If you’ve ever had a lyric or song running through your head, chances are at some point you’ve heard the work of Hal David, lyricist for such standards as “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” “The Look of Love” and “Close to You.”

But, despite his catchy lines and phrases, even David gets the blues, or block as it were. Such was the case with the classic “What the World Needs Now is Love.”

In 1965, he and Burt Bacharach wrote a song they thought they liked. After looking it over, they shelved it as a flop. David was stuck on what should come after the line, “No, not just for some, but for everyone.”

Then, one day, he thought of, "Lord, we don't need another mountain," and all at once knew how the lyric should be written. It had taken him two years to get it right. Bacharach immediately came back to the table with the backing music. Still, the duo was disenchanted and put the song away again.

A day came when they were short of songs for a recording session. This one was pulled and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Although we have over 100 records of the song, my favorite version is Dionne Warwick's.” David has said. “She always interprets my lyrics in a way that sounds as though she had written them herself.”

The genesis of how the song came to be is also a feature story in the June 2009 Library of Congress Information Bulletin. David is a member of American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), an organization whose papers are housed at the Library.

"What the World Needs Now is Love" has also been used in many film soundtracks, including “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” “My Best Friend's Wedding,” “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” “Hot Shots!” and “Forrest Gump.” It was also a top five song in American Idol Season 2 in 2003.

Warwick's reputation as a hit-maker has been firmly etched into the public consciousness, thanks to nearly 60 charted hits and the receipt of multiple Grammy Awards. She’s also an author; her book, "Say a Little Prayer" is a picture book that encourages kids to find their best talent in life and embrace it. In 2008, she presented a talk on her book at the National Book Festival, as well as a podcast inteview.