Alfie
Burt, Cilla & Dionne
Cilla Black was the cloakroom attendant in The Cavern and an aspirant singer. Following Napoleon’s dictum Her first single, Love of the Loved had been a relative flop, despite having a Lennon-McCartney credit. It was essentially a early Paul composition: workman like and popular live but lacking distinction.
It was George Martin who suggested Bacharach and David’s Anyone Who Had a Heart for her second single, specifically for the UK market. This reached number one much to the chagrin of one Ms D. Warwick who only scraped into the US Billboard Top Ten.
Nonetheless as the house diva for Bacharach and David, Dionne had first option on what would prove to be an even bigger hit, Alfie.
At this point Paramount stuck their oar in, demanding an English singer for the Cockney scoundrel’s theme tune. And Englishness was not Dionne’s strong suit.
Burt was now in a bind, having no option but to face the wrath of the famously fiery Ms Warwick. He ditched Dionne Burt racked his considerable musical brain for a swinging songbird from Swinging London. Or Liverpool, of course, the two cities being now twinned for showbiz purposes
Sandy Shaw looked the part — and there were rumours she had first refusal. But Cilla had done a fine job on Anyone Who Had a Heart and Bacharach (a horse racing enthusiast) generally went with the form book. He contacted Brian Epstein who brought the glad tidings to his client.
Cilla was less than thrilled. “I got a demo from Brian Epstein, with some fella singing Alfie. I said to Brian, I can’t do this. For a start, ‘Alfie’, I mean, you call your dog Alfie.”
She had a point. As I type this another Alfie is prowling my lounge in search of a snack. There are plenty of human Alfies now but in the mid 1960s the moniker was very unhip: think hardware store proprietor in brown overall with a pencil behind his ear.
Epstein was aghast. Black sings Bacharach for major new film? If that wasn’t a surefire hit what was? But Ms Black played hardball.
“I said I’d only do it if Burt Bacharach himself did the arrangement, never thinking for one moment that he would. [When] the reply came back from America that he’d be happy to. … I said I would only do it if Burt came over to London for the recording session. ‘Yes,’ came the reply.
Still Cilla wouldn’t take yes for an answer.
Next I said that as well as the arrangements and coming over, he had to play [piano] on the session. To my astonishment it was agreed that Burt would do all three. So by this time, coward that I was, I really couldn’t back out.”
So Burt flew to London. On 22 February 1966 the recording session took place at Studio One, Abbey Road. For the twenty-two year old singer it was an intimidating setup.
Cilla standing in a vocal booth facing composer/conductor Burt Bacharach on the piano. Behind him was a 24-piece orchestra of some of the finest classical player in the country.
It was a long way from the cloakroom at The Cavern — and Burt was not taking any prisoners. There was only going to be one boss in a Bacharach recording session. And it wasn’t going to be be George Martin, never mind the young woman from the Scotty Road, Liverpool.
It proved to be a gruelling recording session. But it produced an incredible vocal performance.
Burt was delighted with the result. Paul McCartney was impressed, too, and Bacharach’s influence can clearly be heard on ‘Step Inside Love, the song he wrote to launch the Cilla Black Show.
Dionne Warwick — not so much. Speaking during her farewell UK tour in 2019, four years after the passing of her rival, she said:
she did a little thing called Alfie,’ Dionne added. ‘I was the 47th person to record Alfie, and I must say I’m very proud I’m the only one to have a hit record with it. That included Cilla.’
And a Happy New Year to you, too, Dionne.
