himself produced the album.
The song was used in an advertising campaign for Guinness Irish Draught in Ireland and the UK and for the Chrysler-Dodge Corporation advertising the Dodge Charger and Challenger in 1968 and 1969.
The song is also played in the central area of Disney's California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California as part of their loop of songs about California.
Charts
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening[1] | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles[1] | 23 |
| UK Singles Chart[3] | 8 |
References
- ^ a b c Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 269.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 669.
- ^ UK Singles Chart info Chartstats.com. Retrieved 1 August 2009.