Last recording of Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s song “You Can Have Her” was released shortly after the 94-year-old composer’s death. The title was written in 2010, but not recorded with an orchestra at Capitol Studios until 2021. The recording session was probably Bacharach’s last.

“You Can Have Her” has so far gone largely unnoticed, as the record company decided not to issue press releases out of consideration for those mourning Bacharach. The musician died on February 8, his death became public the following day – a few hours before “You Can Have Her” was posted online.

And another unreleased song together

The song references The Songs of Bacharach and Costello box set, out March 3. It will feature another previously unreleased song, “Look Up Again”. The two tracks were originally written for a proposed but never realized Broadway musical. The piece is named after Bacharach and Costello’s 1998 masterpiece Painted Form Memory.

Costello writes of You Can Have Her: “The song was written for a supporting character on the show. A wealthy businesswoman, the mistress that our erratic protagonist took refuge with when the story began. The exact relationship of the song to the plot is less important to me now, as it could be anyone who wants to hide their rejection and hurt pride by putting down their former lovers, while revealing the weakness that obsession with the… accidental cruelty of youth.”

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