Anyone Who Had a Heart

Album: Anyone Who Had a Heart (1964)
Charted: 42 8
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Songfacts®:

  • This was written by the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It included some unusual time changes, which were according to All Music Guide "5/4, 4/4, to 7/8 and resolving on 5/8 in only eight bars. Bacharach was not aware of the shifting time changes and never bothered counting the bars, regarding seeing whether or not there were eight bars in the first section etc. He once said: "I never paid any attention to a changed time signature. I think it was Dionne who told me the turn-around bar on 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' was in 7/8. She counted it out, and I couldn't believe it. It wasn't intentional, that's just the way it came out." (From Bacharach and David (c)1978 Almo Productions)
  • This was Dionne Warwick's first US Top 10 single.
  • In the UK Cilla Black's cover, which sold over 900,000 copies, became the first UK #1 by a solo female artist since Helen Shapiro's "Walking Back To Happiness" in 1961. A former hatcheck girl at the Cavern Club in Liverpool where the Beatles used to play in the early sixties, Cilla Black went on to become the most successful female singer of the Mersey boom achieving 11 UK Top 10 hits in total. Later she became a leading TV presenter, hosting shows such as Blind Date and Surprise Surprise. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for above 3
  • Burt Bacharach (from Record Collector magazine): "It's very rich, it's very emotional. It's soft, it's loud, it's explosive. It changes time signature constantly, 4/4 to 5/4, and 7/8 bar at the end of the song on the turnaround. It wasn't intentional, it was all just natural. That's the way I felt it."
  • Kenny Vance and The Planotones recorded this for their album Countdown To Love. Vance, who was an original member of Jay & the Americans, says of the song: "I kind of did it like you're sitting in your living room just telling somebody, that's how I interpreted that." (Read more in our interview with Kenny Vance.)

Comments: 15

  • Lilly from York, EnglandGotta learn this for a music GCSE essay question lol
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1964 {January 26th} "Anyone Who Had A Heart"* by Dionne Warwick peaked at #2 {for 3 weeks} on Billboard's Easy Listening chart, for the first week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton and for it 2nd and 3rd weeks at #2, "For You" by Rick Nelson was in the top spot...
    "Anyone Who Had A Heart" reached #8 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Top 100 chart...
    Between 1963 and 1989 the Orange, New Jersey native had forty-five records on the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary chart, twenty-seven made the Top 10 with four reaching #1...
    Nine of her forty-five charted records were duets; two with Jeffery Osborne and one each with The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Luther Vandross, Glenn Jones, Barry Manilow, Kashif, and Howard Hewitt...
    Dionne Warwick, born Marie Dionne Warrick, celebrated her 80th birthday last month on December 12th, 2020...
    * "Anyone Who Had A Heart" was the first of five of her records to reached #2 on the Easy Listening chart...
    And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Easy Listening Top 10 on January 26th, 1964:
    At #3. "For You" by Rick Nelson
    #4. "Popsicles and Icicles" by The Murmaids
    #5. "Forget Him" by Bobby Rydell
    #6. "Whispering" by Nino Tempo & April Stevens
    #7. "As Usual" by Brenda Lee
    #8. "Somewhere" by The Tymes
    #9. "A Fool Never Learns" by Andy Williams
    #10. "Java" by Al Hirt
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 7th 1964, Cilla Black's covered version of "Anyone Who Had A Heart" was at #1 on the United Kingdom's Record Retailer chart; and the records in position #2 to #10 were all English acts, which marked the first time in UK chart history that the Top 10 didn't have any American artist on it.
  • Rotunda from Tulsa, OkI bought the 45 rpm single back in '64 & loved Dionne's vocal expertise on her records. This was early in her career. When I heard it on radio, I had to buy it! 1964 was a big year for music (Beatles, The British Invasion, surf music, hot rod music, folk-rock, R&B, & pop) & Dionne was big too. Cilla Black---honestly, I never heard her cover of this song! My cousin Babette had a Cilla Black 45 of another song, but her voice was so nasal-sounding. Ugh! Dionne's voice is to unique & versatile that I think her original of this song cannot be equaled. Top singer, top composers, and top studio production! Rotunda says "go now----go in pea!"
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 9th 1964, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Dionne Warwick peaked at #8 (for 1 week) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on December 1st, 1963 at position #100 and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #6 on Billboard's R&B Singles and #2 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks charts...
    Ms. Warwick, born Marie Dionne Warrick, celebrated her 73rd birthday two months ago on December 12th (2013).
  • Jon Mckenzie from Sydney, AustraliaI actually thought it started as two thirds and then it went down to a half.
  • Kristian from Cornwall, EnglandWhat pisses me off about all this helpful information....is that it's in need of citation! who can prove they're right then eh.... what about all the kids who are looking for information on the songs for exams etc...???/ imagine learning this song with you time sig description!!!

    This song is actually moving between 9/8 and 6/8 ok!


    The reason poor musicians find it ODD! is because Whoooo....it's got three extra beats stuck on the end of 6/8 ...well that's called 9 ...


    it boild my blood to think this is supposed to be clear concise information.....however....it's a bloody cut 'n' paste job from poorly researched sources...!


    understood!
  • Kristian from Cornwall, EnglandThis was written by the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was the most complex piece of music that Bacharach has possibly ever attempted, with some truly unusual time changes such as 5/4, 4/4, to 7/8 and resolving on 5/8 in only eight bars.



    Bollox.... the chorus is in 6/8 ... ! how come you didn't mention that?
  • Alexander from London, EnglandThis is one of the few songs written in 5/4 time, the other two most notables being the instrumental "Take 5" and "Danny Boy" ("Londonderry Air")
  • Gary from Huntington, WvBeing at the age of 58 it's hard for me to believe that Burt Bacharach is 80 and Hal David is 86. Of course this is just one of many, many songs this team wrote, one of the greatest song writing teams in history. I would love to see them get together and talk about all of there music on TV so that all of us that loves them can see them together on more time.
  • Tony from Devon, EnglandDionne Warwick once complained that Cilla Black's version was an outrageous note-for-note copy and allegedly remarked that if she had coughed in the middle of her recording. Cilla would have done the same!
  • Bob from Boone, NcAnyone who had a heart was not written by Dionne Worwick! Dionne Worwick sang it, but Burt Bacharach wrote it for her to sing!
  • Aj from Cleveland, GaKimberley Locke sung this on the 2nd season of American Idol
  • Vince from Phoenix, AzGorgeous, ornate and complex tune that Dionne Warwick gives her most skilled vocal performance. Phenominal studio carftsmenship and orchestration. Anyone Who Had a Heart and Don't Make Me Over are musts for any 1960's fan.
  • Annabelle from Eugene, OrLuther Vandross covered this song as part of his album, "Always And Forever, The Classics". Very Sweet and Tender.
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