Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey, as Marie… Read Full Bio ↴Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey, as Marie Dionne Warrick) is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer, actress and television presenter. Having been in a partnership with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for years, Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest hit makers of the entire rock era (1955–2012), based on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Charts. As of January 2013, Warwick ranks second behind only Aretha Franklin (who has a total of 88 charted Billboard singles) as the most-charted female vocalist of all time with 56 of Dionne's singles making the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998.

Known as the artist who "bridged the gap," Warwick's soulful blend of pop, gospel and R&B music transcended racial, cultural, national, and musical boundaries.

Throughout the 1980's and 1990's, Warwick collaborated with many of her musical peers, including Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osbourne, Kashif and Stevie Wonder. Warwick was also host of the hit television music show, "Solid Gold." In addition, she recorded several theme songs, including "Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams," for the popular television series "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous," and "The Love Boat," for the hit series from Aaron Spelling. More recently, Warwick recorded her first Christmas album entitled "My Favorite Time of the Year" featured jazzy interpretations of many holiday classics. In 2007, Rhino Records re-released the CD with new cover art, a critically acclaimed Gospel album, "Why We Sing," for Rhino/Warner Records, and a new jazz album, "Only Trust Your Heart," a collection of standards, celebrating the music of legendary composer Sammy Cahn for Sony Red/MPCA Records.

Dionne Warwick has won 5 Grammy Awards during her music career:
• 1969: "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the single, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
• 1971: "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the single, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again"
• 1979: "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for the single, "Déjà Vu"
• 1979: "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the single, "I'll Never Love This Way Again"
• 1986: "Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal" for the single, "That's What Friends Are For"
Dionne Warwick was born in a musical family of which numerous superstars arose.
Warwick's sister Dee Dee Warwick had a successful singing career, Warwick's aunt is gospel singer Cissy Houston, and one of Warwick's cousins is Whitney Houston.

The Good Life
Dionne Warwick Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Every time it rains
It rains pennies from heaven
Don't you know each cloud contains
Pennies from heaven
You'll find your fortune
Fallin' all over town
Be sure that your umbrella is upside down
Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers

If you want the things you love
You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from heaven
For you and me

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
If you want the things you love
You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree

There'll be pennies from heaven
For you and me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dionne Warwick's "The Good Life" are rich in metaphorical language and images, which convey a message of optimism and hope. The song begins with the verse "Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven," which suggests that even when times are tough and it feels like everything is going wrong, there is still something positive to be found. The idea of pennies falling from the sky is a metaphor for unexpected blessings or small blessings in life, which can add up over time.

The lyrics then encourage the listener to be open to these opportunities and to "be sure that your umbrella is upside down," i.e. to be ready to catch the blessings that come their way. The chorus repeats the phrases "trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers" and "if you want the things you love, you must have showers," which suggest that even the difficult times in life can be opportunities for growth and that we must persevere through them if we want to achieve our goals. The final verse advises the listener not to seek shelter during a thunderstorm but to embrace the rain, as this is when the most pennies from heaven will fall.

Overall, "The Good Life" is a song about finding joy and positivity in life, even during difficult times. Its lyrics encourage the listener to be open to unexpected blessings and to embrace the challenges of life as opportunities for growth.

Line by Line Meaning

Every time it rains
Every time it rains, good things start happening

It rains pennies from heaven
Unexpected good things start happening, just like pennies falling from the sky

Don't you know each cloud contains
Don't you know that every problem has a silver lining?

Pennies from heaven
Unexpected good luck

You'll find your fortune
You will find success

Fallin' all over town
Success is everywhere

Be sure that your umbrella is upside down
Be ready to catch all the good fortune

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
Exchange the good fortune for happiness and beauty

If you want the things you love
If you want to be happy

You must have showers
You must go through hard times to appreciate the good times

So when you hear it thunder
When you face difficulties