I’m convinced Whitney stood in the wings as a little girl and studied her Auntie… EVERY SHOW. I know they are family but the similarities are astounding… The phrasing, breathe control and command of the voice. Even the way she brushes her hair out of her face
@@henriquecosta1441 Correct, although she called her Aunt. My mom was youngest of seven kids (like most families had in old days) so I had first cousins who were in college or even older when I was in kindergarten so I thought of them as Uncle or Aunt rather than Cuz.
@@reneefaison5738 This song was written for Dionne. Her version is definitely the best one by far and wide. Cynthia’s rendition was beautiful and technically impeccable, but it doesn’t match the depth of the original, which is fine since it was just a tribute for Dionne.
I grew up as a little black boy in Durham, North Carolina in the early 60's listening and loving Dionne Warwick's music. Some blacks thought her music was too white due to their ignorance and jealousy. Ms. Warwick sold over 100 million records and broke the color barrier with her crossover music. Your Kennedy Center Award last December 2023 was long overdue and you should have been recognized long before Diana Ross, Queen Latifah, and others. Dionne Warwick's fan, February 15, 2024.
I grew up a poor white boy in a small town in North Carolina and remember as a 14 year-old being blown away by 'Don't Make Me Over' then again by 'Anyone Who Had A Heart'. Maybe Dionne's music did lean toward a white audience but it certainly helped inform me of how wonderful R&B music was and I was hooked for life. Later in the Army I had lots of black friends and we listened to and discussed R&B and pop music. Music draws us together and Dionne Warwick was a big component of that. She is still my favorite singer of all time.
I was a young black girl growing up in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. We in D.C. loved her - never any talk about her sounding too white. We listened to everything from black and white artists. Remember that was a time before the radio stations compartmentalized music. You could hear Country one minute, Gospel the next and R&B right after. I love classic songs with lyrics and melody, what some people call the "American Songbook." Burt wrote them and Dionne sang the heck out of them. And I totally agree with you Dionne should have been awarded before those other ladies. She was a trailblazer and she opened up the business for the others to come through.
I heard of that, in the Caribbean we love Dionne's music plus which white singer can sing on her level, so how is her music to white. Her music is brilliant.
Dionne was unmatched in her prime. Her poise, her beauty, her grace, her stage presence, her facial emoting, her microphone holding, her pace, her phrasing, and most of all her vocal control. A true vocal talent and ultimate superstar!
Yes and I think this is why her and Aretha had such a strained friendship. It pains me to say it, but I do believe Aretha was jealous in the early years. She had no reason to be though, that is the sad part. Dionne was pop and glamorous, model and Aretha was the soul, church girl and I think she wanted more at the time they were both making their way.
The lyrics by Hal David in Alfie are amazing… "Are we meant to take more than we give, or are we meant to be kind? And if only fools are kind, Alfie, then I guess it is wise to be cruel." In one stanza he encapsulates the human dilemma
Dionne Warwick was a great treat of my childhood, every time she appeared on television-which was often. She and Burt Bacharach also treated each other with a great respect that somehow managed to also be light and easy-going.
She just did most of the firsts in the pop arena. She was also the best -selling female artist of America for 7 consecutive years and sold 20 best-selling albums in 6 years after her debut.
@@lovebug3078 Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love me some Dionne Warwick. Her vocal gymnastics dazzle me to no end. Nobody, but nobody is more exquisitely poignant! 💫 But somehow, the older I get the more I’m impacted by Nancy Wilson’s version. It feels like a hard punch to the gut. She cuts to the CORE with ONE note, like she’s addressing me PERSONALLY!! Like I’M Alfie, and I’m totally BUSTED!!! She’s killing me (not so) softly with that darn song! By the end, I’m left wallowing in my own bullsh💩t, seeking redemption 🤷🏾💦
Cynthia Erivo was the perfect choice to sing this song as a tribute to Dionne Warwick. She definitely did it justice but no one can touch the original.
I admit that “Alfie” introduced me to Cynthia Erivo. So delightful that the President and First Lady once again attend the Kennedy Center Honors. Seems to me that would be a great treat of the world’s most stressful job. I’ll never forget President Obama’s tears as Aretha sang “Natural Woman,” and Carole King didn’t hide an iota of delight.
