5th Dimension - One Less Bell To Answer

About "One Less Bell To Answer"

"One Less Bell to Answer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally written in 1967 for Keely Smith, the song was rediscovered in late 1969 by Bones Howe, the producer for the 5th Dimension, and the song was included on the group's 1970 debut album for Bell Records, Portrait. Lead vocals on the single were sung by Marilyn McCoo.

"One Less Bell to Answer" was a platinum record. The song peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison for the weeks of December 26, 1970 and January 2, 1971. On other US charts, it went to No.1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as No.4 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart.

There is disagreement between Burt Bacharach and Hal David on the origin of "One Less Bell to Answer". Bacharach told Paul Zollo, the author of Songwriters on Songwriting, that the song was inspired by an incident that occurred with his then girlfriend, actress Angie Dickinson. "That was kind of a freak that it happened. The title was born from working on What's New Pussycat, and Angie Dickinson was living with me in London. A doorbell rang, and I think she made the comment, 'One less bell to answer, when I get out of here.' It was pretty intense, and it bothered her. We weren't married yet but we were living together. I think Hal heard her say, 'One less bell to answer'. He thought, that's a good song title and we wrote it."

However, the liner notes of Bacharach's "The Look of Love" box set tell a different story. Hal David commented that people frequently ask him what inspired his songs, and most times he isn't sure. He however *did* recall the source of "One Less Bell To Answer": "Burt and I were in London working on a project, and I was invited to a dinner party. The hostess said to me, 'When you arrive, don't ring the bell, just come in. It'll make one less bell for me to answer.' I was wise enough to know it was a good title!"