I Say a Little Prayer

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This article is about the song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. For the Australian film directed by Richard Lowenstein, see Say a Little Prayer.

"I Say a Little Prayer"
Side A of the US single
Single by Dionne Warwick
from the album The Windows of the World
B-side"(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls"
ReleasedOctober 1967
Recorded9 April 1966
StudioA & R (New York City)
Genre
Length3:09
LabelScepter
Songwriter(s)Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Producer(s)Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Dionne Warwick singles chronology
"The Windows of the World"
(1967) 		"I Say a Little Prayer"
(1967) 		"Do You Know the Way to San Jose"
(1968)
Live video
"I Say A Little Prayer" on YouTube

"I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967.[1] On the R&B Singles chart it peaked at number eight.[2]

Dionne Warwick original[edit]

Dionne Warwick, 1966

Intended by lyricist Hal David to convey a woman's concern for her man who's serving in the Vietnam War,[3] "I Say a Little Prayer" was recorded by Dionne Warwick in a 9 April 1966 session. Although Bacharach's recordings with Warwick typically took no more than three takes (often only taking one), Bacharach did ten takes on "I Say a Little Prayer" and still disliked the completed track, feeling it was rushed.

The track went unreleased until September 1967, when it was introduced on the album The Windows of the World and it was Scepter Records owner Florence Greenberg rather than Bacharach who wanted "I Say a Little Prayer" added to that album.[3] When disc jockeys from the United States began playing the album track in October 1967, significant airplay led Scepter Records to release the track as a single, backed with newly recorded track "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls".

The brisk sound of "I Say a Little Prayer" that Bacharach disliked proved to be a million-selling hit for Warwick, as "I Say a Little Prayer" reached No. 4 that December on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 4 on the Canadian chart and No. 3 on the Record World Top 100 chart. "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls", the B-side would become another hit for Warwick reaching No. 2 in February 1968 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Record World chart. Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" single would receive gold certification from the RIAA for sales of a million units in January 1968. "I Say a Little Prayer" b/w "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" became one of the most successful double-sided hits of the rock era.

Like several Bacharach compositions, both sides contain passages written in unusual time signatures. The verses of "Prayer" are constructed of two successive measures of 4/4, a ten-beat sequence using 4/4 + 4/4 + 2/4, and two final measures of 4/4. The chorus is in 4/4 + 3/4 + 4/4.[4]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Aretha Franklin version[edit]

"I Say a Little Prayer"
Side B of the US single
Single by Aretha Franklin
from the album Aretha Now
A-side"The House That Jack Built"
Released26 July 1968
Genre
Length3:30
LabelAtlantic
2546
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jerry Wexler
Aretha Franklin singles chronology
"Think"
(1968) 		"I Say a Little Prayer"
(1968) 		"See Saw"
(1968)
Lyric video
"I Say A Little Prayer" on YouTube
Aretha Franklin, 1968

"I Say a Little Prayer" also returned to the Pop & R&B Top Ten in the fall of 1968 via a recording by Aretha Franklin taken from her 1968 album Aretha Now. Franklin and background vocalists The Sweet Inspirations were singing the song for fun while rehearsing the songs intended for the album when the viability of their recording "I Say a Little Prayer" became apparent,[3] significantly reinvented from the format of the Dionne Warwick original via the prominence of Clayton Ivey's piano work. Similar to the history of Warwick's double-sided hit, the Aretha Franklin version was intended for the B-side of the July 1968 single release "The House That Jack Built" but began to accrue its own airplay that August.

In October 1968 "I Say a Little Prayer" reached number ten on the Hot 100 and number three on the R&B singles chart.[11] The same month the single was certified Gold by the RIAA. "Prayer" became Franklin's ninth and last consecutive Hot 100 top 10 hit on the Atlantic label. Franklin's "Prayer" has a special significance in her UK career, as with its September 1968 No. 4 peak it became Franklin's biggest UK hit; subsequently Franklin has surpassed that track's UK peak only with her No. 1 collaboration with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".

