WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.259 take the stacks of information you sent over 00:00:04.259 --> 00:00:06.879 and turn them into the absolute necessary knowledge 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:10.060 you need to be perfectly informed. Today, we 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:13.000 are opening the file on an artist whose influence, 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:15.519 I mean, it doesn't just span decades, it really 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:18.399 defines entire eras of music. We are talking 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:22.059 about Dionne Warwick, the voice, the muse, the 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:24.300 absolute icon. And when you really look at her 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:27.500 career, that term icon feels, I don't know, almost 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.120 inadequate. How so? Well, what we're looking 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:32.340 at here isn't just longevity. It's a pattern 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:36.200 of repeated regeneration. Spectacular success, 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:38.479 often against some really overwhelming odds. 00:00:38.579 --> 00:00:40.460 Right. She didn't just survive the changes in 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:42.460 the industry. No, she became indispensable to 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:45.149 it. Over and over again. So let's get those numbers 00:00:45.149 --> 00:00:47.710 on the table right away because they really they 00:00:47.710 --> 00:00:50.450 set the scale for this deep dive. The sheer volume 00:00:50.450 --> 00:00:53.289 of her charted material is just staggering. Absolutely. 00:00:53.310 --> 00:00:56.350 If you look purely at the statistics, just the 00:00:56.350 --> 00:00:59.409 raw data from Billboard's Hot 100 pop singles 00:00:59.409 --> 00:01:02.929 chart Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U .S. 00:01:02.929 --> 00:01:05.750 hitmakers. The top 40. The top 40. Yeah. And 00:01:05.750 --> 00:01:08.209 that's for the period between 1955 and 1999. 00:01:08.969 --> 00:01:10.849 I mean, just think about the thousands of artists 00:01:10.849 --> 00:01:13.090 who charted during that time. To be in that elite 00:01:13.090 --> 00:01:15.959 group is... Well, it's incredible. It is. And 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:18.000 if you narrow that down and look specifically 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.579 at the female vocalists of that rock era, that 00:01:21.579 --> 00:01:24.939 same 55 to 99 period, she stands out even more. 00:01:25.099 --> 00:01:28.780 Okay. She is the second most charted female vocalist 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:31.260 of that entire era. The second? The second. That 00:01:31.260 --> 00:01:34.099 is just, it's incredible longevity and consistency 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:37.079 right there. She navigated the British invasion. 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:39.980 She fought it off. She got through disco, punk, 00:01:40.099 --> 00:01:42.849 the rise of R &B and hip hop. All within that 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:44.430 time frame. And what about the total number of 00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:46.069 singles? Because that's often the true measure 00:01:46.069 --> 00:01:48.049 of a working charting artist, right? Exactly. 00:01:48.049 --> 00:01:50.709 So she had 56 singles make the Hot 100 on their 00:01:50.709 --> 00:01:53.109 own. Wow. But if you count all the singles across 00:01:53.109 --> 00:01:56.189 the Hot 100, the R &B charts or the adult contemporary 00:01:56.189 --> 00:01:59.049 charts in either solo or collaborations, that 00:01:59.049 --> 00:02:02.659 number jumps to a phenomenal... 80 singles in 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:06.019 total. 80. Yeah. Which is why Billboard recognizes 00:02:06.019 --> 00:02:09.680 this dominance. They rank her at number 74 on 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.400 their greatest artists of all time. It's just 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:14.840 this unbroken chain of commercial visibility 00:02:14.840 --> 00:02:18.740 that spans, what, seven decades now? Those numbers, 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:21.219 they paint a picture of just relentless success. 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:25.219 But what really defines that sophisticated sound 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.280 we all associate with Dionne Warwick, especially 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:31.240 in those early golden years, is that... That 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:33.240 unparalleled creative partnership. Oh, absolutely. 00:02:33.539 --> 00:02:35.060 We are, of course, talking about her relationship 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:37.800 with the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:40.000 Hell David. That partnership is the bedrock. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:41.900 There's no question. Certainly for the first 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:43.740 decade of her career, it gave her a signature 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:45.960 sound that was, I mean, it was completely unique 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:48.159 in American pop music at the time. Right. But 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.379 our mission today is to trace the full journey. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:52.900 We need to follow her from those initial gospel 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:55.240 roots in New Jersey all the way through those 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:57.840 spectacular chart victories. And the tough times, 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:00.979 too. navigating those massive label changes. 00:03:01.180 --> 00:03:04.639 Handling surprising and often catastrophic lawsuits 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:07.460 and then executing these incredible chart resurrections. 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.159 And finally, we have to look at her later life 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:13.199 role, her philanthropy, her emergence as this 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:16.419 very modern, very sharp -witted digital culture 00:03:16.419 --> 00:03:19.240 icon. It's a career arc built on talent, for 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:22.879 sure, but also resilience. And this ability to 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.479 find a new mountain to climb every single time 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:28.020 a previous peak just collapsed from under her. 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:30.400 Okay, let's unpack this. We have to start right 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:32.939 at the beginning. Yeah. To really understand 00:03:32.939 --> 00:03:37.020 the precision and the sophistication she brought 00:03:37.020 --> 00:03:39.060 to pop music, we absolutely have to start where 00:03:39.060 --> 00:03:41.460 she started. East Orange, New Jersey. Born Marie 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:44.520 Dionne Warwick, December 12, 1940. And for her, 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:47.139 music wasn't just a career choice. It was the... 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:49.919 The cultural and spiritual language of her entire 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.680 family. The foundation was gospel. Deep, deep 00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:55.080 gospel. Her parents, Arthur Lee Drinkard and 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.900 Mansell Warwick, they provided this really fascinating 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:00.300 domestic environment. Her father was a classic 00:04:00.300 --> 00:04:02.759 multi -hyphenate. Lee was everything. A Pullman 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:05.599 porter, a chef, and also a record promoter and 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:07.759 a certified public accountant. So he had both 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.419 the artistic contacts and the business acumen. 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:13.300 That's a rare combination. Very rare. And her 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:16.920 mother, Mansell, she managed the famous drink. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:20.180 So music business was literally the family business. 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:23.180 And her own start was strictly spiritual at first. 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:26.819 Absolutely. She began singing as a child at her 00:04:26.819 --> 00:04:29.879 grandfather's AME church in Newark, and later 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:32.889 they moved to the New Hope Baptist Church. That 00:04:32.889 --> 00:04:35.189 training, singing in the choir with the family 00:04:35.189 --> 00:04:38.930 groups, it provided this intense, disciplined 00:04:38.930 --> 00:04:42.850 foundation. It was all focused on vocal precision, 00:04:43.110 --> 00:04:46.449 power delivery. It's structure married to soul. 