Make It Easy on Yourself
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Make It Easy On Yourself" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was first a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962 and has since been a Top 40 single for the Walker Brothers - for whom it was a #1 UK hit - and Dionne Warwick.
The Walker Brothers
The most successful pop version of "Make It Easy on Yourself" was the 1965 single by the Walker Brothers which reached #16 on the Hot 100 that December; this version had been a #1 hit in the UK in September 1965. The song appeared as the opening song on the group's début studio album Take It Easy with the Walker Brothers and as the opening song on side 2 of their début US album Introducing the Walker Brothers.
Although based in London, the Walker Brothers were familiar with the original 1962 hit by Jerry Butler (which had been overlooked in its concurrent UK release) and group member John Maus suggested that the Walker Brothers make a recording of "Make It Easy on Yourself". The track was recorded in a June 1965 session at the Philips studios in Marble Arch arranged by Ivor Raymonde who conducted his orchestra with production credited to Philips' head of A&R Johnny Franz; session personnel included Vic Flick and Big Jim Sullivan on guitars and Ronnie Verrell on drums.
The song was done in the style of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound", which included a wordless chorus. This version ended with a long cadence chord in the orchestra, while the Butler version ended in a fade out during the Coda.
The single was backed with "But I Do" in most territories. In the US Smash Records released a second pressing of the single in October 1965 with Scott Walker's debut composition "Doin' the Jerk" as the b-side. The uptempo novelty dance track had already appeared as the b-side to the group's debut single; "Pretty Girls Everywhere".
In 2001 the Walker Brothers' "Make It Easy On Yourself" was sampled extensively by the Northern Irish band, Ash, on their single "Candy".
