Post by erik on Feb 12, 2023 0:02:21 GMT -5
This week's Pop Music Spotlight looks at the first of many collaborative efforts and hits that combined the vocal talents of Dionne Warwick and the songwriting genius of the team of Hal David and Burt Bacharach.
DON’T MAKE ME OVER (Dionne Warwick; Scepter; 1962)—Though not exactly thought of as “rock” songwriters, more closer to traditional pop, the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David were known for writing songs that, over the decades, became well-established pop and rock standards through various interpretations, many of them quite stylish. An early example of this came in the form of “Don’t Make Me Over”, a kind of empowerment R&B/pop ballad that in 1962 found its way into the hands of a then-unknown singer named Dionne Warwick. Dionne recorded “Don’t Make Me Over” at Bell Studios in New York City during August 1962, getting it released as a single by her record label Scepter, The song, which reached #21 on the Hot 100 in October of that year, established both Dionne (as a singer) and Bacharach and David as one of the premiere songwriting teams in American pop music history. Much of their success came via Dionne’s recordings of their songs between 1963 and 1970, including “Anyone Who Had A Heart”, “I Say A Little Prayer For You”, “Promises, Promises”, and “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” (this latter recording giving Dionne the 1970 Grammy for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance). Seventeen years later, in 1979, Jennifer Warnes had a minor hit of her own with a mainstream Los Angeles pop-rock version of “Don’t Make Me Over”, which reached #67 on the Hot 100, and #84 on the country singles chart). Although Dionne did have a falling-out with the Bachrach/David team for a number of years in the 1970’s, she reconciled with them in later years. David passed away at the age of 91 in September 2012 after suffering a stroke; and Bacharach died at the age of 94 from natural causes at his Los Angeles home on February 8, 2023.
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DON’T MAKE ME OVER (Dionne Warwick; Scepter; 1962)—Though not exactly thought of as “rock” songwriters, more closer to traditional pop, the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David were known for writing songs that, over the decades, became well-established pop and rock standards through various interpretations, many of them quite stylish. An early example of this came in the form of “Don’t Make Me Over”, a kind of empowerment R&B/pop ballad that in 1962 found its way into the hands of a then-unknown singer named Dionne Warwick. Dionne recorded “Don’t Make Me Over” at Bell Studios in New York City during August 1962, getting it released as a single by her record label Scepter, The song, which reached #21 on the Hot 100 in October of that year, established both Dionne (as a singer) and Bacharach and David as one of the premiere songwriting teams in American pop music history. Much of their success came via Dionne’s recordings of their songs between 1963 and 1970, including “Anyone Who Had A Heart”, “I Say A Little Prayer For You”, “Promises, Promises”, and “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” (this latter recording giving Dionne the 1970 Grammy for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance). Seventeen years later, in 1979, Jennifer Warnes had a minor hit of her own with a mainstream Los Angeles pop-rock version of “Don’t Make Me Over”, which reached #67 on the Hot 100, and #84 on the country singles chart). Although Dionne did have a falling-out with the Bachrach/David team for a number of years in the 1970’s, she reconciled with them in later years. David passed away at the age of 91 in September 2012 after suffering a stroke; and Bacharach died at the age of 94 from natural causes at his Los Angeles home on February 8, 2023.
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