I love Hal David's response to the interviewer who asked if he and Burt Bacharach sometimes wrote for Dionne. "All our songs were written with her voice in mind."
i grew up on Dionne singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David's songs. none to compare with the passion of the music and lyrics she gave these songs. she knew they were more than music and words.
My dad loved Dionne Warwick and I can see why. I am sad I couldn't appreciate her more when my dad was alive so we could listen to her together. I guess I will just stay here and listen to her myself, hoping my dad, wherever he is, feels proud. After all I got my music taste from him. 💖
She really is the epitome of sophisticated soul and elegance. A soulful and powerful voice that is imbued with a richness, guts and passion. Her stage presence is commanding ❤
This is when the music industry represented true singing, talent, songwriting, performing live ability. Dionne is a true legend. The cigarettes have damaged her voice but her music is classic and everlasting. Today’s singers should tribute and study the singers that paved the way for them: Ella, Sarah, Billie, Aretha, Dionne, Gladys, Patti, Natalie, Chaka, Diana, Whitney, Barbara, Roberta, Anita too name a few
She is literally telling an extremely complex story with every breath, every phrase and every customized time signature change on her command! Her and the pianist are acting as one incredible brain, a unit. It's magical and unbelievable. And you have to remember, she is basically questioning the meaning of life in this song. As well as morality regarding the titular character in the movie this song was written for. 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 🙌🙌🙌💕💕💕
Something so enchanting about the camera work here--you can see every trace of emotion that passes through her. Her face extends outside the frame just as her voice does.
DIONNE WARWICK singing ALFIE is the Ultimate and Incredible perfection of this song . Her vocals are amazing and her sound is one of a kind ~ One of THE GREATEST Female Vocalist ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've heard Cilla Black's version barbara Streisand version but none of them move me like this dionne's performance. She seemed locked in another place and space and she takes you there with her. When the audience applauses she is slowly jolted to this dimension as I was too. Otherworldly.
I listened to this as a child, but revisiting it as an adult I could see it as a conversation with Alfie the wayward lover. Each time she says Alfie, it’s different. She questions, implores, instructs and pleads. Incredible! I love her even more now.
I'll always liken the iconic Dionne Warwick's voice to the legendary Serena Williams' serve. It's never about speed or volume but placement. Dionne, like Serena, knows where to place her notes perfectly, just as Serena knows where to place her serve on any tennis court. Marvelous!
something about this rendition is absolutely mesmerizing…. yet haunting. the lyrics make you ponder on love but the way she performs the song in this instance absolutely makes you internalize the meaning even more than any other way of singing it. the emotion, expression, everything just beautiful.
I get chills....nobody has this kind of vocal control....I really think this is one of the best vocal performances I've ever heard..... the song, like many of Bacharach & David's songs are, is quite difficult to sing well.... and Dionne sails through it effortlessly....her voice is a miracle. ❤ If you loved this she performed "Make it Easy on Yourself" on the same evening... video is here on RUclips... It's nothing short of brilliant.
Don't get me wrong- Cynthia's tribute was absolutely amazing and her complete mastery of dynamics and control is virtually unparalleled, but what was missing from that and is so abundantly clear in this performance is the lyrical understanding. To be fair, I'm not sure if Cynthia was super familiar with this song- it's not one of Dionne's massive hits like "Say a Little Prayer", "A House is Not a Home", or "San Jose", but it's always been one of my faves, and, for ME, personally, absolutely nobody interprets it like Dionne.
This song can have many different interpretations. Indeed, Dionne is attributed with singing it in different interpretations. Every time she sings it. I think that Cynthia had immensely lyrical understanding, maybe it wasn’t the kind of understanding you were looking for, but she had a definite interpretation and knew what she was singing about.
Also, we do respect, I’m pretty sure as a musical theater performer, Cynthia always approaches a song with her best lyrical interpretation. She doesn’t just sing to show off a voice. She puts meaning to the words.
What a beautiful rendition! My name is Alfred. My older sister when I was a kid would teasingly sing this beautiful song to me. And I have to admit, I didn’t care for it, but that all changed as I got older. Now it is one of favorites, especially when sung by Dionne. ❤
It’s mine as well. My grandfather’s name. He was an upright man even in tough circumstances. Bearing and hearing his first & last names make me feel a connection to him that makes me do right. This song embodies him perfectly.
