Dionne Warwick’s greatest songs, ranked

That’s What Friends Are For snubbed!

Don't they mean "Burt Bacharach's best songs?"

Where My Lips Have Been

Dejavu

Her version of Alfie remains the best.

The Valley of the Dolls theme always makes me feel like crying.

Not all Bacharach r2

Where's "Always Something There To Remind Me"?

R6 You and Jacqueline Susann both.

Dionne's cover of Stevie Wonder's "All In Love Is Fair" is a masterclass. Brilliant.

Pay Me In Cash is right up there at number one.

Funny comment from the article:

When I was working at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mayfair (1990-94) she would stay with us if doing a couple of back-to-back concerts - usually at the Royal Albert Hall.

On returning in the evenings she would nip up to her room then reappear in the lobby in sweatpants, a baseball cap and always puffing on a cigarette as she worked-off her ‘performance high’ by walking circles of the lobby. When she cruised over to the concierge desk, she’d stop to chat (and sometimes ask for a light for her next cigarette) whilst looking at the cards attached to cuddly toys and flower bouquets which would arrive in the second limo from the concert venue. Then she’d have us send them to one of the nearby London hospitals for the staff and children’s wards to enjoy.

By that point in the evening her voice was always husky and breathy, but the vibrancy behind her eyes and sassy chuckle was always in evidence. A lovely lady and one helluva songstress.

Just testing out this GIF link.

Let's hope Miss Warwick doesn't get The Guardian mixed up with the National Guard.

Where my lips have been

Eat pussy

Glad to see my favorite, “Are You There With Another Girl?”, at #3. I love that song.

R10, sorry to break it to you, but Babs did it better.

Dionne slaying the fuck out of Alfie. This is probably her best performance of the song. No one comes close.

R5 I was just going to say that. Nothing compares to Alfie.

I also love, Make it Easy on Yourself...

R20 here. Also love Windows of the World and You'll Neve Get To Heaven She was the soundtrack to our lives in my parents house gowning up.

Anyone Who Had a Heart

I'd have gone for "This Girl's in Love", with "Anyone Who Had a Heart" a close second

Sorry r18 Barbra's is also good but Dionne slayed it.

Re: All In Love Is Fair. When Barbra sings a song that is so brilliantly crafted on the page I just wish she would sing it straight.. Don't play around and embellish the melody line or the phrasing . . . .just sing the song. She's done this on a lot of songs that didn't need all the embellishing. Dionne sung it straight and you could feel the emotion in her voice. She has the superior version

Dionne SANG it straight, I meant. Whoops.

This is a piece of undeniable fabulosity. Personally I like "Heartbreaker" and "Then Came You" better, they highlight her virtuosity.

A fabulous live version of Walk On By, from 1965, with Dionne doing call and response with the audience.

Dionne was workin' that stage HUNTY.

Anyone Who Had a Heart is great

Where my pussy has been.

Saw a psychic in L.A.

VOD Theme would not be #14 if they read DL.

Higher up on the list, R32? (#7 or so?)

What a bitch, needs now

Is cash, sweet cash

Isaac Hayes's cover of Walk on By is much better. I would rank This Girl's in Love or Don't Make Me Over higher.

This is my favorite David & Bacharach song, so it's of course perfectly made for her voice.

Shit. Any fool knows "Don't Make Me Over" was my best. Among so many others.

Now carry on. You little people are doing just fine without me. I am too fucking busy for this. Damont and Cindi both have the COVID and I've got them out in a tent in the back to keep my divaspace safe for who's important. But that means I have to keep answering the door to get my food and "special medicament" deliveries my fucking self.

Christ. Cindi's out there hacking again. I hope someone calls them an ambulance if they need it. But people are so fucking lazy nowadays.

My Christmas Album is still available, you know. And cassette tape is making a comeback. Unlike Gladys, Tina, or Patti Pie.

Alfie was recorded by 42 (!) singers before Dionne did it and turned it into a hit. Her version is the best.

My fave from Dionne ... "Message To Michael" (1966).

OMG, I forgot that song. It's beautiful. Message to Michael definitely should be on the list.

Then Came You was her only No. 1 hit.

R41, That's What Friends Are For also went to Number 1 on the Hot 100.

I do like "Heartbreaker," written by Barry, Robin, & Maurice Gibb. Takes me back to the '80s. (The Gibbs can be heard singing backup on the song.)

Deja Vu is fabulous.

"That's What Friends Are For" is crap. "Then Came You ", "Heartbreaker" anyone could have recorded those.

They can't compare to her classic Bacharach recordings with their unique melodies and her distinctive, wistful voice

"Theme From Valley of the Dolls", "Alfie", "Don't Make Me Over"...and especially "Anyone Who Had A Heart"

R45, yes, the Burt Bacharach songs are a no-brainer for me. Beyond reproach, absolutely beautiful. Just trying to throw in some other stuff I enjoyed post-BB.

Dionne did the first version of Bacharach's "Close To You", but it's pretty bad.

How was the (Theme from) Valley of the Dolls a "minor U.S. hit"? It hit number 2 on the charts.

I love watching this video of Burt and Dionne working on the song "Loneliness Remembers." Burt was quite attractive back in the day and Dionne looking cool and chic in her outfit.

Bacharach/David's music along with Warwick's voice were magic together.

R37 Dionne, Tina sends her love from Zurich.

Promises, Promises

R49 shows why the Bacharach/David/Warwick team worked. He can throw any key change, rhythm change, lyric change at Dionne and she makes it work effortless. That's her gift.

R51 "Promises" is odd ball song very difficult to sing well.

What she does with it is amazing.

