Do You Know the Way to San Jose

"Do You Know the Way to San Jose"
"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" became an international million-seller in 1968
Single by Dionne Warwick
from the album Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls
B-side	"Let Me Be Lonely"
Released	April 1968
Format	7" single
Recorded	1967 at Bell Sound Studios, Ed Smith Engineer
Genre	Soul, pop
Length	2:58
Label	Scepter SCE-12216
Writer(s)	Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Producer	Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Dionne Warwick singles chronology
"(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" (1968) #2 "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" (1968) #10 "Who Is Gonna Love Me" (1968) #33

"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" is a popular song written for Dionne Warwick by Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics). Introduced on the 1968 RIAA Certified Gold album Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls, "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"/ "I Say a Little Prayer" in April 1968 and became Warwick's third consecutive Top Ten song, punctuating the most successful period of Warwick's recording career. 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. The tune became Warwick's biggest international hit peaking at #8 in the UK, Ireland, and Canada. The tune charted in France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and many other countries as well.

The track, featuring Gary Chester on bass drum, was the last Dionne Warwick single to be recorded at New York City's Bell Studios. The tune was engineered by Ed Smith who devised the famous introduction to the tune by directly attaching a mike to the head of Chester's bass drum.

Burt Bacharach wrote the music for the song before Hal David wrote its lyrics which give narrative voice to a native of the northern California city of San Jose who, having failed to break into the entertainment field in Los Angeles, is set to return to her hometown. David had an especial interest in San Jose having been stationed there while in the navy.^[1]

Dionne Warwick advised Jet in May 2002 that winning her first Grammy Award for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" – the Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Female – was the overall highlight of her career. Nevertheless the singer said of "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" in a May 1983 interview with Ebony: "It's a dumb song and I didn't want to sing it. But it was a hit, just like [her recent Top Ten hit] 'Heartbreaker' is. I'm happy these songs were successful, but that still doesn't change my opinion about them."

"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" has also been recorded 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 Jose punk band. Foreign language renderings of the song include "Snart Så Stiger Solen Upp Igen" by Siw Malmkvist and "La route du bonheur" by Liliane Saint-Pierre. Dionne 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 had its news theme based on Do You Know the Way to San Jose.

In 2000, eBay, which coincidentally has its headquarters in San Jose, CA, produced a version of the song for a commercial in which the lyrics were changed to 'Do you know the way to use eBay?' 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.

"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" 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 its loop of songs about California.

The title lyrics are also referred to in a line of "Santa Fe", a song from the Jonathan Larson musical Rent. The place name is changed in the lyrics from San Jose to Santa Fe, to accommodate the rest of the song. It was referenced in the 1997 film, My Best Friend's Wedding where the title is sung briefly during a discussion the characters are having about Dionne Warwick, and then launching into "I Say a Little Prayer." It was also used in the 1997 film "Shooting Fish."

Do You Know The Way To San Jose/Dionne Warwick CHARTINGS
Billboard Hot 100 *** Cash Box Top 100	Billboard R&B	Billboard Easy Listening	AUSTRA- LIA	CANADA	IRELAND	UK
#10 *** #10	#23	#4	#15	#8	#8	#8

References

1. ^ Dominic, Serene (2003). Burt Bacharach, song by song: the ultimate Burt Bacharach reference for fans. New York City: Schirmer Trade Books. p. 190. ISBN 0-8256-7280-5.