Stunning; the way she holds back and takes her time - squeezing every nuance and texture out of every note. She doesn’t follow the orchestra, it follows her. A true songstress who knows EXACTLY what she’s doing. Such an impeccable performance.
Absolutely sensational performance. Dionne truly owned this performance. Her voice just draws you in and every breath is captivating! This is real singing right here!
It’s incredible the nuances that she finds in this song. Her ever changing phrasing is the best of all the singers that I heard perform “Allie.” Dionne Warwick is a song stylist not just a singer.
This Lady, this gift, a once in a lifetime talent. I love the fact that she received her flowers while still present . Wow! Undeniable presence to go along with a very special voice. Love you my Sista!
I Love Love Love D.W. This Isn't The Best Version. I'm So Sorry. I was Written for Cilla Black And She Sang it Best. D.wW Goes In towards the End. C.B Starts and Finish...
@@Kittiipositive Actually, Burt and Hal wrote it for Dionne but the people who were distributing the movie didn't want an American singer to sing it since it was made by a British company.
@@KittiipositiveI absolutely agree with you. Dionne is good, but she 'performs' the song. (Our 😊) Cilla she knew how to SING this song, with all her heart, and the fragility necessary to make this the song what it's meant to be. It was Cilla at her best
No, No he came to Celia 1st. In 1966 she said she was running around with the Beatles and parting and the Song was too slow for her. He then went to Dionne. She said he came to her 2x again in 1967.
Maybe one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen on the internet??? Completely floored, thank you Dionne Warwick for performing from so deep within the music and sharing it with the world.
Bert wrote the wonderful music but Hal David wrote the lyrics. Nobody sang it better than Dionne although Cilla Black did the creditable version used on the soundtrack - the film producers wanted a British singer.
Ms. Dionne Warwick truly made this song a hit - no denying, However, please see Cynthia Enrivo’s rendition and tribute to Dionne Warwick at the December 2023 Kennedy Center Honors. I believe Ms. Enrivo is deserving of an ovation 👏🏾
What's it all about, Alfie? Is it just for the moment we live? What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie? Are we meant to take more than we give or are we meant to be kind? And if only fools are kind, Alfie, Then I guess it's wise to be cruel. And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie, What will you lend on an old golden rule? As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie, I know there's something much more, Something even non-believers can believe in. I believe in love, Alfie. Without true love we just exist, Alfie. Until you find the love you've missed you're nothing, Alfie. When you walk let your heart lead the way And you'll find love any day, Alfie, Alfie.
Dionne puts so much meaning into this - she gets the true character of Alfie - (charming and boyishly appealing he is but at the same time Alfie is also immature and treacherously cruel)
This is the most "Whitney" Dionne Warwick song ever. I can hear the similarities in tone and never really have before. I now they are cousins, but now I can truly hear it.
Una de las grandes voces de todos los tiempos indiscutiblemente. Su voz, su estilo y su maestría ya figuran en un puesto de honor en la historia de la música. Enhorabuena Dionne!!!, tu lugar en el Olimpo de las mejores voces de la historia ya lo tienes.
I've listened to Dionne for 25 years, but just seeing her do this on film and making it look like it was the most natural thing in the world to have this kind of vocal control, it's a little mind-blowing. She was really at the top of her game here. Dionne is hardly underrated, but anyone studying 20th century popular music should check out this performance to better understand of what she was capable of as a concert singer.
She is so smooth with this version wow it feels like she’s floating along the lyrics… as though her words and her voice are separate yet married moving in their own paces but together still???
Grew up hearing Dionne Warwick on the record player in our house. She was my mother’s favourite singer. Whenever I hear Dionne, I think of my mother, who left us in 2022. 😢
As a vocalist, Ms Warwick is stellar. She is definitely a major influence to her niece, Whitney Houston. I think of her in the same way as I do of the late and great Sarah Vaughn: memorable and irreplaceable.
