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.
What'd I Say
Dionne Warwick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now
And wondering what dress to wear, now
I say a little prayer for you
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
Forever and ever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only mean heartbreak for me
I run for the bus, dear
While riding I think of us, dear
I say a little prayer for you
At work, I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time
I say a little prayer for you
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
And I will love you
Forever and ever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only mean heartbreak for me
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum
(I say a little prayer for you)
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum
(I say a little prayer for you)
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
And I will love you
Forever and ever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only mean heartbreak for me
My darling, believe me
For me there is no one but you
Please love me too
I'm in love with you
Answer my prayer
Say you love me too
Why don't you answer my prayer? Yeah
You know every day I say a little prayer
I said, I say, I say a little prayer
Why don't you just answer my prayer?
"I Say a Little Prayer" by Dionne Warwick is a classic love song that emphasizes the idea of day-to-day love and being grateful for one's partner. The lyrics talk about a woman who, from the moment she wakes up, thinks about her significant other and says a little prayer for them. She shows her love by thinking about her partner while she's getting ready for her day, thinking about them at work during her coffee breaks, and even thinking about them while riding the bus. She talks about how forever they will stay in her heart and how living without them would only mean heartbreak for her. She then pleadingly asks her partner to answer her prayer and to love her too.
The song primarily emphasizes the feeling of love and how a person can think about their loved one throughout their day. It also shows how an individual feels when they love someone so much and cannot imagine a life without them. The song also tells the story of how sometimes when people are in love, they can feel insecure and are always asking for reassurance from their partner.
Overall, "I Say a Little Prayer" is a beautiful expression of love and commitment between two people who want to spend their life together.
Line by Line Meaning
The moment I wake up
As soon as I wake up in the morning
Before I put on my makeup
Before I start getting ready for the day
I say a little prayer for you
I hope that you'll have a good day and that everything will go well for you
While combing my hair, now
As I'm getting ready, specifically while combing my hair
And wondering what dress to wear, now
And trying to decide what to wear for the day
I say a little prayer for you
I hope that you'll have a good day and that everything will go well for you
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
I will always care about you
And I will love you
I have strong feelings for you
Forever and ever, we never will part
We will always be together and never separate
Oh, how I'll love you
I will love you very much
Together, together, that's how it must be
We need to be together and support each other
To live without you
If I didn't have you in my life
Would only mean heartbreak for me
I would be very sad and lonely
I run for the bus, dear
When I'm trying to catch the bus
While riding I think of us, dear
I think about our relationship while I'm on the bus
At work, I just take time
While I'm at work, I take a moment
And all through my coffee break-time
Specifically during my coffee break at work
I say a little prayer for you
I hope that you're having a good day and that everything is going well for you
Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum
A music interlude
(I say a little prayer for you)
I hope that you're doing well and that good things are happening in your life
My darling, believe me
Listen to what I'm saying
For me there is no one but you
I only have strong feelings for you
Please love me too
I hope that you feel the same about me
I'm in love with you
I have romantic feelings for you
Answer my prayer
Please respond to my request
Say you love me too
Let me know that you have feelings for me as well
Why don't you answer my prayer? Yeah
Why aren't you responding to my request or giving me the attention that I want?
You know every day I say a little prayer
I hope that every day is a good day for you
I said, I say, I say a little prayer
I always have good thoughts for you
Why don't you just answer my prayer?
Why aren't you responding to my requests?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aline Dowd
on I Cry Alone
Brings back oh so many memories.