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:48.350 That's a great way to put it. And listen, this 00:04:48.350 --> 00:04:50.449 wasn't just a family that sang. This was a vocal 00:04:50.449 --> 00:04:52.790 dynasty that really runs through the entire history 00:04:52.790 --> 00:04:54.889 of American music. Okay, let's break that down. 00:04:55.209 --> 00:04:57.490 You have her younger sister, Delia, who is better 00:04:57.490 --> 00:05:00.870 known as Dee Dee Warwick. She became a very successful 00:05:00.870 --> 00:05:03.569 R &B singer in her own right. She did the original 00:05:03.569 --> 00:05:05.790 You're No Good. That's the one. Then you have 00:05:05.790 --> 00:05:08.569 her maternal aunt, Sissy Houston, a legendary 00:05:08.569 --> 00:05:10.730 session singer who eventually went solo. And 00:05:10.730 --> 00:05:12.389 of course, Sissy's daughter. Warwick's first 00:05:12.389 --> 00:05:14.920 cousin. The one and only Whitney Houston. That 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.319 is just an unbelievable concentration of vocal 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:20.720 power and industry influence all flowing through 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:23.040 one single family lineage. It's astounding. It 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:25.639 is. And if you want to extend that musical aristocracy 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:29.360 even further into the classical world, the opera 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:32.339 diva Leontine Price is also a maternal cousin. 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:34.920 No way. Yeah. And the family gospel group, the 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:36.839 Drinkard Singers, they weren't just a local church 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:39.439 group. They were... significant RCA recording 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:41.839 artists. So she was exposed to the professional 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:44.259 side of music from a very young age. Her first 00:05:44.259 --> 00:05:46.319 time on television was performing with them on 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:49.689 the show TV Gospel Time. That experience, it 00:05:49.689 --> 00:05:52.389 exposed her to professional touring, to recording 00:05:52.389 --> 00:05:55.189 dynamics, way before she was even thinking about 00:05:55.189 --> 00:05:58.069 a solo career. So she has this intense, structured 00:05:58.069 --> 00:06:00.949 gospel foundation, which naturally leads her 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:03.449 to pursue a formal education in music. Right. 00:06:03.550 --> 00:06:05.689 After graduating from East Orange High School 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:08.910 in 1959, she went on to the Hart College of Music 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:11.350 in West Hartford, Connecticut. But while she 00:06:11.350 --> 00:06:14.089 was on that academic path, she was also clocking 00:06:14.089 --> 00:06:17.110 those practical, you know, street smart music 00:06:17.110 --> 00:06:19.800 hours in New York City. She was living a total 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:22.879 dual life. While she was studying at heart, she 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:25.259 and a group of singers, including her Aunt Sissy 00:06:25.259 --> 00:06:28.100 and Doris Rieke Troy, they formed a group called 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:30.639 the Gospel Heirs. And they became the go -to 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:32.980 background singers. The most in -demand background 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:36.079 vocalists in the entire New York recording scene. 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:38.800 They were doing sessions for huge artists like 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:41.620 Garnet Mims, The Drifter, Solomon Burke. And 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:44.139 eventually the Gospel Heirs became the sweet 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:46.459 inspirations. That's right, who had their own 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:48.800 successful recording career. I love the story 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.160 about how she actually cemented her place in 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:54.279 that high demand session world. It's just it's 00:06:54.279 --> 00:06:57.160 pure hustle. Oh, it's a great story. She recounted 00:06:57.160 --> 00:06:59.439 this moment of just spontaneous confidence in 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:01.879 an interview. She was backstage at the legendary 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:04.759 Apollo Theater. OK. And this man comes running 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:07.459 in totally frantic, needing background singers 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:09.959 immediately for a session for Sam the Man Taylor. 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:12.889 And she just jumps at it. As she put it, old 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:15.350 big mouth here, spoke up and said, we'll do it. 00:07:15.410 --> 00:07:17.889 That one moment of just seizing an opportunity, 00:07:18.110 --> 00:07:21.430 that launched her entire high -profile professional 00:07:21.430 --> 00:07:25.410 session career. And the dedication was just relentless. 00:07:25.829 --> 00:07:28.550 I read they were catching the bus from East Orange 00:07:28.550 --> 00:07:30.810 to the Port Authority. Taking the subway into 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:33.350 Manhattan, working in studios sometimes until 00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:35.389 four in the morning. And still getting back to 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:37.089 East Orange to do their homework for school. 00:07:37.230 --> 00:07:39.569 That kind of work ethic, that early dedication, 00:07:39.810 --> 00:07:42.870 it speaks volumes. It's what built the resilience 00:07:42.870 --> 00:07:45.930 she would definitely need later on. And that 00:07:45.930 --> 00:07:49.069 grind, it eventually led to the pivotal moment, 00:07:49.129 --> 00:07:51.550 the discovery that just fundamentally changed 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:54.290 the entire trajectory of her career. It happened 00:07:54.290 --> 00:07:57.329 in 1962, right at the height of the Brill Building 00:07:57.329 --> 00:07:59.930 songwriting boom. She was singing background 00:07:59.930 --> 00:08:02.610 on a Drifters track. Mexican Divorce. That's 00:08:02.610 --> 00:08:04.730 the one. Yeah. And the composer of that track 00:08:04.730 --> 00:08:07.589 was a young Burt Bacharach. And he noticed her. 00:08:07.689 --> 00:08:09.889 He noticed her immediately. And it wasn't just 00:08:09.889 --> 00:08:11.670 her voice, though that was obviously unique. 00:08:11.910 --> 00:08:14.689 He noticed her rhythmic ability, her perfect 00:08:14.689 --> 00:08:17.490 pitch, and just her presence, her star power 00:08:17.490 --> 00:08:20.230 in the recording booth. I love his early assessment 00:08:20.230 --> 00:08:22.910 of her voice. Time magazine quoted it. It's one 00:08:22.910 --> 00:08:25.029 of the best descriptions of any singer I've ever 00:08:25.029 --> 00:08:27.970 heard. He said she has a tremendous strong side 00:08:27.970 --> 00:08:31.329 and a delicacy when singing softly like miniature 00:08:31.329 --> 00:08:33.870 ships and bottles. Miniature ships and bottles. 00:08:33.909 --> 00:08:36.769 That captures it perfectly. That precision, that 00:08:36.769 --> 00:08:40.090 fragile strength inside her contralto. It's complex, 00:08:40.210 --> 00:08:43.529 but kindly contained. Exactly. So initially, 00:08:43.789 --> 00:08:46.370 Bacharach hired her for pretty low stakes work, 00:08:46.490 --> 00:08:49.289 just recording demonstration records of his compositions, 00:08:49.590 --> 00:08:52.570 often with his lyricist Hal David. And they would 00:08:52.570 --> 00:08:56.210 use those demos to pitch the tunes to major labels 00:08:56.210 --> 00:08:58.570 for their big artists. Right. She was earning, 00:08:58.629 --> 00:09:01.889 I think it was $12 .50 per session. For context, 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:04.870 that's about $130 today. Solid money for a session 00:09:04.870 --> 00:09:07.070 singer. But yeah, not exactly the salary of a 00:09:07.070 --> 00:09:09.549 future icon. Not at all. Well, one of those demos, 00:09:09.669 --> 00:09:11.990 a song called It's Love That Really Counts, was 00:09:11.990 --> 00:09:14.029 destined for another Scepter Records artist, 00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:16.710 the Shirelles. But the label president heard 00:09:16.710 --> 00:09:18.970 the demo first. The Scepter president, Florence 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:21.649 Greenberg, she heard it. immediately understood 00:09:21.649 --> 00:09:24.210 that the unique voice on the demo was the star, 00:09:24.389 --> 00:09:27.009 not just the song itself. And this is where we 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:29.090 get that legendary quote that launched her solo 00:09:29.090 --> 00:09:32.110 career. Greenberg told Buckrock, forget the song, 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:35.029 get the girl. Simple as that. Warwick was signed 00:09:35.029 --> 00:09:37.370 to the Bacharach David Production Company, which 00:09:37.370 --> 00:09:41.009 was then signed to Scepter Records in 1962. And 00:09:41.009 --> 00:09:43.870 that arrangement. Signing with a production company 00:09:43.870 --> 00:09:46.250 first instead of directly with the label, that 00:09:46.250 --> 00:09:48.149 was really crucial, wasn't it? Oh, absolutely 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.009 vital. It gave Bacharach the freedom to produce 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:53.330 her without any interference from company executives. 00:09:53.330 --> 00:09:55.450 Which was so important because his music was... 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:58.600 It was different. It was incredibly complex. 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:01.919 And her musical ability, her skill at handling 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.419 these wild key changes and difficult rhythms, 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:07.039 it allowed them to write tunes that were far 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:09.519 more challenging than the typical pop songs of 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:12.279 the early 60s. So she wasn't molded to fit pop 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:14.980 trends. No, pop trends were molded to fit her 00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:17.220 talent. That's the key difference. So she signed. 