Hearing Dionne Warwick sing 'Alfie' is so rich in texture and imagery. It's like a mother consoling her son who's going through a serious heartbreak. It's like two lovers having a difficult but much needed conversation. It's like experiencing the final moments before a breakup. Like some of the other comments have said - this version cannot be matched. ❤💔❤
Cynthia Ervio’s rendition of this song sent me searching for the original by Dionne Warwick…and wooow, I’m speechless! Simply beautiful! ❤️
Same here
Same here
Seconded , literally found a new favorite
You have to listen to her original recording!!! Dionne the legendary!! Cynthia captured her essence magnificently!!
Same
Cynthia brought me here. And I feel so lucky she did.
same here.
Same
Same actually! Never seen this video before….
The best. What poignancy and vocal control.
Me too
I’m convinced Whitney stood in the wings as a little girl and studied her Auntie… EVERY SHOW. I know they are family but the similarities are astounding… The phrasing, breathe control and command of the voice. Even the way she brushes her hair out of her face
@@musicismylife9370 Listen also to Cissy Houston. Great Gospel singer and once a singer on Elvis tours. Amazing talent in that family.
100%
Dionne was Whitneys cousin not aunt tho. You are right lots of similarities
@@henriquecosta1441 Correct, although she called her Aunt. My mom was youngest of seven kids (like most families had in old days) so I had first cousins who were in college or even older when I was in kindergarten so I thought of them as Uncle or Aunt rather than Cuz.
Dionne was a great influence to Whitney, she went on tour with Dionne during the summer of every year
Cynthia’s version was beautiful but Dionne’s is simply unmatched. Wow, just wow!
Yes unmatched forever
There’s no comparison because there doesn’t need to be! Both renditions are impressive and impeccable!💖
@@reneefaison5738 This song was written for Dionne. Her version is definitely the best one by far and wide. Cynthia’s rendition was beautiful and technically impeccable, but it doesn’t match the depth of the original, which is fine since it was just a tribute for Dionne.
Dionne owns this. Her emotional articulation is elegant and superb. In short, she sings this so beautifully, it moves me.
💯
I grew up as a little black boy in Durham, North Carolina in the early 60's listening and loving Dionne Warwick's music. Some blacks thought her music was too white due to their ignorance and jealousy. Ms. Warwick sold over 100 million records and broke the color barrier with her crossover music. Your Kennedy Center Award last December 2023 was long overdue and you should have been recognized long before Diana Ross, Queen Latifah, and others. Dionne Warwick's fan, February 15, 2024.
Durham represent!
@@junkerinhistrunker Bull City in the House living in New York City the last 50 years.😁
I grew up a poor white boy in a small town in North Carolina and remember as a 14 year-old being blown away by 'Don't Make Me Over' then again by 'Anyone Who Had A Heart'. Maybe Dionne's music did lean toward a white audience but it certainly helped inform me of how wonderful R&B music was and I was hooked for life. Later in the Army I had lots of black friends and we listened to and discussed R&B and pop music. Music draws us together and Dionne Warwick was a big component of that. She is still my favorite singer of all time.
I was a young black girl growing up in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. We in D.C. loved her - never any talk about her sounding too white. We listened to everything from black and white artists. Remember that was a time before the radio stations compartmentalized music. You could hear Country one minute, Gospel the next and R&B right after. I love classic songs with lyrics and melody, what some people call the "American Songbook." Burt wrote them and Dionne sang the heck out of them. And I totally agree with you Dionne should have been awarded before those other ladies. She was a trailblazer and she opened up the business for the others to come through.
I heard of that, in the Caribbean we love Dionne's music plus which white singer can sing on her level, so how is her music to white. Her music is brilliant.
Dionne was unmatched in her prime. Her poise, her beauty, her grace, her stage presence, her facial emoting, her microphone holding, her pace, her phrasing, and most of all her vocal control. A true vocal talent and ultimate superstar!
Pureanalysis
Yes and I think this is why her and Aretha had such a strained friendship. It pains me to say it, but I do believe Aretha was jealous in the early years. She had no reason to be though, that is the sad part. Dionne was pop and glamorous, model and Aretha was the soul, church girl and I think she wanted more at the time they were both making their way.
It looks personal
Amen!
She couda been a super model on top of all that. What a beauty.
