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Saturday Night Classics: ‘Alfie’
After reading about Burt Bacharach’s passing, I was reviewing many of his songs, and this one seemed to stick with me for days. Written as the theme for the 1966 film, most of us are familiar with the Dionne Warwick version, but the original was recorded by Cilla Black for the film’s British release. Unusual for the Bacharach-Hal David songwriting duo, David wrote the lyrics first. After watching a preliminary cut of the film, he utilized one of Michael Caine’s lines from the script, “What’s it all about?” as the opening phrase.
Next is the recording, done at Abbey Road studios in London. Note legendary Beatles producer George Martin in the control room during the session.
Cilla Black, originally reluctant, recounted how she was persuaded to record the song:
Published in EntertainmentBlack states that, rather than declining outright to record the song, she decided to set conditions: “I said I’d only do it if Burt Bacharach himself did the arrangement, never thinking for one moment that he would. [When] the reply came back from America that he’d be happy to. … I said I would only do it if Burt came over to London for the recording session. ‘Yes,’ came the reply. Next I said that as well as the arrangements and coming over, he had to play [piano] on the session. To my astonishment it was agreed that Burt would do all three. So by this time, coward that I was, I really couldn’t back out.”
I had never heard of Cilla Black before and I don’t recall every hearing the song. Thanks for the history lesson.
Played it for my piano teacher today. She’s an older gal, classically trained, and was unfamiliar with Burt Bacharach. She liked it and recognized the skill of the composition.
Cilla was very big in the UK and had a huge hit with Bacharach/ David’s Anyone Who Had a Heart.
One of the striking things about the video is it’s live in the studio quality. It’s a stark contrast to much of what is released today, aided and abetted by a number of electronic voice enhancing gimmicks.
????
Played what? You played this song from a recording for Her? Played this video? Played this song on the piano for Her? Define “it.”
Cilla Black had several hits with Burt Bacharach songs in the UK and gained kinda of legendary status I think because she was managed by Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager and had kinda an association with the Mersey Beat sound.
Frankly I think she was over-rated. Dionne Warwick’s version which was a hit at the same time here is much better.
Sheridan Smith played Cilla in a retrospective of Cilla’s life and there is a YouTube video out with both singing the same song ( Does anyone have a heart by Bacharach and You are my World by Carl Sigman) and Sheridan’s singing is head and shoulders above Cilla’s. BTW Sheridan at that time was also much prettier.
The soundtrack in the US had neither this version nor the one by Dionne Warwick. For some reason, Cher.
Cilla did a beautiful job, but I’m still partial to Dionne’s version —
There’s a distinct difference in style between the two.
Can I mention that the chances of this Alfie being made today are slim and none? I think the subtlety that it is Alfie who has the problem would be lost on today’s wokesters.
There was a remake in 2004 or so that I ignored.
Oh W. C. . ..
What your old sis would give for a video of you playing this ^. Please have Mr. W.C., or one of your dear daughters get on this. {{Hugs}}
You playing the piano?
Post the video or it didn’t happen.
You gonna make me practice??? I like to play piano, not practice!
She was “discovered” working as a cloakroom attendant at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where the Beatles became famous. John Lennon recommended her to Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ early manager. She was big in England, and appeared on Ed Sullivan’s show once, but didn’t like to tour outside Great Britain.
Alfie, the fictional character, drove a Vauxhall. It doesn’t look particularly striking today, but at the time British audiences took it as a subtle cue to his caddish, selfish, ambitious ways. Because Vauxhall was an American-owned company, the rather ordinary looking car was supposed to be redolent of vulgar energy and hype. (Ford of Britain, for some reason, was always seen as a more authentically transplanted company.)
Great to see this well-deserved choice get promoted.
As a young man in the 1960’s or 70’s I got the sheet music and liked to play this song on the piano.
I always thought it an ideal example of best pop music of the hippie era–perfect combination of lyrics, melody, harmony, rhythm, arrangement/chord voicing/movement. But all in the service of cunning, corrosive lies, of the evil spirit of the times.
What especially fascinated me was the live aspect. In the studio doing who knows how many takes, Bacharach directing and playing piano, orchestra, backup singers, and Cilla belting it out. A bygone era?
The first time I heard the song was when the mom of one of my friends took 6 of us to the movie. That was a real shocker.
IHO, Cilla Black’s version is the best. The rest are like a tribute band, entertaining but not quite the real thing.
Cilla Black was huge (bigger than the Beatles) in the UK. Huge voice. She died several years ago, and–in concert with a very few in the entertainment industry, there seemed to be nothing detrimental said about her, by anyone. A favorite from my past, oh, so many years ago:
Oh man, she just gave me chills. I will always think of that song as hers.
I cannot get this wonderful song out of my head three days after I listened to it. I hear it at night when I am trying to sleep. It is playing nonstop in my head. :) :)
Welcome to my world.
Me too!
This is only four months late, but I was trying to remember something and checked back on this post. I don’t know how the song can be “in the service of evil” with these lyrics:
Never too late!