David's lyrics tell the story of a native of San Jose, California, who, having failed to break into the entertainment field in Los Angeles, is set to return to her hometown.

"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" was issued as the follow-up single to the double-sided hit "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls"/ "I Say a Little Prayer" in April 1968.

It also charted highly in France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Lebanon, Japan, and many other countries throughout the world.

The flip-side of the single, "Let Me Be Lonely", also penned by Bacharach and David, charted in the Billboard Hot 100 as well and became one of many double-sided hits for Warwick.

The engineer was Ed Smith, who devised the famous introduction to the tune by directly attaching a microphone to the head of Chester's bass drum.