Who's also here because of Cynthia Erivo's Tribute at the Kennedy Centre performance... ❤
Astounding women I tell you!
Same!
The ladies in blue SANG SANG!
Yesss
Cynthia's rendition was amazing but I do really enjoy the softness in tone that is missing from today's singers
me!
Jesus Christ, no wonder she's a Kennedy Center Honoree... this was absolutely sublime.
The lyrics by Hal David in Alfie are amazing… "Are we meant to take more than we give, or are we meant to be kind? And if only fools are kind, Alfie, then I guess it is wise to be cruel." In one stanza he encapsulates the human dilemma
00:40
Without true love, we just exist. {chills}
Perfectly stated. My friend,, you are wise beyond your years.
You'll have to go to the Bible to find more beautiful, profound and true words. One of David/Bacharach's most wonderful compositions.
Yes ma'am. Beautiful lyrics. "When you walk, let your heart lead the way". That should be a motto for us all.
I’m too young to know Dionne Warwicks career but watching this you can immediately tell why she is a legend
Dionne Warwick was a great treat of my childhood, every time she appeared on television-which was often. She and Burt Bacharach also treated each other with a great respect that somehow managed to also be light and easy-going.
Yes she is . Legend
Iconic at that!! She is a masterpiece!!
She just did most of the firsts in the pop arena. She was also the best -selling female artist of America for 7 consecutive years and sold 20 best-selling albums in 6 years after her debut.
GenX and Millennials missed out
She is the only singer that can do justice to this song with her grace, poise, and confidence.; no other singer comes close. She is ALFIE!
Exactly she is Alfie
I thought so too, until Nancy Wilson’s version left me in tears 😢
Absolutely!!! She reigns!!
@@lovebug3078 Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love me some Dionne Warwick. Her vocal gymnastics dazzle me to no end.
Nobody, but nobody is more exquisitely poignant! 💫
But somehow, the older I get the more I’m impacted by Nancy Wilson’s version.
It feels like a hard punch to the gut. She cuts to the CORE with ONE note, like she’s addressing me PERSONALLY!!
Like I’M Alfie, and I’m totally BUSTED!!!
She’s killing me (not so) softly with that darn song! By the end, I’m left wallowing in my own bullsh💩t, seeking redemption 🤷🏾💦
You got that right
Cynthia Erivo was the perfect choice to sing this song as a tribute to Dionne Warwick. She definitely did it justice but no one can touch the original.
I admit that “Alfie” introduced me to Cynthia Erivo. So delightful that the President and First Lady once again attend the Kennedy Center Honors. Seems to me that would be a great treat of the world’s most stressful job. I’ll never forget President Obama’s tears as Aretha sang “Natural Woman,” and Carole King didn’t hide an iota of delight.
My mom died when I was 5 months old. Her name.....Elfia. I love this song.
Beautiful name, your mum bless her.
❤
I love Hal David's response to the interviewer who asked if he and Burt Bacharach sometimes wrote for Dionne. "All our songs were written with her voice in mind."
Dionne is the voice that to me represents female strength, dignity and grace.
close seconds would be Barbra and Whitney
@@RubyBandUSA
* Barbara 🧐
What a beautiful song
@@evanwolf6618Whitney could outsing Barbra in her prime years. She learnt from her cousin Dionne and mother Cissy.
Beautifully said.
THAT'S WHY SHE IS DIONNE WARWICK !!
or Dionne Warrick
@@pthesmith Definitely Warrick😏
Nobody can sing Alfie as good as Dionne Warwick ❤
Nope...not when it was composed for her.
cilla black
Cilla Black's rendition also shows Bacharach's original intentions.
Or as well
If “take your time” was a person ✨✨✨✨
i grew up on Dionne singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David's songs. none to compare with the passion of the music and lyrics she gave these songs. she knew they were more than music and words.
My dad loved Dionne Warwick and I can see why. I am sad I couldn't appreciate her more when my dad was alive so we could listen to her together. I guess I will just stay here and listen to her myself, hoping my dad, wherever he is, feels proud. After all I got my music taste from him. 💖
Here is the gold standard for this beautiful song...
Only Dionne can give justice to this song.....impeccable.
I've never heard such a wonderful "Alfie". Dionne is the real singer.
She sang the original.