00:10:17.690 --> 00:10:19.370 She's got the musical education, she has the 00:10:19.370 --> 00:10:20.990 producer who's ready to push all the boundaries, 00:10:21.129 --> 00:10:23.730 and now she just needs a debut single. And this 00:10:23.730 --> 00:10:26.169 is where we get the name change and an unforgettable 00:10:26.169 --> 00:10:29.129 title that comes directly from, believe it or 00:10:29.129 --> 00:10:32.190 not, professional anger. Her first solo single, 00:10:32.370 --> 00:10:35.740 released in November 1962, was don't make me 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:38.700 over and that title came directly from this really 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:41.580 angry exchange she had with baccarat and david 00:10:41.580 --> 00:10:43.740 about the direction of her career let's get into 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:45.539 that moment because it really defines her personality 00:10:45.539 --> 00:10:48.019 she's not a pushover not at all she found out 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:49.620 that they had given away a song that she had 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:52.000 recorded the demo for a song she wanted as her 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:55.259 first single make it easy on yourself right they 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:57.809 gave it to jerry butler And she was furious. 00:10:58.149 --> 00:11:00.610 She snapped the phrase, don't make me over at 00:11:00.610 --> 00:11:02.950 them in anger, basically telling them, don't 00:11:02.950 --> 00:11:05.190 try to change who I am or how I operate. And 00:11:05.190 --> 00:11:08.149 Buckrock, being the genius he was, he hears a 00:11:08.149 --> 00:11:10.990 hit. He immediately recognized that phrase as 00:11:10.990 --> 00:11:14.289 a perfect title and hook for a song. That moment 00:11:14.289 --> 00:11:16.850 of pure frustration literally became her first 00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:20.289 top 40 pop hit. It reached number 21 and it was 00:11:20.289 --> 00:11:23.250 a top five R &B hit. But the other critical detail 00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:26.210 from that debut single was accidental. The spelling 00:11:26.210 --> 00:11:29.029 of her name. Yes. Her birth name was Warwick, 00:11:29.149 --> 00:11:32.370 W -A -R -R -I -C -K. But there was a misspelling 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:34.830 on the single's label. They spelled it Warwick, 00:11:34.850 --> 00:11:37.710 W -I -C -K. And she just rolled with it. She 00:11:37.710 --> 00:11:40.789 embraced it. She adopted the new spelling professionally 00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:44.409 and personally from then on. Just imagine, a 00:11:44.409 --> 00:11:47.330 decades -long legendary career launched by a 00:11:47.330 --> 00:11:49.429 combination of a producer's artistic insight 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:52.629 and a simple typo on a record. That accidental 00:11:52.629 --> 00:11:55.860 name change paid off almost immediately. After 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.580 a few smaller charting songs, her fourth single, 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:01.820 Anyone Who Had a Heart, released late in 63, 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:04.980 it just exploded. That was her first U .S. top 00:12:04.980 --> 00:12:07.679 ten hit, peaked at number eight, became an international 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:10.379 million seller. And it was followed very quickly 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:14.100 in April 64 by Walk on By. Another massive international 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:17.179 hit and million seller. That one -two punch just 00:12:17.179 --> 00:12:19.600 completely solidified her career. It did. That 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.100 rapid succession of huge hits established her 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:23.980 as a fixture on the charts for the rest of the 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:26.759 1960s. It was a testament to the power of that 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:29.240 Bach -rock David Warwick machine. What's truly 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:31.179 remarkable is that she was having all this success 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:32.720 right in the middle of the British invasion. 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:35.320 A period that absolutely decimated the careers 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:38.419 of so many American artists. But she was so popular. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.960 internationally, especially in the UK, that British 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:43.179 singers started actively recording her material. 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:45.779 Right. They were releasing cover versions simultaneously 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:48.360 to compete with her. And this is where we get 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:51.399 into that famous artistic and competitive conflict, 00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:54.320 especially with the British singer Cilla Black. 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.240 Right. Cilla Black, who is working with Beatles 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:00.299 producer George Martin. She had a massive number 00:13:00.299 --> 00:13:03.960 one UK hit with her version of Anyone Who Had 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:06.519 a Heart, right as Warwick's version was charting 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:10.220 there. And Warwick was, let's just say she was 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:12.620 not pleased about this, especially with songs 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:15.379 that felt so uniquely tailored to her own vocal 00:13:15.379 --> 00:13:17.799 instrument. It must have felt like a kind of 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.279 artistic appropriation. I can imagine it was 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:23.039 her sound. She felt insulted. She recalled being 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.620 told that UK executives simply wanted her songs 00:13:25.620 --> 00:13:27.799 recorded by someone who sounded less American. 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:30.960 Wow. So she later met Cilla Black while touring 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:33.419 in Britain. And the encounter just shows her 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:36.460 incredible confidence and her candor. What exactly? 00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:38.269 What exactly did she say to her? She gave Black 00:13:38.269 --> 00:13:40.370 some, let's call it very candid advice. This 00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:43.350 is a direct quote from Warwick. She said, Okay. 00:13:47.250 --> 00:13:55.570 Little heads up. There was no imagination in 00:13:55.570 --> 00:13:57.450 her recording. That is next level confidence. 00:13:57.570 --> 00:14:00.470 Just calling her out directly. It's a bold assertion 00:14:00.470 --> 00:14:03.049 of her originality and the fact that in her view, 00:14:03.210 --> 00:14:05.470 Black was simply following her lead, not creating 00:14:05.470 --> 00:14:07.649 anything new. But the hits just kept coming for 00:14:07.649 --> 00:14:09.649 her in the U .S., regardless of what was happening 00:14:09.649 --> 00:14:12.330 in the U .K. Oh, they absolutely peaked. In 1966. 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:16.080 Message to Michael hit the top 10, which is notable 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.779 because Bacharach and David were initially convinced 00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:21.460 it was a man's song. Her interpretation proved 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:23.480 them wrong. She also had big hits with trains 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:26.159 and boats and planes, and I just don't know what 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.120 to do with myself. And in January 67, the album 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:32.980 Here Where There Is Love was her first RIAA -certified 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:35.919 gold album. She was on top of the world. And 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:37.919 then there's the famous story of the song Alfie. 00:14:38.259 --> 00:14:40.659 This is another one of those moments where producers 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:43.519 insisted on a British vocalist, even though Bacharach 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.019 clearly wanted his muse. That's right. Bacharach 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:48.000 had been contracted to produce the song for the 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.360 Michael Caine film, and he wanted Warwick to 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:53.200 sing it. He knew her range and her phrasing were 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.799 perfect for that really complex melody. But the 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:58.399 producers said no. The British producers insisted 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:00.600 on a British subject, so they gave it to Cilla 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:03.559 Black again. And Black's version, it peaked at 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:06.919 a really low number 95 in the U .S. Cher's cover 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:10.350 actually did better, hitting number 33. But Warwick's 00:15:10.350 --> 00:15:12.529 version found its way to the public anyway. It 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:15.590 did. Her recording became a huge radio hit when 00:15:15.590 --> 00:15:17.929 disc jockeys just started playing the album cut 00:15:17.929 --> 00:15:20.210 off the Here Where There Is Love LP. So they 00:15:20.210 --> 00:15:22.269 just ignored the official single. Completely. 