In February 1987, UK music weekly New Musical Express published its critics' top 150 singles of all time, with Franklin's "I Say a Little Prayer" ranked at No. 1, followed by Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone" and Warwick's "Walk On By".[citation needed] (Franklin's "I Say a Little Prayer" did not appear in the magazine's in-house critics' top 100 singles poll conducted in November 2002.) In Australia, "I Say a Little Prayer" and "The House That Jack Built" were assigned a joint chart ranking that saw the double-A-side hit reach No. 10 in November 1968. "I Say a Little Prayer" also gave Franklin a European hit with chartings in France (No. 12), West Germany (No. 29) and the Netherlands (No. 4).

There are several harmonic differences between the Warwick and Franklin versions. Whilst the Warwick original was sung in G major, Franklin's transposes up a tone to A major. The chord under 'Say a little prayer for...' in the bridge is substantially different (F#m7, or v7 of III, in the original; D, or IV, in Franklin's version) and the third-inversion seventh in the bass under '...and ever...'in the chorus from the original (D major/C#) is a more conventional chord V (E major) in Franklin's arrangement.

In 2021, it was listed at No. 117 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[12]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[28] Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[29] Gold 250,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[30]
sales since 2009 		Platinum 70,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[32]
sales since 2004 		Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Diana King version[edit]

"I Say a Little Prayer"
Single by Diana King
from the album Think Like a Girl
B-side"Remix"
Released1997
Genre
Length3:34
Label
Songwriter(s)
Diana King singles chronology
"Ain't Nobody"
(1995) 		"I Say a Little Prayer"
(1997) 		"L-L-Lies"
(1997)
Music video
"I Say a Little Prayer" on YouTube

In 1997, Jamaican singer Diana King released a reggae-style cover of "I Say a Little Prayer". It was released as the first single from her second album, Think Like a Girl (1997), and also featured prominently in the comedy My Best Friend's Wedding. The Love to Infinity dance remix popularized the song on radio. King's single reached No. 1 in Hungary,[34] No. 6 in Australia, No. 12 in Norway and No. 17 in the UK.

Critical reception[edit]

Jose F. Promis from AllMusic called the song "excellent" and "driving".[35] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "instantly appealing interpretation", and stated that the song "takes on a saucy and aggressive tone – thanks to the kinetic chemistry between King and producer Andy Marvel, whose beat-smart arrangement gives the kids on the street a reason to pump up the volume." He also complimented British remixers Love to Infinity for doing "a fine job of refashioning the single into a frothy dance ditty, wrapping King's performance in shiny synths and lively beats."[36] The Daily Vault wrote that the Aretha Franklin remake of "I Say a Little Prayer" "is, daresay, better than the original in some respects. King's please-get-lost vocals make for a solid background and power vocals."[37] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted it as "a '90s version of a '60s standard" and a "reggaefied take on the much covered Burt Bacharach/Hal David tune"."[38]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) 6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[39] 22
France (SNEP)[40] 34
Germany (Official German Charts)[41] 73
Hungary (Mahasz)[34] 1
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[42] 16
Ireland (IRMA) 27
Italy (Musica e dischi)[43] 18
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[44] 21
Norway (VG-lista)[45] 12
Scotland (OCC)[46] 26
UK Singles (OCC) 17
US Billboard Hot 100 38
US R&B Singles (Billboard) 68
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard) 8

Other recordings[edit]

Albums and singles[edit]

Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" did not appear on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, although two instrumental versions of the song were Easy Listening chart items in 1968: the first by Sérgio Mendes at No. 21 in the spring of 1968 while that fall Julius Wechter and the Baja Marimba Band took "I Say a Little Prayer" to No. 10.

The 1971 album Anne Murray / Glen Campbell features a medley of "I Say a Little Prayer" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"; the songs are sung in counterpoint to each other, with Murray vocalizing on "I Say a Little Prayer" while Campbell reprises his "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" hit. The track was a minor C&W hit at No. 40 and reached No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. The concept had previously been used on a 1968 single release by Big Dee Irwin and Mamie Galore. Warwick herself sang "I Say a Little Prayer" while Isaac Hayes sang "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" on their joint live album A Man and a Woman (1977).

