Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: open mike
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 11:43 AM

a Bounder is a fleetwood motor home
http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/bounder/
http://www.bounder.org/

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Bernard
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 11:38 AM

I'll get yer coat...

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: jeffp
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 11:34 AM

Did you actually read the thread, John? If you had, you would have seen that all that information and more was placed there 6 years ago. Thanks for playing, anyway!

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST,John in Runcorn
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 11:24 AM

Cilla Black had a hit in the UK with Alfie and Dionne Warwick recorded it as well as many other artists.

The big screen version was sung by... wait for it... none other than Cher! none of these other versions have come any where near Cilla's version.

Hope that is the info for everyone who wanted to know.

John!

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST,Bob P
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 03:16 PM

Just wanted to add . . .

Stevie Wonder did a breathtakingly beautiful harmonica solo version.

Strangely, though I lean toward the poetic side of folk, and Alfie's lyrics are superb, I prefer SW's wordless version.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Gary T
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 02:02 PM

BigDaddy, I believe you've been zinged. I imagine the words "vehicle" and "cad" in the same line were too much to resist.

Now just what kind of a car is a "Bounder"?

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: BigDaddy
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 12:25 PM

catspaw49, are you unfamiliar with the word "cad," as in "a cad and a bounder?" It's not in reference to the car. It refers to a "ne'er-do-well." Check your dictionary. That is, unless you're just having fun zinging me. In which case consider me chuckling. Cheers.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST,BeeWing
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 11:26 AM

I knew I could count on you folks. A BIG -a-thank-a-YOUS!! ...and Helen , whoever you are...You're amazing. ...and point well taken, I never realized the song was simply "ALFIE" - coulda helped me in my original search!. On behalf of Mother Beeswing, Merci.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 06:22 AM

Thanks Helen, but I see no mention of a Cadillac OR a Citroen.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 04:00 AM

Definitely Priscilla White herself - I can still hear the nasal scouse twang echoing in my ear'oles...

D the G

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Helen
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 03:45 AM

Hi guys,

You were all partly right.

Helen

http://rhino.com/features/liners/75339lin.html

20.Alfie Cilla Black (Burt Bacharach/Hal David)

Musical Direction & Arrangement: Burt Bacharach Produced by George Martin Capitol single #5674 (8/66) * Pop #95 "If you press me for what my favorite song is, the one I'm most proud of, that just about is number one." That's what Burt Bacharach said about "Alfie" on the One Amazing Night telecast that aired on the TNT network during the first half of 1998.

The song was written for the Michael Caine film Alfie. "I saw the script of Alfie, I didn't see the film," says Hal David. "Burt was in Los Angeles and I was in New York. I called Burt, and I asked him if the script and the film were pretty much the same. He said 'yes,' so I felt comfortable working off the story in the script. I wrote a lot of the lyric and gave it to Burt."

Bacharach struggled with the music to accompany Hal's (exceptional) words. "That was a tough song," he told KCRW's Chris Douridas. "[It] took me three weeks to write." Once the song was done, Burt flew to England to record it at Abbey Road with Beatles producer George Martin and the Liverpool-bred, Brian Epstein-managed girl singer Cilla Black.

Cilla may have earned Dionne Warwick's eternal chagrin (due to Cilla's soundalike U.K. hit of "Anyone Who Had A Heart"), but Burt seemed to harbor few ill feelings as he took the singer through the paces of recording "Alfie." As seen in the BBC-TV documentary This Is Now, Burt himself played the piano, conducted the orchestra, and coached the singer simultaneously, pushing a weary Cilla for take after take. "I certainly wouldn't have done it for a Quasimodo," Cilla said in the documentary. "[I did it] because it was Burt, and he was gorgeous and so talented, and I enjoyed his company anyway."

George Martin, who produced the session, claims the British filmmakers turned down the song (!) for inclusion on the movie soundtrack. American prints of the movie later contained Cher's version of the song, produced in Sonny's shaggy pseudo-Wall of Sound style. Dionne recorded the song almost a year later with Burt in New York (the only version to become a sizable hit on the U.S. charts). "I didn't want to record it," she says. "I told them, 'How many versions do you need?'"

Like "A House Is Not A Home," "Alfie" is a genuine standard -- not just an orchestral pop classic, or a '60s oldie, or a bit of lovable kitsch. Due to Hal's brilliant lyric and an astonishingly sympathetic Bacharach melody, the song will certainly outlive us all.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Gary T
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 02:01 AM

By the way, I'm pretty sure that the name of the song is simply "Alfie". That may help in looking for a recording of it.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Gary T
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 01:54 AM

As mentioned above, Dionne Warwick certainly had a U.S. chart hit with this song. Other recordings, such as those Bugsy suggested , may not have been played much here in the States.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Bugsy
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 01:12 AM

OK It was recorded by Cilla Black but I think the original screen version was done by Millicent Martin of "That Was The Week That Was" fame.

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: catspaw49
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 01:08 AM

I can't believe the number of screwups on this one.....LOL....Glad I'm not the only one along with Bert suffering from CRS Syndrome!!! And you too Big Daddy....I'd point out that although you correctly state it was not a Peter Seller's vehicle, Michael Caine is also NOT a Cadillac. The Peter Sellers vehicle in the "Panther" series was mainly a Citroen.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: BigDaddy
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 12:26 AM

Not a Peter Sellers vehicle. Michael Caine was the cad.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Seth
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:53 PM

Dionne Warwick had the hit. I don't know who sang it in the movie "Alfie" that Peter Sellers was in in the sixties

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:50 PM

Obviously many people sang the song, but the big pop recording was (as beth said) by Dionne Warwick.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:46 PM

No, Maybe it was shirley bassy

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:29 PM

was it lulu

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: John Hardly
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:27 PM

...knew the second I hit submit that I was wrong. I'm going to bed
John

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST,Beth Cornell
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:21 PM

The original singer of that song was Dionne Warwick.

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: John Hardly
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:14 PM

..from Dog World--"What is in you mouth, Alfie?"

That great folk songstress Barbara (I demand my political speech get heard if not on Baba Wawa, then on Rosie) Streisand I before E except after C or when sounding like A as in neighbor or way or if you just don't care.

John Hardly a fan

Subject: RE: Help: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST,Luther
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 11:03 PM

Cher sang on the original soundtrack, in a rather cheesy '60s pop-rock arrangement. Seemed like an odd choice, it's a good tune.

I'd guess it's been recorded many times since. Why not try a search at www.cdnow.com, that may turn up more versions.

Subject: Who sang 'What's it all about Alfie?'
From: GUEST,BeesWing
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 10:45 PM

OK...at risk of being BOOOOED outta mudcat-ville, I have come with such a request out of total desperation. I KNOW this song wasn't anything CLOSE to being traditional. I know that ...but you see, I done bin everywhere else on the web tonight and ( sobbing into tattered hankie) and,...well, I promised me mum that I would FIND out for her just who DID sing that song. She's finally realizing her dream of persueing her musical passions through senior's university classes and this is her assignment ... If no one here knows exactly WHO did record that song, maybe someone can tell me where I can go to find out? Thanks, guys. Love BeesWing