Burt Bacharach is one of my favorite pop composers and "Alfie" is my favorite song of his and lyricist Hal David. I have lovely jazz versions by Brad Mehldau and McCoy Tyner, and smooth R&B versions by Ernie Isley, Everything But The Girl, and The Delfonics (yes, of "La La Means I Love You" fame). Of course, I have the best known version, by Dionne Warwick. But Dionne's little sister, Dee Dee, also recorded the song, and it deserves some attention. But first, a little backstory...
Dionne and Dee Dee started out in a gospel trio in New Jersey with their aunt, Cissy Houston (Whitney's mom). The Warwick sisters then became backup singers for New York studio sessions, with Cissy being replaced by Doris Troy (who would later have a big hit with "Just One Look"). Dee Dee began her solo career in 1963 and reportedly recorded the first version of "You're No Good." From 1965-70, she was with Mercury Records where she recorded the original version of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." It was while she was with Mercury that Dee Dee recorded "Alfie." According to Soultracks.com:
Dee Dee recorded her version of "Alfie" which had already been a British hit for Cilla Black as the theme from the film starring Michael Caine. "I actually learned the song itself from Burt Bacharach and Hal David's original demo. The whole session blew me away." Dee Dee's version of "Alfie" didn't gain a U.S. release for a couple of years, during which time - in an unfortunate turn of events for her - sister Dionne recorded the song and had a massive U.S. hit with it.
Dee Dee had a similar experience with "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," which became a hit duet for The Supremes and The Temptations. These frustrations must have contributed to the drug problem that Dee Dee struggled with for many years. She never really had a major success, though she continued to record until the mid-'80s. From 2006-08 she performed as a backup singer for her big sister. But Dee Dee's health was failing and she died in October of that year, at the age of 63, with her sister by her side.
Dee Dee's voice was a little deeper than Dionne's, and it gives her version of "Alfie" a subtle layer of heartache that makes her story all the more bittersweet. It's my favorite version of this Bacharach/David classic.
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