The best of the best but better than Cilla, Cher and Dusty……. 👍🥂
She really is the epitome of sophisticated soul and elegance. A soulful and powerful voice that is imbued with a richness, guts and passion. Her stage presence is commanding ❤
This is when the music industry represented true singing, talent, songwriting, performing live ability. Dionne is a true legend. The cigarettes have damaged her voice but her music is classic and everlasting. Today’s singers should tribute and study the singers that paved the way for them: Ella, Sarah, Billie, Aretha, Dionne, Gladys, Patti, Natalie, Chaka, Diana, Whitney, Barbara, Roberta, Anita too name a few
Then explain Cilla the surprise surprise lady then
And Phoebe
She is literally telling an extremely complex story with every breath, every phrase and every customized time signature change on her command! Her and the pianist are acting as one incredible brain, a unit. It's magical and unbelievable. And you have to remember, she is basically questioning the meaning of life in this song. As well as morality regarding the titular character in the movie this song was written for. 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 🙌🙌🙌💕💕💕
These stirring lyrics rank up there along with modern classics such as my humps, my humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps.
stop saying literally
@@garyrobertson6778 literally
The ending Alfie is so hauntingly beautiful
Something so enchanting about the camera work here--you can see every trace of emotion that passes through her. Her face extends outside the frame just as her voice does.
DIONNE WARWICK singing ALFIE is the Ultimate and Incredible perfection of this song . Her vocals are amazing and her sound is one of a kind ~
One of THE GREATEST Female Vocalist ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This feels like her most personal vision of the song she recorded and sang so many times. Just exquisite.
I've heard Cilla Black's version barbara Streisand version but none of them move me like this dionne's performance. She seemed locked in another place and space and she takes you there with her. When the audience applauses she is slowly jolted to this dimension as I was too. Otherworldly.
She takes you on such a beautiful journey.
well said
Yes
This is the definition of Iconic music.
I'm here watching this because I had to see what inspired Cynthia Erivo to tear down the Kennedy Center Honors stage like that!! I get it now!
I listened to this as a child, but revisiting it as an adult I could see it as a conversation with Alfie the wayward lover. Each time she says Alfie, it’s different. She questions, implores, instructs and pleads. Incredible! I love her even more now.
Amazing 👏
I absolutely love Dionne Warwick. Alfie is one of her best. Love music in those days.
I'll always liken the iconic Dionne Warwick's voice to the legendary Serena Williams' serve. It's never about speed or volume but placement. Dionne, like Serena, knows where to place her notes perfectly, just as Serena knows where to place her serve on any tennis court. Marvelous!
This song, her voice, literally saved my sanity tonight.
Amen 🙏
something about this rendition is absolutely mesmerizing…. yet haunting. the lyrics make you ponder on love but the way she performs the song in this instance absolutely makes you internalize the meaning even more than any other way of singing it. the emotion, expression, everything just beautiful.
😮😮0
master class in technic, breathing, timing and poise💖
Exactly 👍🏾👏🏾
💯
I get chills....nobody has this kind of vocal control....I really think this is one of the best vocal performances I've ever heard..... the song, like many of Bacharach & David's songs are, is quite difficult to sing well.... and Dionne sails through it effortlessly....her voice is a miracle. ❤ If you loved this she performed "Make it Easy on Yourself" on the same evening... video is here on RUclips... It's nothing short of brilliant.
Don't get me wrong- Cynthia's tribute was absolutely amazing and her complete mastery of dynamics and control is virtually unparalleled, but what was missing from that and is so abundantly clear in this performance is the lyrical understanding. To be fair, I'm not sure if Cynthia was super familiar with this song- it's not one of Dionne's massive hits like "Say a Little Prayer", "A House is Not a Home", or "San Jose", but it's always been one of my faves, and, for ME, personally, absolutely nobody interprets it like Dionne.
But no one can sing it like Dion w
Only Dionne ❤
It had no soul though her voice was clear.
This song can have many different interpretations. Indeed, Dionne is attributed with singing it in different interpretations. Every time she sings it. I think that Cynthia had immensely lyrical understanding, maybe it wasn’t the kind of understanding you were looking for, but she had a definite interpretation and knew what she was singing about.