00:15:22.350 --> 00:15:24.889 It was released as the B -side to another song, 00:15:25.049 --> 00:15:27.389 The Beginning of Loneliness, and the DJs just 00:15:27.389 --> 00:15:29.549 flipped the single over, turned the B -side into 00:15:29.549 --> 00:15:31.470 a hit, and made it this double -sided success 00:15:31.470 --> 00:15:34.470 for her without any real promotion from the label. 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:36.350 So here's where it gets really interesting in 00:15:36.350 --> 00:15:39.870 terms of commercial validation. In 1967, she 00:15:39.870 --> 00:15:42.830 earned her first official RIA -certified gold 00:15:42.830 --> 00:15:46.330 single for sales over a million units. For I 00:15:46.330 --> 00:15:49.190 Say a Little Prayer. Her biggest U .S. hit up 00:15:49.190 --> 00:15:51.669 to that point, reaching number four. And crucially, 00:15:51.850 --> 00:15:56.230 that song was the first RIA -certified million 00:15:56.230 --> 00:15:58.730 seller, not just for Warwick, but for the entire 00:15:58.730 --> 00:16:01.490 Bacharach -David songwriting duo. It was the 00:16:01.490 --> 00:16:03.909 moment the public officially validated their 00:16:03.909 --> 00:16:06.889 specific, sophisticated chemistry. And the follow 00:16:06.889 --> 00:16:09.019 -up track was a total anomaly. The theme from 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:12.200 Valley of the Dolls. That song became this massive 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:14.679 double -sided hit with I Say a Little Prayer, 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:17.220 but it breaks that narrative of the exclusive 00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:19.820 Bacharach -David collaboration. It was so unusual. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:22.279 First, like you said, it was not written by Bacharach 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:24.919 and David. It was penned by Andre and Dori Previn. 00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:27.059 Right. And second, Warwick almost didn't even 00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:29.500 record it. Yeah, she was reluctant after Judy 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:31.980 Garland, who was originally slated to sing it 00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:34.299 for the film, was fired. But when the film became 00:16:34.299 --> 00:16:37.220 a success in early 68, the DJs did it again. 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:39.679 They flipped the single, creating one of the 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:41.980 biggest double -sided hits of the entire rock 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:45.220 era and another million seller for Warwick. And 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:46.960 the source material notes that she was given 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.899 an in -house award for the million sales because 00:16:49.899 --> 00:16:52.419 of the RIAA rules at the time. Can you unpack 00:16:52.419 --> 00:16:55.200 that for us? This is a fascinating bit of recording 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:59.580 history. The RIAA rules back then governing gold 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.960 certification often only allowed one side of 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:06.319 a single to be certified. Okay. So since I Say 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:08.640 a Little Prayer had already achieved gold status, 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:11.720 the label, Scepter, couldn't officially certify 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:13.920 the flip side, Valley of the Dolls. Even though 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:16.240 it was a huge hit on its own. Exactly. So they 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.660 gave her a special in -house award to recognize 00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:21.980 that the single combined had sold over 2 million 00:17:21.980 --> 00:17:24.220 units. That just highlights how commercially 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:26.220 unstoppable she was at that moment. It does. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.160 And it's also worth mentioning that because of 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:30.700 contractual restrictions, her film version of 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:32.920 the song couldn't be on the official soundtrack 00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:35.660 LP. So what did she do? She had to re -record 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:38.359 a completely new version arranged by Pat Williams 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:40.880 for her own album, Dionne Warwick and Valley 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.539 of the Gulls. And that album also had her next 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:46.359 big hit. Yes, the massive follow -up, Do You 00:17:46.359 --> 00:17:49.220 Know the Way to San Jose? That album hit number 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:51.559 six on the Billboard album chart, stayed there 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:54.480 for over a year, and went gold. The film's soundtrack 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:57.440 without her vocals, notably, failed commercially. 00:17:57.779 --> 00:18:00.539 And San Jose was another huge international million 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:04.079 seller. A top ten hit everywhere. Her final years 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:06.279 at Scepter were just packed with successes like 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.660 I'll Never Fall in Love Again. Which peaked at 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:11.000 number six on the pop charts and number one on 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.619 Adult Contemporary in 1969. So by the end of 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:16.849 1971, the scale of her impact was just... It 00:18:16.849 --> 00:18:19.250 was undeniable. Yeah, she had sold an estimated 00:18:19.250 --> 00:18:22.049 35 million singles and albums internationally 00:18:22.049 --> 00:18:24.849 in less than nine years. She was the priority 00:18:24.849 --> 00:18:27.170 act at Scepter Records. But the relationship 00:18:27.170 --> 00:18:29.849 with the label was getting tense, especially 00:18:29.849 --> 00:18:32.349 around the money. Right. She was requesting RIAA 00:18:32.349 --> 00:18:35.250 audits as early as 1967 because the label's accounting 00:18:35.250 --> 00:18:38.230 was reportedly very lax. So she'd outgrown Scepter 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:40.970 financially, creatively, commercially. What was 00:18:40.970 --> 00:18:43.450 the next logical step for a global phenomenon 00:18:43.450 --> 00:18:46.349 like her? In 1971, she made a truly - monumental 00:18:46.349 --> 00:18:49.589 move. She left the smaller sort of family atmosphere 00:18:49.589 --> 00:18:51.509 receptor for the big leagues at Warner Bros. 00:18:51.690 --> 00:18:53.990 Records. And she got a massive contract. A $5 00:18:53.990 --> 00:18:56.970 million contract, which was at the time the most 00:18:56.970 --> 00:18:59.289 lucrative recording contract ever given to a 00:18:59.289 --> 00:19:01.589 female vocalist. That just signaled her commercial 00:19:01.589 --> 00:19:04.769 power in no uncertain terms. It did. But the 00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:07.329 timing of that immense business deal was, I mean, 00:19:07.349 --> 00:19:10.029 it was just utterly brutal. That move coincided 00:19:10.029 --> 00:19:13.049 almost exactly with a complete fracturing of 00:19:13.049 --> 00:19:17.019 her central creative team. Her lifeline. Precisely. 00:19:17.019 --> 00:19:19.259 Bacharach and David produced her first album 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:22.859 for Warners, but in 1972, their decade -long 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:26.039 collaboration ended in total disaster. What happened? 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:28.880 It was after the film lost horizon. They wrote 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:31.319 the score and the tunes for it. And it was just 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:34.900 absolutely panned by critics. The legendary songwriting 00:19:34.900 --> 00:19:37.359 duo basically terminated their working relationship, 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:40.400 largely due to creative and financial disputes 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.019 surrounding that film. And this left Warwick 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.759 in an absolutely impossible position. She just 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:48.299 signed a record breaking contract that was predicated 00:19:48.299 --> 00:19:50.980 on having their custom made music. Exactly. She 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:53.619 was contractually obligated to fulfill this massive 00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:56.769 contract with Warner Bros. Suddenly, the source 00:19:56.769 --> 00:19:58.990 of her signature sound, the two men who wrote 00:19:58.990 --> 00:20:01.849 for her voice, was gone. And this quickly spiraled 00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:04.970 into legal action. It did. Warwick filed a huge 00:20:04.970 --> 00:20:07.910 $5 .5 million lawsuit against them for breach 00:20:07.910 --> 00:20:11.109 of contract. She argued that their breakup prevented 00:20:11.109 --> 00:20:13.289 her from achieving the success that was promised 00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:15.549 by her own contract. Which was eventually settled 00:20:15.549 --> 00:20:18.029 out of court, but it took years. Nearly seven 00:20:18.029 --> 00:20:21.849 years. The case was settled in 1979 for $5 million. 00:20:22.609 --> 00:20:25.710 And crucially, the settlement included the rights 00:20:25.710 --> 00:20:27.789 to all of her Bacharach -David Scepter recordings. 00:20:28.289 --> 00:20:30.769 That's huge. She got her legacy back. It was 00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:33.329 a vital piece of her legacy to regain control 00:20:33.329 --> 00:20:36.250 over. That partnership had defined her life. 00:20:36.430 --> 00:20:39.319 But its bitter end didn't. dictated the entire 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:42.220 next phase of her career. So that period immediately 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:44.500 after the partnership ended, the Warner Bros. 