Songfacts®:

• Originally recorded by Dionne Warwick, Cilla Black's powerful rendition of Bacharach and David's "Anyone Who Had a Heart" soared to #1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964. It was the first UK chart-topper by a solo female artist since Helen Shapiro's "Walkin' Back To Happiness" three years earlier.
• The single was a commercial juggernaut, selling over 900,000 copies and solidifying its place as one of the best-selling singles of all time by a British female artist. "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was also a big hit internationally, topping the charts in Ireland, where it was the first #1 on the official Irish singles chart by a female act. It also reached the summit in New Zealand and South Africa.
• Before her singing career took off, Cilla Black worked as a hat-check girl at Liverpool's legendary Cavern Club, where The Beatles frequently performed. The idea to cover "Anyone Who Had a Heart" came from The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, who had heard Dionne Warwick's version during a trip to the United States. Cilla, an avid follower of the US charts, was already familiar with the song.
• When Brian Epstein presented the song to George Martin, the producer initially suggested it would be more suitable for Shirley Bassey. However, Epstein insisted on Cilla, leading Martin to commission Johnny Pearson for an orchestration.
  
  Johnny Pearson's arrangement, characterized by its pensive opening and dramatic, shrieking finish, perfectly complemented Cilla's vocal range. The arrangement kept the feel of the original but replaced the saxophone solo with a bassoon.
• Dionne Warwick, whose original version reached #42 in the UK, was critical of Cilla's cover. "I introduced the song at the Olympia Theatre in Paris," she recalled. "In the audience were Paul McCartney and Brian Epstein, who rushed back to England and recorded a little girl whose name was Cilla Black."
  
  "Of course, I thought that was quite unfair, in that my recording never received the same kind of airplay because Cilla jumped the gun," Warwick added. "So after that, I didn't like her too much."
• The song's success cemented Black's status as the most successful female singer of the Merseybeat era. Over her career, she scored 11 UK Top 10 hits before transitioning into television, where she became a household name hosting Blind Date and Surprise Surprise.
• "Anyone Who Had A Heart" re-entered the UK chart at #41 in August 2015 following Black's passing.