Dionne Warwick 1965-Singing Bacharach Arrangement

[BachtoBacharach]

Here is a 1965 film clip of Dionne Warwick singing Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" from her 1965 album Here I Am. Burt Bacachach did this interesting arrangement of the tune. He also did a killer arrangement of "Summertime" for her 1967 album On Stage and In Movies and one of my favorite Bacharach arrangements is My Favorite Things which is also included in that album.

I Loves You Porgy-Bacharach Arrangement


Summertime-Bacharach Arrangement


My Favorite Things-Bacharach Arrangement

[Blair N. Cummings]

These must be among the few (and last) examples of Burt bothering to involve himself with others` compositions for Dionne`s albums. I don`t have the liners any more, but wasn`t the arranging and conducting of those usually farmed out to Peter Matz et. al.?

[BachtoBacharach]

Yes, Bacharach farmed that out to Matz, et al, once he got so heavily involved in composing Promises, Promises beginning in 1967. The On Stage and In the Movies is the last album I know of where he arranged all the tunes composed by others. The one exception to that was his arrangement for Dionne's Valley of the Dolls single, where as great as Andre Previn's arrangements for the film and Dionne's vocals were, Bacharach's arrangement was better for the single release. Dionne's vocals for the film couldn't be used in the original soundtrack album due to Scepter's contractual restrictions with BluJac, Bacharach/David's production company through which Dionne was employed. Bacharach simply took Dionne back into the studio with his arrangement of Valley of the Dolls and recut the tune for single release. In addition, Scepter released the album Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls, which contained the single version (as well as Do You Know the Way to San Jose) at the same time 20th Century Fox released the original soundtrack album sans Warwick's vocals, as Scepter allowed Dionne's vocals on the film only and would not allow Dionne's vocals to used on the soundtrack album. Smart move on Scepter's part because the Fox album languished on the charts while the public snapped up Warwick's album as fast as Scepter could press them. Record buyers were very frustrated with 20th Centry Fox because most assumed that when they slit the cellophane on the album and put the disc on the turntable that they would hear Dionne's voice, but that was not the case and sales of the Fox release sank like a rock. Florence Greenburg, no slouch she, promoted Dionne's album in the trades, full page ads in magazine like Life, Look, etc. and in record store posters as "The Only Album in Which You Will Hear Dionne Warwick singing her smash single "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls." Dionne's Valley of the Dolls album went gold, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Album chart, #2 on Billboard's R & B Album Chart, #10 in the UK, and would remain in the Billboard Hot 100 album chart for over a year. The Valley of the Dolls single was released as the B side to I Say A Little Prayer. ISALP peaked at #4 in December 1967 and sold over a million copies. DJs flipped the single early in 1968 and by the time February rolled around, Valley of the Dolls peaked at #2 on the Billboard Singles Chart, the CashBox Singles Chart and #1 on the Record World Chart. Valley of the Dolls likewise sold over a million copies. Burt didn't want ISALP released, but DJs were clamoring for its release as a single and playing the album cut from the Windows of the World Album. Bacharach and Florence Greenburg argued about releasing the tune and Florence agreed to let DJs pick which side they liked best and not promote either side as the A side...DJs made both massive hits...first ISALP and then Valley of the Dolls. Dionne and Hal David had a bet going when ISALP was released. Dionne felt that Valley of the Dolls would be a bigger hit than ISALP and Hal felt it wouldn't chart. Hal stated to Dionne "I'll eat my hat if I am wrong." Dionne presented Hal with a hat and a salt-shaker when Valley of the Dolls hit #2. Little known trivia...Barbara Parkins suggested Dionne to Andre Previn...Judy Garland was to sing the title tune until she was fired from the film. In addition, Tony Orlando, then a publishing assistant who worked for 20th Century-Fox and MGM at the time was tasked with talking with Bacharach to allow Warwick to record the tune for the film, feeling that she could make it a huge hit. Bacharach told Orlando sure, he would lend Dionne out for the film for $25,000, not really wanting to get into the business of lending Dionne out and feeling sure that 20th Century would balk and not meet his outrageous demand. They didn't balk and the rest is history.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Thanks, B2B, for that great post/history lesson.