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:48.039 years from 72 to 78, that's when her career really 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:50.039 struggled. It was a very rough stretch. I mean, 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:52.299 despite her remaining a top concert draw around 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:55.720 the world, the hits just stopped. It's a textbook 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:58.539 example of what happens when a muse loses her... 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.079 primary creative voice. It is. Without Bacharach 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.539 and David, she was forced to work with this rotating 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:07.779 cast of producers, and that precision, that distinct 00:21:07.779 --> 00:21:10.240 sound that characterized all her hits, it just 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:13.440 dried up. She failed to register a major album 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:16.579 or a major pop hit for years. And we see a really 00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:19.700 palpable sign of desperation during this downturn. 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:23.240 Yes, the famous and frankly kind of bizarre spelling 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:27.369 change. To Warwick. She briefly changed the spelling 00:21:27.369 --> 00:21:29.970 of her professional name to Warwick, with an 00:21:29.970 --> 00:21:32.089 E on the end, on the advice of an astrologer 00:21:32.089 --> 00:21:34.210 friend, Linda Goodman. Who convinced her it would 00:21:34.210 --> 00:21:37.170 bring greater success. It did not. She reverted 00:21:37.170 --> 00:21:39.029 back to the original spelling a few years later 00:21:39.029 --> 00:21:41.730 after a string of disappointments and a total 00:21:41.730 --> 00:21:44.529 absence from the Billboard Top 40. It just shows 00:21:44.529 --> 00:21:47.049 how much she was grasping for solutions in that 00:21:47.049 --> 00:21:49.589 post -Bacharach creative wilderness. The only 00:21:49.589 --> 00:21:51.710 single exception that really saved her from being 00:21:51.710 --> 00:21:55.200 totally silent during this era was a Huge, expertly 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.819 produced duet in 1974. Then came you. Her duet 00:21:58.819 --> 00:22:00.700 with the Spinners, produced by the phenomenal 00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:03.279 Tom Bell. The architect of the Philadelphia soul 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:07.769 sound. And this became her first... ever US number 00:22:07.769 --> 00:22:10.289 one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Which is so 00:22:10.289 --> 00:22:12.789 ironic considering it happened during what was 00:22:12.789 --> 00:22:14.890 really the lowest period of her overall visibility. 00:22:15.289 --> 00:22:18.210 It is. And Tom Bell told a great anecdote about 00:22:18.210 --> 00:22:20.569 her initial reaction to the track. I love this 00:22:20.569 --> 00:22:23.450 story. Bell, who was a total visionary as a producer, 00:22:23.670 --> 00:22:26.170 he recalled that when the session finished, she 00:22:26.170 --> 00:22:29.730 made this, quote, strange face, basically indicating 00:22:29.730 --> 00:22:32.069 she wasn't fond of the production or the material. 00:22:32.269 --> 00:22:34.170 She didn't think it was a hit. Not at all. But 00:22:34.170 --> 00:22:37.359 Bell was certain it was. He proposed the symbolic 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:39.559 wager with her, he ripped the dollar bill in 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:42.609 two, and they exchanged the signed halves. He 00:22:42.609 --> 00:22:44.769 told her, if it doesn't go number one, I'll send 00:22:44.769 --> 00:22:47.150 you my half. And of course it did. It took off 00:22:47.150 --> 00:22:49.470 and went all the way to the top, and she sent 00:22:49.470 --> 00:22:52.170 him his half back with an apology note for doubting 00:22:52.170 --> 00:22:54.650 his vision. That story is actually really vital 00:22:54.650 --> 00:22:56.690 because it shows her developing this professional 00:22:56.690 --> 00:22:59.970 trust in other creative voices, which she had 00:22:59.970 --> 00:23:02.210 to do after the trauma of the Bacharach split. 00:23:02.650 --> 00:23:05.309 Exactly. It proved she could succeed without 00:23:05.309 --> 00:23:09.009 her former partners. But one hit wasn't enough 00:23:09.009 --> 00:23:11.730 to save her Warner Bros. contract. Which expired 00:23:11.730 --> 00:23:14.289 in 1977 with no other major successes. Right. 00:23:14.369 --> 00:23:17.190 She needed a total reinvention. And she found 00:23:17.190 --> 00:23:19.369 it with the man who was famous for reinventions, 00:23:19.630 --> 00:23:23.029 Clive Davis at Arista Records. And the move to 00:23:23.029 --> 00:23:26.170 Arista, starting in 1979, is the quintessential 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:28.950 chart resurrection story. How did Clive Davis 00:23:28.950 --> 00:23:31.670 approach her comeback? He personally signed her 00:23:31.670 --> 00:23:34.369 and guided her. He recognized that her voice 00:23:34.369 --> 00:23:36.910 was this timeless instrument that just needed 00:23:36.910 --> 00:23:39.920 the right material and the right producer. He 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:42.059 gave her this really powerful encouragement. 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:44.900 What did he say? He told her, you may be ready 00:23:44.900 --> 00:23:46.640 to give the business up, but the business is 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:49.059 not ready to give you up. Wow. He provided the 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:51.380 belief she needed to launch her second major 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:54.420 chapter. And he was right. Her very first Arista 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:57.740 single was I'll Never Love This Way Again. Produced 00:23:57.740 --> 00:23:59.740 by the man known for great arrangements and melodic 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:02.849 pop. Barry Manilow. And that album, Diane, it 00:24:02.849 --> 00:24:05.009 went platinum, certified over a million sales 00:24:05.009 --> 00:24:07.549 in the U .S., immediately reversing that whole 00:24:07.549 --> 00:24:10.269 downward trend. The success was immediate and 00:24:10.269 --> 00:24:14.000 profound. It was. Her next single, Deja Vu, which 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:16.660 was co -written by Isaac Hayes, also hit number 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:19.720 one adult contemporary. And this led directly 00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:22.180 to her historic night at the Grammys in 1980. 00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:24.059 And this is where we need to spend some time 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:26.400 to really contextualize this achievement. She 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:28.839 became the first female artist to win Grammy 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:31.220 Awards in two different genres in the same year. 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:34.190 Yes. And this was so important at the time. Why? 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:37.410 Because in the 70s and 80s, the music industry 00:24:37.410 --> 00:24:40.029 loved to put artists in these neat little genre 00:24:40.029 --> 00:24:42.970 boxes. You were pop, you were R &B, you were 00:24:42.970 --> 00:24:46.089 country. Right. So winning best pop vocal performance, 00:24:46.410 --> 00:24:49.089 female for I'll Never Love This Way Again, and 00:24:49.089 --> 00:24:51.430 best R &B vocal performance, female for Deja 00:24:51.430 --> 00:24:54.589 Vu, proved that she defied categorization. It 00:24:54.589 --> 00:24:56.509 was proof that her sound just transcended those 00:24:56.509 --> 00:24:58.589 simple boxes. It allowed her to appeal to multiple 00:24:58.589 --> 00:25:00.950 demographics without ever being limited by any 00:25:00.950 --> 00:25:02.829 one of them. She also spent some time hosting 00:25:02.829 --> 00:25:05.460 the week. TV show Solid Gold, which kept her 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:07.779 constantly visible to a mass audience outside 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:12.559 of just her She did throughout 1980 and 81 and 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:16.579 then again from 85 to 86. But another major comeback 00:25:16.579 --> 00:25:19.940 hit was still waiting in the wings. The collaboration 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:22.039 with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. The Heartbreaker 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:25.680 album in 1982. Right. Clive Davis had been inspired 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:28.900 by Gibb's tremendous success writing and co -producing 00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:31.839 Barbra Streisand's Guilty album. And he wanted 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:34.059 to replicate that magic. And the collaboration 00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:37.160 was just perfect. The title track Heartbreaker. 