Also, we do respect, I’m pretty sure as a musical theater performer, Cynthia always approaches a song with her best lyrical interpretation. She doesn’t just sing to show off a voice. She puts meaning to the words.
What a beautiful rendition! My name is Alfred. My older sister when I was a kid would teasingly sing this beautiful song to me. And I have to admit, I didn’t care for it, but that all changed as I got older. Now it is one of favorites, especially when sung by Dionne. ❤
It’s mine as well. My grandfather’s name. He was an upright man even in tough circumstances. Bearing and hearing his first & last names make me feel a connection to him that makes me do right. This song embodies him perfectly.
Signature Dione Warwick.
Stunning; the way she holds back and takes her time - squeezing every nuance and texture out of every note. She doesn’t follow the orchestra, it follows her. A true songstress who knows EXACTLY what she’s doing. Such an impeccable performance.
It just doesn't get any better than this...This is coming from the pit of the soul, thank you Dionne.
💯
Nothing even comes close to this highlygifted beautiful one.
Do you see the ease of her singing? Her mouth is hardly moving. She really knows HOW to sing. And she’s sooo expressive!
Absolutely sensational performance. Dionne truly owned this performance. Her voice just draws you in and every breath is captivating! This is real singing right here!
Just watched Cynthia Erivo's brilliant Kennedy Center tribute of this song but had to come back to the original. Dionne you are an absolute treasure!!
A voice from Heaven. No one can ever come close to her voice. It is unique and so so SOPHISTICATED.
It’s incredible the nuances that she finds in this song. Her ever changing phrasing is the best of all the singers that I heard perform “Allie.” Dionne Warwick is a song stylist not just a singer.
Listening to this crying like a baby 🥹😭👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
This Lady, this gift, a once in a lifetime talent. I love the fact that she received her flowers while still present . Wow! Undeniable presence to go along with a very special voice. Love you my Sista!
Stunning and spectacular. Wow! Such a beautiful spirit. Pristine notes.
The one and only DW in one of her very best renditions of this Bacharach classic "ALFIE".. ❤🌹
I Love Love Love D.W. This Isn't The Best Version. I'm So Sorry. I was Written for Cilla Black And She Sang it Best. D.wW Goes In towards the End. C.B Starts and Finish...
@@Kittiipositive no
@@Kittiipositive Actually, Burt and Hal wrote it for Dionne but the people who were distributing the movie didn't want an American singer to sing it since it was made by a British company.
@@KittiipositiveI absolutely agree with you. Dionne is good, but she 'performs' the song. (Our 😊) Cilla she knew how to SING this song, with all her heart, and the fragility necessary to make this the song what it's meant to be. It was Cilla at her best
No, No he came to Celia 1st. In 1966 she said she was running around with the Beatles and parting and the Song was too slow for her. He then went to Dionne. She said he came to her 2x again in 1967.
Maybe one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen on the internet??? Completely floored, thank you Dionne Warwick for performing from so deep within the music and sharing it with the world.
One of the best singers ever, singing one of the best written songs ever !!!
Her voice is unmatched, control, tone, simply beautiful.
Her voice is soothing and beautiful!! Clear, calm, powerful and full of soul!!
“If only fools are kind Alfie, then I guess it is wise to be cruel”
Manufactured by the late Burt Bacharach, delivered by the divine Dionne Warwick
Bert wrote the wonderful music but Hal David wrote the lyrics. Nobody sang it better than Dionne although Cilla Black did the creditable version used on the soundtrack - the film producers wanted a British singer.
@@mikegalvin9801Thank you
Dionne's concert live TV performances from 70s make me have a full blown emotional breakdown every single time. Full bodied experience. I said it
The human voice, with it's incredible potential ranges, is nowhere better displayed than here. Brilliant.
Dionne is untouchable in her art
What an instrument she is. More than a singer.
The tears in her EYES THOUGHHHHHHHH
Perfection at its best! There's no voice like Dionne's.....
Not true....ck out Cilla Black she was first in the UK
Cilla did a great job but she is not known throughout the world for this song. Only Dionne
I saw Dionne sing live 3 years ago and her voice SOUNDS THE SAME!! If not better.... 💖🎵💖
I couldnt believe it. She's the real deal....LEGENDARY!