When I first heard Dionne on the radio singing the Valley of the Dolls theme, I said to myself, "Burt and Hal do it again!" That's how sure I was that this great song was Burt and Hal's. When I found out that Andre and Dory Previn wrote it, I was very surprised. It might have been the only time that I was fooled into thinking a non-Burt song was a Burt song. Andre and Dory wrote another great song I loved, "You're Gonna Hear From Me." I always wondered why Andre didn't continue writing great songs the way that Burt did. If he could compose those 2 great songs, why couldn't he have continued? is what I thought. (I know they divorced and later Andre married Mia Farrow.) I do believe, however, that Burt's orchestration of the song did give it some of Burt's magic. In fact, that song is so good that I still have a hard time believing that Burt didn't compose it!

Could 20th Century have said that if Scepter wouldn't allow Dionne's version to be on the soundtrack album, then they wouldn't give permission for Dionne to sing the song at all? I mean, if I were 20th Century, I wouldn't want competition for my soundtrack album. This question, don't forget, assumes a point in time before Dionne recorded the song. In other words, in hindsight, it makes plenty of sense that 20th Century would have wanted Dionne's song to be a hit and to give the movie great publicity. But, again, my question assumes that this hadn't happened yet, and that they would just rather have had the single be released by the same person whose recording was on the soundtrack album.

It's really hard to believe that Burt didn't realize that one of his greatest compositions and recordings was ISALP and didn't even want it recorded. It sort of makes no sense considering how great that song was and what a standard it's become. I think he liked Aretha's version better and thought that his version was too fast.

The only version of a Burt Bacharach song that I feel is better than the original is The Carpenters' version of Close To You. Although, Burt instrumental version of Close To You is absolutely awesome. In fact, I've never heard an instrumental version of any Burt Bacharach song that is superior to Burt's instrumental version.

[BachtoBacharach]

20th Century owed the publishing rights to Theme from Valley of the Dolls. They wanted a sure-fire hit and knew Dionne Warwick was on a hot-streak...she had just come off a huge hit with Alfie, peaking at #15 on the Hot 100 but that chart position belies its popularity, airplay and sales. Alfie was #43 in Billboards Year End Top 100 Hits of 1967, the only tune not to have hit the top 10. Ranking was based on airplay and sales. So it behooved 20th Century Fox to have her do the same thing for their tune as she did for Alfie and that she did. Sheet music sales of Alfie skyrocketed after Dionne's massive hit. Dionne was a huge sheet music seller in the 60s and Bacharach/David owned the publishing rights to most all their tunes...all that profit from Dionne generated sheet music sales went directly into the BluJac coffers. Popular composers who retained the rights to their compositions made mega dollars...that's why Bacharach is worth north of $200 million today. Back then, singers who didn't compose their own material or retain the rights to their recordings (and most didn't) didn't really profit except through sales royalties for the physical recording itself and that was dependent on the contract with the record company. And, back then, once a single completed it sales run, there wasn't any continued revenue generation for the singer while the composer or holder of the copyright received airplay royalties from ASCAP and BMI every time the tune was played on the radio or performed in public. Scepter did pay Bacharach/David well and in turn BluJac paid Dionne well but Bacharach became a very wealthy man in the 60s through his association with Dionne Warwick as he controlled her product from conception through distribution and then retained all current and future rights to all of that. She was a cash cow for BluJac then and continues to generate substantial income for Bacharach and the estate of Hal David. From 1979 through about 1992 Dionne co-owned the rights to all her recordings as a result of the $5 million settlement paid to her by Bacharach/David over their breach of contract filed against BluJac and Bacharach/David in 1976 for $5.5 million. Those recording rights generated substantial income for Dionne during that time but she sold the rights back to Warner/Rhino in around 1992 for an undisclosed lump sum. She was apparently having some serious financial difficulties at the time...said difficulties also leading to her unfortunate decision to sign on with the Psychic Friends Network for a reported $3 million per year, which in retrospect, cost her tremendous credibility, impacted her future earning ability and tarnished her legacy for many years. Had Dionne retained those rights, she would possibly not be in the financial predicament she is currently, but alas, hindsight is always 20/20.