A version by UK dance act Bomb the Bass (featuring Maureen) in 1988 peaked at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Film, TV, and musical soundtracks[edit]

In 1997, "I Say a Little Prayer" is one of several Bacharach/David songs featured prominently in the comedy My Best Friend's Wedding, which featured both a reggae-style cover by Diana King and a version sung by the film's cast. King's version was released as a single and brought the song back to the top 40 almost thirty years after Dionne Warwick's original, albeit with a No. 38 peak; King's single also reached No. 1 in Hungary,[47] No. 34 in France, and No. 6 in Australia, where the film's soundtrack was a No. 1 album. Cassie Henderson, 14, sung this song for Soul Week on The X-Factor NZ Season 1 Episode 16. A parody of the song with altered lyrics was featured in the 2006 comedy film Date Movie making fun of its use in My Best Friend's Wedding.

It was covered and used in the television show Glee, in the episode "Showmance". It was performed by Dianna Agron as her character Quinn Fabray, with Naya Rivera and Heather Morris dancing backup as Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce, as their audition song to join the glee club. Agron's "I Say a Little Prayer" charted on the UK Singles Chart at number 125.[48]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 49. Nielsen Company. 1967. p. 95. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 610.
  3. ^ a b c Dominic, Serene (2003). Burt Bacharach, song by song: the ultimate Burt Bacharach reference for fans. New York City: Schirmer Trade Books. p. 186. ISBN 0-8256-7280-5.
  4. ^ "-When Recollection Is All We've Got: Analytical Explorations of "Catchy" Songs". Symposium. 1 October 2007.
  5. ^ "CAN Charts > Dionne Warwick". RPM. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  6. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  7. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967". Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  9. ^ "American single certifications – Dionne Warwick – I Say a Little Prayer". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Dueling Divas: Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick Sing Two Classic Versions of 'I Say a Little Prayer' | Open Culture".
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 215.
  12. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Say a Little Prayer". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Aretha Franklin" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  16. ^ a b "Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Aretha Franklin – Se alla lȧtar och listplaceringer – NostalgiListan". Kvällstoppen (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 January 2022 – via nostalgilistan.se.
  19. ^ a b "Aretha Franklin: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  23. ^ "Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer" (in French). Les classement single.
  24. ^ "Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer". Singles Top 100.
  25. ^ "Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ^ "Top 100 1968 – UK Music Charts".
  27. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1968/Top 100 Songs of 1968 | Music Outfitters". musicoutfitters.com.
  28. ^ "Danish single certifications – Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Aretha Franklin; 'I Say a Little Prayer')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Italian single certifications – Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 28 June 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "I Say a Little Prayer" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  31. ^ "Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  32. ^ "British single certifications – Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  33. ^ "American single certifications – Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. 22 November 1997. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  35. ^ Promis, Jose F. "Diana King – Think Like a Girl". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  36. ^ Flick, Larry (21 June 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 73. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  37. ^ "Diana King – Think Like A Girl". The Daily Vault. 21 February 1998. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  38. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 September 1997. p. 19. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  39. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 November 1997. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  40. ^ "Diana King – I Say A Little Prayer" (in French). Les classement single.
  41. ^ "Diana King – I Say A Little Prayer" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  42. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 241 Vikuna 2.10. '97 – 9.10. '97)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 12 July 2018. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  43. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Diana King".
  44. ^ "Diana King – I Say A Little Prayer". Top 40 Singles.
  45. ^ "Diana King – I Say A Little Prayer". VG-lista.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  47. ^ "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  48. ^ "Official Singles Chart for the week ending 27 February 2010". ChartsPlus (444). Liverpool: UKChartsPlus: 1–4. 21 February 2010.
  49. ^ Iahn, Buddy (3 November 2021). "'Sing 2' soundtrack features U2, Tori Kelly, Elton John & others". The Music Universe.

External links[edit]

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