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:40.279 Released in late 82, it became one of her biggest 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:43.200 international hits ever. It was huge. Number 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:45.680 one adult contemporary, number two in the UK 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:48.759 and Australia. It ultimately sold three million 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:51.440 copies internationally. And much like the Tom 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:53.380 Bell story, she didn't actually like this one 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:55.579 at first either. That's right. She later admitted 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:57.680 she wasn't initially fond of Heartbreaker. She 00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:59.980 found it too light, but she trusted Barry Gibbs' 00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:02.579 judgment and his production skills. This period 00:26:02.579 --> 00:26:05.500 really shows her developing that crucial professional 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:09.039 skill. the ability to recognize and submit to 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.420 a strong creative vision, even if it differs 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:13.440 from her initial instinct. It's what allowed 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:16.599 her to sustain her career. The album went gold 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:18.319 in the U .S., and it was her most successful 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:20.880 album in the U .K., certified platinum there. 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:23.680 The mid-'80s saw her shift her focus to something 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:27.079 truly monumental, philanthropy, particularly 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:30.240 tackling the emerging AIDS crisis, which was 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:33.359 still so widely misunderstood. and often just 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:36.119 ignored this is a crucial pivot in her career 00:26:36.119 --> 00:26:39.359 it really emphasizes her humanitarian side she 00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:41.700 contributed vocals to the multi -grammy winning 00:26:41.700 --> 00:26:45.480 charity song we are the world in 1985 which raised 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:47.980 a massive amount for african famine relief it 00:26:47.980 --> 00:26:51.119 did but the defining hit of her arista era and 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.779 maybe one of the most important songs of the 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:55.990 decade socially was born directly from her commitment 00:26:55.990 --> 00:26:57.990 to AIDS research. That's what Friends are for. 00:26:58.170 --> 00:27:01.230 Recorded in 1985 as a benefit single for AMFAR, 00:27:01.329 --> 00:27:03.930 the American Foundation for AIDS Research. It 00:27:03.930 --> 00:27:06.549 was credited to Dion and Friends. Featuring Gladys 00:27:06.549 --> 00:27:09.410 Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder. This was 00:27:09.410 --> 00:27:12.170 truly pioneering work. At the time, talking about 00:27:12.170 --> 00:27:15.049 AIDS openly was highly stigmatized. Artists who 00:27:15.049 --> 00:27:16.910 risked their commercial standing to support the 00:27:16.910 --> 00:27:20.170 cause were very rare. And the result was this 00:27:20.170 --> 00:27:23.210 staggering commercial success that channeled 00:27:23.210 --> 00:27:26.529 massive funds to a vital cause. It raised over 00:27:26.529 --> 00:27:30.470 $3 million for Amphar. And musically, it just 00:27:30.470 --> 00:27:33.369 dominated the charts. It was a rare triple number 00:27:33.369 --> 00:27:37.029 one hip hop, R &B, and adult contemporary. And 00:27:37.029 --> 00:27:39.130 Billboard ranked it as the most popular song 00:27:39.130 --> 00:27:42.450 of 1986. It was. And Warwick talked about her 00:27:42.450 --> 00:27:45.900 emotional motivation for it. She said, I'm tired 00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:48.059 of hurting and it does hurt, referring to the 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:50.480 devastation of AIDS and the friends she had lost. 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:53.799 That song was driven by raw emotion and a real 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:56.019 sense of duty. But beyond the charts and the 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:58.960 charity? That song symbolized an immensely powerful 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:01.319 professional and personal healing. The reconciliation 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:04.220 with Burt Bacharach. Exactly. It did. The song 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:05.920 was written by Bacharach and his then -wife, 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:08.960 Carol Bayer Sager. It completely cemented her 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:11.279 reconciliation with Burt after more than a decade 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:13.680 of professional separation and legal wrangling. 00:28:13.859 --> 00:28:15.779 It brought them full circle. As Warwick said 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:18.059 of their renewed bond, we realized we were more 00:28:18.059 --> 00:28:20.779 than just friends. We were family. Time has a 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:22.539 way of giving people the opportunity to grow 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:25.160 and understand. That collaborative spirit continued 00:28:25.160 --> 00:28:28.940 too. She had another hit with Love Power in 1987, 00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:31.839 a duet with Jeffrey Osborne, which was also written 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:34.579 by Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. It hit number 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:37.839 one adult contemporary again. Her Arista resurrection 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:41.000 built on trust, on versatility and on philanthropy 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:44.339 was complete. OK, let's step back now and really 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:46.799 analyze the instrument behind this unparalleled 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:49.559 career. We've used the word sophistication a 00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:52.200 lot, but what exactly defined Dionne Warwick's 00:28:52.200 --> 00:28:54.500 vocal identity and allowed her to conquer so 00:28:54.500 --> 00:28:57.440 many genres? Well, technically, she is categorized 00:28:57.440 --> 00:29:00.339 as a contralto. The lowest female vocal range. 00:29:00.539 --> 00:29:03.039 Right. Typically powerful and dense. But what 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:05.119 made her signature sound so distinct was its 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:08.940 quality, that famous husky voice. Critics noted 00:29:08.940 --> 00:29:11.539 that, especially early on, her wide vocal range 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:13.819 gave her the ability to deliver those powerful 00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:16.099 contralto low notes and then just suddenly... 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:19.480 Soar as a soprano. That flexibility is what allowed 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:22.160 her to navigate those complex melodies and the 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:24.480 unusual chord changes that define Bacharach's 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:26.960 music. It really set her apart from her Motown 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:30.059 and pure R &B contemporaries. Exactly. Bacharach's 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:32.660 compositions often use these really unusual and 00:29:32.660 --> 00:29:34.960 complex characteristics. We're talking about 00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:37.640 intricate time signatures. Like switching mid 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:40.779 -song from 44 to 54 time. Yes, like he did in 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:44.390 Promises, Promises. Or using these syncopated 00:29:44.390 --> 00:29:47.930 rhythms that demanded incredible precision. They 00:29:47.930 --> 00:29:50.210 required a singer with conservatory -level training, 00:29:50.329 --> 00:29:53.190 like Warwick, who had perfect pitch and timing 00:29:53.190 --> 00:29:56.569 to execute those difficult, almost jazz -influenced 00:29:56.569 --> 00:29:59.210 phrases. She was essentially a classical instrument 00:29:59.210 --> 00:30:01.390 being applied to pop music. That's a great way 00:30:01.390 --> 00:30:03.950 to think about it. And her voice evolved. By 00:30:03.950 --> 00:30:06.410 the 1980s, Stephen Holden at the New York Times 00:30:06.410 --> 00:30:08.730 observed that her voice had deepened into a near 00:30:08.730 --> 00:30:11.880 baritone at its bottom end, resulting in... and 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:15.200 ever more fascinating vocal personality. So that 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:17.420 continuous development, her subtle phrasing, 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:20.140 her clear diction, her vocal texture that kept 00:30:20.140 --> 00:30:22.680 her relevant, even as her material changed from 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:25.900 60s pop to 80s power ballads. For sure. So let's 00:30:25.900 --> 00:30:27.940 focus on this critical concept that just permeates 00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:30.460 her legacy, the idea of her being the muse of 00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:32.740 Bacharach and David. It's a beautiful word, but 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:34.819 what does it mean in practical terms for a songwriter? 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:37.299 This description is used constantly by music 00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:39.619 critics, and Bacharach himself confirmed it. 00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:42.680 He said they considered Warwick their main artist, 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:45.700 the one to whom they gave first priority on all 00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:47.640 new songs. So it means they weren't just writing 00:30:47.640 --> 00:30:49.759 generic pop tunes and trying to plug her into 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:52.059 them? No, they were writing songs that were specifically 00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:54.799 tailored to her vocal strengths and her emotional 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:57.039 delivery. And what was that emotional role she 00:30:57.039 --> 00:30:59.420 played in their music? One critic, Carol Cooper, 00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:01.720 noted that Warwick's interpretation of their 00:31:01.720 --> 00:31:04.660 songs established her as the eloquent voice of 00:31:04.660 --> 00:31:07.480 wounded feminine pride. She gave these really 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:11.019 intellectual high concept lyrics a profound emotional 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:14.619 grounding. So when you hear Walk On By, it's 00:31:14.619 --> 00:31:17.079 not just another breakup song. No, it's a detailed 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:20.019 narrative of sophisticated contained heartbreak. 