Only Dionne can sing this.. divine
Dionne can sing, I mean really sing. Her live performances are off the scale, really are. For a smoker, her voice is pure bliss ❤️
One of the best songs of all time. The melody, the lyrics, her voice. Bacharach, David, Warwick……it doesn’t get any better than this.
No one can do this, except Dionne
Ms. Dionne Warwick truly made this song a hit - no denying, However, please see Cynthia Enrivo’s rendition and tribute to Dionne Warwick at the December 2023 Kennedy Center Honors. I believe Ms. Enrivo is deserving of an ovation 👏🏾
Indeed both are fabulous
What's it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie,
Then I guess it's wise to be cruel.
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie,
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie,
I know there's something much more,
Something even non-believers can believe in.
I believe in love, Alfie.
Without true love we just exist, Alfie.
Until you find the love you've missed you're nothing, Alfie.
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you'll find love any day, Alfie, Alfie.
Dionne puts so much meaning into this - she gets the true character of Alfie - (charming and boyishly appealing he is but at the same time Alfie is also immature and treacherously cruel)
Every performance I've seen of hers is brimming with a quiet dignity.
This is the most "Whitney" Dionne Warwick song ever. I can hear the similarities in tone and never really have before. I now they are cousins, but now I can truly hear it.
Real singing... Good times when a singer just sings , no tricks, just the voice
She was born to sing this Alfie!!!
Nothing like early Dionne! Masterful, with a purity of sound, exceptional diction, nuanced phrasing and a tone that is off the hook!
Una de las grandes voces de todos los tiempos indiscutiblemente. Su voz, su estilo y su maestría ya figuran en un puesto de honor en la historia de la música. Enhorabuena Dionne!!!, tu lugar en el Olimpo de las mejores voces de la historia ya lo tienes.
Amazing how she pulls you into the song into another world to pluck your heartstrings.
In every way, indescribably beautiful.
This Icon Ms. Dionne is a 10th Wonder!! She has such astonishing vocal control❤❤❤. She is the greatest!!!
I've listened to Dionne for 25 years, but just seeing her do this on film and making it look like it was the most natural thing in the world to have this kind of vocal control, it's a little mind-blowing. She was really at the top of her game here. Dionne is hardly underrated, but anyone studying 20th century popular music should check out this performance to better understand of what she was capable of as a concert singer.
She is so smooth with this version wow it feels like she’s floating along the lyrics… as though her words and her voice are separate yet married moving in their own paces but together still???
Her voice is smooth as cream.
This rendition is warm, sad and vulnerable. I love Cynthia’s also- hers felt more headstrong and stubborn.
Cynthia Erivo showcased her stunning voice, Dionne Warwick showcased her ability to sing the song with unmatched, vulnerability, and emotion.
Grew up hearing Dionne Warwick on the record player in our house. She was my mother’s favourite singer.
Whenever I hear Dionne, I think of my mother, who left us in 2022. 😢
She’s my favorite too, I’m a 75 year old woman!
She is incredible. God bless Dionne Warwick.
Those lyrics and the way she sings them . A wonderful combination.
BEST VERSION OF ALFIE!!!!!
When I heard this lady in a sound check. I knew then why we knew dionne Warwick, you are great!!!!
As a vocalist, Ms Warwick is stellar. She is definitely a major influence to her niece, Whitney Houston.
I think of her in the same way as I do of the late and great Sarah Vaughn: memorable and irreplaceable.
Sarah vaughn is actually Dionne Godmother
30 seconds in and im already crying
Simply amazing, I feel the words....Dionne... my brother named his first baby after you. He loved your voice
Dec. 9, 2024, & Cynthia Erivo's version brought me here as well. Love this song!
A & M RECORDS, THE BEST EVER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Dionne, Burt Bacharach and Hal Wallace were made for each other. She really delivered B&W’s babies to the world with her fabulous voice.
Hearing Dionne Warwick sing 'Alfie' is so rich in texture and imagery. It's like a mother consoling her son who's going through a serious heartbreak. It's like two lovers having a difficult but much needed conversation. It's like experiencing the final moments before a breakup. Like some of the other comments have said - this version cannot be matched. ❤💔❤