Wives and Lovers is a traditional pop song with music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David, written in 1963 as a promotional tie-in for the film Wives and Lovers. The song does not appear in the film; at the time, it was what was called an exploitation song. The best-known recording is by Jack Jones, made in September 1963 for Kapp Records with an orchestra directed by Pete King. It won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male, and reached number 14 on the US Hot 100 and number 9 on the Easy Listening chart. Frank Sinatra, with Count Basie and His Orchestra, recorded it for the album It Might as Well Be Swing (Reprise, 1964). At producer Quincy Jones's decision, the arrangement is in 4/4 rather than the song's 3/4, which makes it an unusual jazz-tempo work for Bacharach. The song is in the key of E-flat. Many covers followed, including instrumental and jazz versions. It also appears on a radio in the first For Better or For Worse comic strip by Lynn Johnston.