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:22.799 And she has always claimed she didn't find their 00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:25.579 material difficult precisely because they wrote 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:28.500 it for her voice. Is that the essence of that 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:31.680 muse relationship? It is. They utilized her range 00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:34.769 and her phrasing skills perfectly. Michael Musto 00:31:34.769 --> 00:31:37.789 captured it well, saying her voice was the perfect 00:31:37.789 --> 00:31:40.589 venue for Bacharach -David hits, noting that 00:31:40.589 --> 00:31:44.230 Dion could do sultry, pained, wispy, and regretful, 00:31:44.289 --> 00:31:47.420 all with sophisticated phrasings. If the music 00:31:47.420 --> 00:31:49.359 was challenging, it was only because it was designed 00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:51.839 to maximize her unique talent. It wasn't just 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:54.400 a successful collaboration. It actually created 00:31:54.400 --> 00:31:57.299 an industry blueprint for high -art pop music. 00:31:57.519 --> 00:32:00.599 Absolutely. Their partnership set a clear precedent 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:02.799 for later sophisticated R &B collaborations. 00:32:03.339 --> 00:32:05.720 You can draw a straight line to the defining 00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:08.880 work done by Toni Braxton and Babyface. Her musical 00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:11.140 sophistication, it just transcended simple genre 00:32:11.140 --> 00:32:13.599 boundaries, which often made her hard to categorize. 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:16.119 Very hard. You look at her contemporaries, Aretha 00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:18.519 - Franklin is soul, Ella Fitzgerald is jazz, 00:32:18.740 --> 00:32:21.559 but Warwick always kind of hovered slightly outside 00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:23.779 of any pure definition. Why couldn't she be pinned 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:26.680 down so easily? The music reviewer William Ruhlman 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:28.960 addressed this directly. He wrote that while 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:31.900 she grew up singing gospel and she has influences 00:32:31.900 --> 00:32:34.500 from jazz singers like Fitzgerald and Vaughn 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:37.440 and R &B is part of her background. She isn't 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:41.519 truly a pure gospel, jazz, R &B or soul singer. 00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:44.140 Right. She couldn't be boxed in. So how do we 00:32:44.140 --> 00:32:46.640 define her then? Another reviewer, Steve Leggett, 00:32:46.660 --> 00:32:50.099 described her as a pure pop singer who just expertly 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:52.859 combines all those other elements. And she is 00:32:52.859 --> 00:32:55.880 almost universally labeled a sophisticated vocalist. 00:32:56.019 --> 00:32:57.900 I think the Los Angeles Times summed it up best. 00:32:58.099 --> 00:33:00.339 They called her that one of a kind instrument 00:33:00.339 --> 00:33:03.759 that defined pop sophistication in the mid 1960s. 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:06.460 And that's it. It's that unique combination of 00:33:06.460 --> 00:33:09.339 gospel discipline, conservatory training, jazz 00:33:09.339 --> 00:33:12.460 phrasing and Bacharach's compositional complexity 00:33:12.460 --> 00:33:15.599 that defined her sound for posterity. We've covered 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:17.880 the creative and artistic peaks, but now we have 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:19.980 to acknowledge the complex business and financial 00:33:19.980 --> 00:33:21.980 challenges that really marked the later decades 00:33:21.980 --> 00:33:24.119 of her career. And one of the most unforgettable 00:33:24.119 --> 00:33:27.000 aspects of the 1990s was her ubiquitous role 00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:28.819 in the Psychic Friends Network. That's right. 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:32.559 From 1991 to 1998, Warwick hosted the infomercials 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:35.019 for that 900 -number psychic service. And this 00:33:35.019 --> 00:33:37.700 was an undeniable commercial hit. It was everywhere. 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:41.400 It was. She was reportedly earning over $3 million 00:33:41.400 --> 00:33:45.589 per year as the spokesperson. It was, for a time, 00:33:45.650 --> 00:33:48.150 the most successful infomercial program running. 00:33:48.700 --> 00:33:51.319 But that immense financial success, which was 00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:53.539 certainly welcome after all the financial turbulence 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:56.380 of the previous decades, it came with a significant 00:33:56.380 --> 00:33:59.180 personal cause, didn't it? It really did. Her 00:33:59.180 --> 00:34:01.539 longtime friend and tour manager, Henry Carr, 00:34:01.779 --> 00:34:04.599 he recounted this really painful anecdote about 00:34:04.599 --> 00:34:07.220 Warwick being recognized in an airport. Oh, hey. 00:34:07.299 --> 00:34:09.860 A child recognized her, not as the legendary 00:34:09.860 --> 00:34:13.460 singer of Walk on By or San Jose, but heartbreakingly 00:34:13.460 --> 00:34:16.719 as that psychic lady on TV. Oh, that's rough. 00:34:17.130 --> 00:34:19.750 Carr said Warwick was absolutely crushed by that 00:34:19.750 --> 00:34:22.030 experience. She felt she had worked too hard 00:34:22.030 --> 00:34:23.889 as an entertainer and a humanitarian to have 00:34:23.889 --> 00:34:26.090 her legacy overshadowed by a phone -in service. 00:34:26.449 --> 00:34:28.170 And the financial headwinds didn't stop there. 00:34:28.349 --> 00:34:30.789 There was also that significant controversy surrounding 00:34:30.789 --> 00:34:33.469 her AIDS foundation just a few years later. Yes. 00:34:33.530 --> 00:34:36.969 In 1993, the ABC News program Day One aired a 00:34:36.969 --> 00:34:39.369 report which alleged serious financial improprieties 00:34:39.369 --> 00:34:41.550 by the Warwick Foundation, which she had founded 00:34:41.550 --> 00:34:44.969 in 1989 to benefit AIDS patients. And given how 00:34:44.969 --> 00:34:47.699 much she had done for that cause, with her massive 00:34:47.699 --> 00:34:50.139 hit song. This must have been a particularly 00:34:50.139 --> 00:34:53.380 difficult controversy. It was. The report claimed 00:34:53.380 --> 00:34:55.599 the foundation was operating at an excessively 00:34:55.599 --> 00:34:58.760 high administrative cost, something like exceeding 00:34:58.760 --> 00:35:01.599 90 % of its budget. Which means it was allegedly 00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:04.280 donating only about 3 % of the money it raised 00:35:04.280 --> 00:35:07.460 directly to AIDS groups. Exactly. The report 00:35:07.460 --> 00:35:10.099 claimed she was flying first class and staying 00:35:10.099 --> 00:35:12.340 at first class hotels for charity events that 00:35:12.340 --> 00:35:15.150 were managed by her confidant, Guy Draper. That 00:35:15.150 --> 00:35:17.989 disparity would be a major ethical red flag for 00:35:17.989 --> 00:35:20.550 any charity. It certainly was perceived that 00:35:20.550 --> 00:35:23.380 way. Now, Warwick fiercely defended herself. 00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:25.920 She alleged the report was racially motivated 00:35:25.920 --> 00:35:28.280 and threatened to sue for defamation, though 00:35:28.280 --> 00:35:30.980 a lawsuit was never actually filed. But the IRS 00:35:30.980 --> 00:35:33.619 did get involved. Yes, the IRS began an investigation 00:35:33.619 --> 00:35:35.980 after other complaints were filed and the Warwick 00:35:35.980 --> 00:35:38.679 Foundation was later dissolved. It was a really 00:35:38.679 --> 00:35:41.159 complex and unfortunate episode that juxtaposed 00:35:41.159 --> 00:35:43.559 her genuine charitable intent against what seems 00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:45.900 to have been significant organizational and management 00:35:45.900 --> 00:35:48.449 failure. And unfortunately, these persistent 00:35:48.449 --> 00:35:51.329 financial and management issues, they culminated 00:35:51.329 --> 00:35:53.730 years later in a formal declaration of bankruptcy. 00:35:54.480 --> 00:35:57.639 In 2013, she declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 00:35:57.639 --> 00:36:01.219 New Jersey. She explicitly cited business mismanagement 00:36:01.219 --> 00:36:03.679 that led to massive tax debts. What were the 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:06.019 numbers? Her listed liabilities included nearly 00:36:06.019 --> 00:36:09.500 $7 million owed to the IRS for the years 1991 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:13.960 to 1999, plus over $3 million in business taxes 00:36:13.960 --> 00:36:16.880 owed to the state of California. Her lawyer basically 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:19.099 confirmed that bankruptcy was the only course 00:36:19.099 --> 00:36:21.440 of action to resolve debts that had just grown 00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:25.179 too large due to years of poor... That financial 00:36:25.179 --> 00:36:28.239 story, from the record -breaking $5 million contract 00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:31.960 to a $7 million IRS debt, it highlights this 00:36:31.960 --> 00:36:35.199 complex tension between her undeniable artistic 00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:37.420 brilliance and her struggle with the operational 00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:39.980 aspects of managing a major international enterprise. 