Heartbreaker is a beautiful song. I can't stand Barry Gibb because he's dumb and a Trumper, but no doubt he was a very fine songwriter.

I love Walk On By and Close To You. Diana Ross did a superb version of the latter.

Where My Lips Have Been

They made it to twenty-five? Must have been A LOT of filler.

I love her song “Deez Teefs Were Made For Chomping.”

This song from Windows of the World made me gay.

@ R28, she was working that dress - her tittie game was on point! Literally!

@R10, quite impressive, considering.

Superwoman

Been watching her old video in YT. Maybe not a popular opinion but i think she could’ve rival Whitney’s beauty if only she fix subtlety her nose.

Why she never duetted with Whitney ?

Former TV reporter here. I once asked Dionne Warwick what song she would like to hear Whitney cover? Her response was "Anyone Who Had a Heart." I commented it was perhaps my favorite song. We also spoke about the Linda Ronstadt and Wynonna Judd versions of the song. She was very complimentary especially of Wynnona's.

She had another song with Barry Gibb producing that followed Heartbreaker. I think it was with the Bee Gees all doing background vocals. Ring any bells?

My personal favorite: "NO! You Can't Fuck My Nostril!"

Didn’t she say she hated Heartbreaker ?

Dionne Warwick is second only to Aretha Franklin as the most charted female vocalist of all time, with 69 singles reaching the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998.

If she had shared her reefer with good friend Karen Carpenter, the munchies would have kept Karen alive.

Dionne or Aretha’s Say a little prayer ?

Don't Make Me Over and Walk On By are my favorites. I also like her version of Odds and Ends.

Who else love this song ?

Did I mention I got Miss Warwick to autograph my CD of Friends can be lovers ?

Dionne or Dusty?

Let Me Go to Him

R73 Can't we love them both?

I did it better, R71.

Even Dionne knows that, though she'll never admit it.

I Say A Little Prayer

Good choice, OP. On her best songs Dionne always sold it. Love her.

No love for Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Wow, just wow.

Oh wow, R77, Cissy Houston was in that video. I didn't know she did back-up on I Say A Little Prayer. I wonder if she did back-up for both Dionne's and Aretha's version of the song.

At R28, Dionne looks and sounds great (live version of "Walk on By"). As time passes, I do see similarities between Dionne and Whitney Houston (cousins).

You can tell that Whitney studied cousin Dionne. Their stage presence and mannerisms are similar.

I always said that Whitney's three biggest influences as a singer and performer were Cissy, Dionne and Aretha.

Make It Easy On Yourself

There are only three songs by Miss Warwick I give a damn about:

"Whisper in the Dark"- Reminds me of the first real life guy I had the serious hots for when I was fourteen.

"Love Power" (Yes, I know R31 beat me to it.)

"Reservations for Two"

r84 she has some stellar songs in her repertoire.

What was her last hit record? I'm guessing "No Night So Long"?

The two Barrys deserve a lot of credit for keeping her in the spotlight. The Manilow-produced LP especially was huge.

Agreed entirely, R18. I know it was thrown together from a pile of previously unreleased material, but "The Way We Were" (non-soundtrack) is my favorite Streisand album. I used to listen to it on vinyl, while soaking in the tub.

[quote]You can tell that Whitney studied cousin Dionne.

Unfortunately she learned nothing about singing from her aunt.

Barbra's All In Love Is Fair doesn't compare to Dionne's. Barbra was too flowery and overemoting in her delivery and the orchesration was too fussy.

^Ooops meant to write "cousin"

I love Nancy’s version

Why is the Socialist Guardian trumpeting this singer?

Is she a Socialist?

Hmmm.

So many informed, intelligent people with taste, grace, decency and kindness.

But no new sales.

Hmmm.

My favorite from Dionne is "Where Are My Virginia Slims?"

Miss Warwick is a treasure. Bitch knew how to put over a song.

Would Dionne have become a big star without the Bacharach-David collaboration?

Why does the Guardian article refer to her as a soul legend? Dionne may have sung some R&B in her 80s reincarnation but she was never considered a soul singer. She always sang pop music. It's like Donna Summer's albums always being placed in the R&B/Urban section in record stores. Just because they are black women does not automatically make them soul singers.

Because she's black, R97. It's the same bs when they refer to Diana Ross as "R&B Diva."

Why did Dionne and Burt stop collaborating together?

That Alfie song is stupid which is why it took a zillion tried before anyone could make it a hit.

Who names anyone Alfie??

Omg she looks like a devil in OPs pic

[quote] It's the same bs when they refer to Diana Ross as "R&B Diva."

You just know Diane hates being called that. She hates being slotted in a black genre.

R80: Cissy sang on both Dionne and Aretha's version of Say a Little Prayer.

R73 & r75: We can like both. In fact, here os both:

R98: Burt and Hal David stopped collaborating and even speaking to each other. But they forgot to tell Dionne. She read about it in the papers. Then the lawsuits flew.

Thank you, R103.

Since Nancy Wilson and Aretha Franklin have been featured on this thread, I'd like to post an interview clip where Dionne says a few things about them.

Essentially, she met Aretha when they were teenagers, and she was stunningly impressed by how mature Aretha's adolescent singing voice sounded. She was "a piece of work" as a person, but still remained her friend.

She met Nancy at the 1965 Grammy Awards (Nancy won), and remained friends after that. They played pinochle together; she said Nancy was very good at that.

[quote] Would Dionne have become a big star without the Bacharach-David collaboration?

Would Bacharach-David have become big stars without Dionne Warwick? I think the answer to both questions is no.

Dionne had a cool, ethereal, jazzy voice. Yet, there was emotion in there.

And speaking of Aretha, here's Dionne doing an amazing rendition of "Daydreaming."