Today’s classic song that was a hit for multiple artists of the day is “I Say a Little Prayer.” It was a hit for both Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin, about a year apart.
“I Say a Little Prayer” was written by the legendary team of Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (words). Its somewhat frothy musical nature belies the fact that Hal wrote it about a woman worrying about her beau who’s been shipped overseas during the Vietnam War. Musically, Burt infuses the song with some odd phrasings and time signatures, with a measure of 2/4 thrown in at the end of each verse and a 3/4 measure inserted into the chorus. No matter the time changes, it feels right, which is all that matters.
Dionne Warwick recorded her version of “I Say a Little Prayer,” with Burt Bacharach producing and conducting the orchestra, on April 9, 1966. Unlike most of Burt’s sessions, which only required two or three takes, this one took ten takes to nail down—and, even then, Burt didn’t like the results. They actually shelved the tune for over a year, before sliding it in as an album track on Ms. Warwick’s 1967 album, Windows of the World. In October of 1967, the track was added as the B-side to Dionne’s “(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls” single, but disc jockeys started flipping the disc and made “I Say a Little Prayer” the big hit. Dionne Warwick’s version of “I Say a Little Prayer” ended up peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Cash Box Top 100.
About a year later, Aretha Franklin released her fairly faithful cover of “I Say a Little Prayer.” Like Dionne’s version, Aretha’s cover was originally intended as the B-side to her “The House That Jack Built” single, released in July of 1968. As with Dionne’s original, disc jockeys flipped Aretha’s disc and gave her a two-sided hit, with “I Say a Little Prayer” hitting #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #18 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart.
Both versions of “I Say a Little Prayer” are terrific, as one would expect from any Bacharach-David tune. I prefer the Dionne Warwick original (both because of her interpretation and Burt’s arrangement), but I like them both.
Which leads us to today’s daily bonus video of the day, Burt, Hal, and Dionne rehearsing “I Say a Little Prayer” just before they recorded the tune. It is fascinating to watch these pros at work—and see how their little touches helped develop the track we all know and love.