00:36:40.300 --> 00:36:42.480 It truly does. It is worth noting, however, that 00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:44.559 the IRS later recognized an accounting error 00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:47.260 on their part and revoked $1 .2 million of the 00:36:47.260 --> 00:36:49.360 tax land, which slightly reduced the burden. 00:36:49.480 --> 00:36:51.860 But the underlying issue of financial mismanagement 00:36:51.860 --> 00:36:54.409 remained the defining feature. of that era. And 00:36:54.409 --> 00:36:56.530 looking briefly at her personal life, we can 00:36:56.530 --> 00:36:59.070 see an early indicator of that strong professional 00:36:59.070 --> 00:37:01.210 independence she had. You're talking about her 00:37:01.210 --> 00:37:03.610 marriage to actor and drummer William Elliott. 00:37:04.050 --> 00:37:07.730 Married in 66, divorced in 67, remarried him 00:37:07.730 --> 00:37:10.030 later that year, and then divorced for good in 00:37:10.030 --> 00:37:13.110 1975. Yes, and she was very direct about the 00:37:13.110 --> 00:37:15.469 dynamic in that marriage, particularly her role 00:37:15.469 --> 00:37:18.389 as the primary earner. What'd she say? She commented, 00:37:18.530 --> 00:37:21.639 I was the breadwinner. The male ego is a fragile 00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:24.320 thing. It's hard when the woman is the breadwinner. 00:37:24.539 --> 00:37:26.719 She was always the one driving the financial 00:37:26.719 --> 00:37:29.239 engine, which set her apart from many of her 00:37:29.239 --> 00:37:32.219 female contemporaries. She noted that aside from 00:37:32.219 --> 00:37:34.420 her father, she had always taken care of herself 00:37:34.420 --> 00:37:37.139 financially. And the family musical legacy continued 00:37:37.139 --> 00:37:39.860 through her two sons, proving that those Drinkard 00:37:39.860 --> 00:37:41.980 Warrick Houston musical genes persisted. Oh, 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:44.719 absolutely. Both followed her into music. Her 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:47.579 older son, David Elliott, who was a former LAPD 00:37:47.579 --> 00:37:49.900 officer, he became a singer -songwriter, and 00:37:49.900 --> 00:37:52.880 notably co -wrote Love Will Find a Way, a duet 00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:56.059 with Whitney Houston for his mother's 1993 album. 00:37:56.300 --> 00:37:58.300 And he tours with her now sometimes, right? He 00:37:58.300 --> 00:38:01.340 does, as her drummer. And her younger son, Damon 00:38:01.340 --> 00:38:03.559 Elliott, is a highly successful music producer. 00:38:03.880 --> 00:38:06.199 He's worked with artists like Pink and Christina 00:38:06.199 --> 00:38:09.239 Aguilera, and he arranged and produced his mother's 00:38:09.239 --> 00:38:12.610 2006 album My Friends and Me. So transitioning 00:38:12.610 --> 00:38:15.030 to the present day, Diane Warwick has undergone 00:38:15.030 --> 00:38:17.289 yet another fascinating career regeneration. 00:38:18.039 --> 00:38:19.820 Not on the musical charts this time, but as a 00:38:19.820 --> 00:38:22.219 personality in modern digital culture. She has 00:38:22.219 --> 00:38:25.539 become a complete viral sensation. It just demonstrates 00:38:25.539 --> 00:38:27.920 her ability to connect with entirely new generations. 00:38:28.360 --> 00:38:31.320 She appeared as Mouse on The Masked Singer in 00:38:31.320 --> 00:38:34.059 2020. And later as Weather on the UK version 00:38:34.059 --> 00:38:37.380 in 2023. Right. And that exposure, combined with 00:38:37.380 --> 00:38:39.440 her incredible presence on social media, has 00:38:39.440 --> 00:38:41.900 just solidified her status as a modern icon. 00:38:42.219 --> 00:38:43.920 She is now affectionately known as the queen 00:38:43.920 --> 00:38:46.380 of Twitter. And for good reason. Her candid, 00:38:46.500 --> 00:38:49.380 straightforward - opinions about well everything 00:38:49.380 --> 00:38:51.900 from music to politics they're often delivered 00:38:51.900 --> 00:38:54.099 with this deadpan style that just cuts through 00:38:54.099 --> 00:38:56.559 all the noise her digital persona is a perfect 00:38:56.559 --> 00:38:59.139 extension of that assertive personality we saw 00:38:59.139 --> 00:39:02.659 snap at Bacharach and David back in 1962 it is 00:39:02.659 --> 00:39:05.320 she speaks her mind without a filter and that 00:39:05.320 --> 00:39:08.199 authenticity resonates massively with a generation 00:39:08.199 --> 00:39:10.960 that's exhausted by polished curated celebrity 00:39:11.550 --> 00:39:14.070 And this new generation of relevance coincides 00:39:14.070 --> 00:39:16.929 with some long overdue institutional recognition 00:39:16.929 --> 00:39:20.090 for her career. It does. She received the Grammy 00:39:20.090 --> 00:39:23.550 Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. She was inducted 00:39:23.550 --> 00:39:26.550 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 in 00:39:26.550 --> 00:39:29.150 the musical excellence category. A category basically 00:39:29.150 --> 00:39:32.010 designed for artists like her, whose unique contributions 00:39:32.010 --> 00:39:34.989 and sophistication. transcend the typical rock 00:39:34.989 --> 00:39:37.809 definition. Exactly. She was also a Kennedy Center 00:39:37.809 --> 00:39:40.949 honoree in 2023, and she continues to use her 00:39:40.949 --> 00:39:44.570 platform for good, too. Like her 2021 duet, Nothing's 00:39:44.570 --> 00:39:47.010 Impossible, with Chance the Rapper. Which supports 00:39:47.010 --> 00:39:50.630 two charities, Social Works and Hunger. Not impossible. 00:39:51.030 --> 00:39:53.110 And this year, 2014, she was honored locally. 00:39:53.630 --> 00:39:55.949 An induction into the Atlantic City Walk of Fame 00:39:55.949 --> 00:39:59.010 and her hometown of East Orange, New Jersey renamed 00:39:59.010 --> 00:40:01.530 a street for her. North Arlington Avenue at City 00:40:01.530 --> 00:40:05.150 Hall Plaza is now Dionne Warwick Way. A career 00:40:05.150 --> 00:40:07.190 that started with a simple misspelling on a record 00:40:07.190 --> 00:40:09.349 label has culminated in a globally recognized 00:40:09.349 --> 00:40:11.650 street sign. What stands out to me most from 00:40:11.650 --> 00:40:13.949 this deep dive is just the sheer volume of material 00:40:13.949 --> 00:40:17.190 she mastered and popularized. Yeah. 56 Hot 100 00:40:17.190 --> 00:40:20.750 singles, 80 charted overall, and her ability 00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:23.210 to maintain this prominence across two distinct 00:40:23.210 --> 00:40:26.050 golden eras. Right. The Scepter golden era with 00:40:26.050 --> 00:40:28.269 Bacharach and David, and then the Arista revival 00:40:28.269 --> 00:40:31.150 with Clive Davis, Barry Gibb, and her reconciliation 00:40:31.150 --> 00:40:34.130 with Burt. It speaks to an incredible... almost 00:40:34.130 --> 00:40:37.030 unparalleled professional adaptability. It does. 00:40:37.289 --> 00:40:40.190 Her unique contralto voice made her the perfect 00:40:40.190 --> 00:40:42.869 vessel for that complex, sophisticated material, 00:40:43.170 --> 00:40:45.670 which is why critics often struggle to box her 00:40:45.670 --> 00:40:48.070 in. She was never just R &B, never just pop. 00:40:48.429 --> 00:40:50.809 No, she was a fusion of all her experiences, 00:40:50.949 --> 00:40:54.630 gospel, jazz, R &B, conservatory training, and 00:40:54.630 --> 00:40:56.949 her commitment to philanthropy, especially her 00:40:56.949 --> 00:40:59.730 pioneering work raising millions for AIDS research 00:40:59.730 --> 00:41:02.429 in the mid -80s. It shows how she consistently 00:41:02.429 --> 00:41:06.130 used her enormous stardom for immense good, transcending 00:41:06.130 --> 00:41:08.829 her own professional struggles. Her entire narrative 00:41:08.829 --> 00:41:10.690 is really defined by these powerful partnerships, 00:41:10.969 --> 00:41:13.030 and then how she was forced to find new strength 00:41:13.030 --> 00:41:16.639 when they ended. Yeah. We saw how Dionne Warwick's 00:41:16.639 --> 00:41:18.679 professional name came from a simple accidental 00:41:18.679 --> 00:41:21.840 misspelling and how that voice became the definitive 00:41:21.840 --> 00:41:24.139 instrument for Bacharach and David's compositions, 00:41:24.579 --> 00:41:27.280 defining the sound of an entire decade. Think 00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:30.039 about that concept of the muse. She had music 00:41:30.039 --> 00:41:33.260 written specifically for her, creating this seamless 00:41:33.260 --> 00:41:36.659 fit between singer and song that is so rarely 00:41:36.659 --> 00:41:39.670 replicated. The music was a reflection of her 00:41:39.670 --> 00:41:41.949 voice. So what does this all mean for the history 00:41:41.949 --> 00:41:44.610 of music? Well, consider how that intense muse 00:41:44.610 --> 00:41:47.210 status affected her resilience when that defining 00:41:47.210 --> 00:41:49.650 creative partnership ended in legal chaos in 00:41:49.650 --> 00:41:52.670 1972, triggering a struggle that lasted for almost 00:41:52.670 --> 00:41:55.170 a decade. It forced her, a singer who was used 00:41:55.170 --> 00:41:57.570 to perfection written specifically for her, to 00:41:57.570 --> 00:41:59.889 find entirely new soundscapes and new trusted 00:41:59.889 --> 00:42:02.829 partners, from Tom Bell to Barry Gibb, to sustain 00:42:02.829 --> 00:42:05.869 her legendary seven -decade career. So the final 00:42:05.869 --> 00:42:08.039 thought for you to take away is this. What ultimately 00:42:08.039 --> 00:42:10.440 defines an artist more, the unbreakable consistency 00:42:10.440 --> 00:42:13.280 and clarity of their signature sound or the remarkable 00:42:13.280 --> 00:42:16.099 ability to rebuild, regenerate success and find 00:42:16.099 --> 00:42:18.340 new avenues for expression when their primary 00:42:18.340 --> 00:42:20.639 creative source just disappears? Something for 00:42:20.639 --> 00:42:23.000 you to ponder as you listen through her incredible 00:42:23.000 --> 00:42:23.440 catalog.