Greatest Love Songs Ever: #9 “I Say a Little Prayer”

By Tom Quiner, Board President, Pulse Life Advocates

For me, “I Say a Little Prayer” is the most fun song in this list of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever.  (“Happy Together” is a close second.) The first three lines of the song suck you right in, and everyone knows them:

“The moment I wake up,

Before I put on my make-up,

I say a little prayer for you.”

From there, you’re taken for a spirited ride that dares you not to sing along!

Prayer is seldom invoked in secular songs, which lifts this love song to a higher level. Lyricist Hal David wrote this 1967 song to a woman whose man was serving in the Vietnam War. Burt Bacharach wrote the sophisticated music which, typical for a Bacharach song, keeps changing time signatures.

On the other hand, Hal David’s lyrics are always so accessible and down-to-earth. Just describing the prayer as ‘little’ is an example. Often, we’re praying on the fly in our busy lives, and God always loves to hear from us … whenever.

This ‘little’ prayer captures what love does to us: we can’t stop thinking about our lover, whether when applying make-up, combing hair, or running for the bus.

True love takes over the very fabric of our life, especially when we’re worried about our lover, whether at war, sick in the hospital, or facing a major life’s trial. 

The song builds to a refrain that expresses the grandiosity of love:

“Forever, and ever,

you’ll stay in my heart and I will love you,

Forever, and ever,

we never will part, oh, how I love you!

Together, forever,

That’s how it must be, to live without you

would only mean heartbreak for me.”

Bacharach’s rhythms on the refrain are challenging to sing, as it keeps changing back and forth from four beats to three. But once you learn it, you wonder how it could be done any other way!

In light of everything I’ve said above, why in the world is this song so much fun? It’s that rare combination of Bacharach’s infectious melody and David’s folksy lyrics. It. Just. Works. What else can I say?

You can see how fun it is in this great scene from My “Best Friend’s Wedding” as the song unites an entire restaurant.

My Best Friend’s Wedding scene featuring “I Say a Little Prayer”

Interestingly, this is another one of those songs that the composer didn’t like and didn’t want to release. Dionne Warwick (top of page) did ten takes in the recording session of “I Say a Little Prayer” under Bacharach’s direction and using the composer’s own arrangement.

Bacharach couldn’t get it the way he wanted, but the owner of the record label (a woman!) did like it and insisted it be included on Warwick’s “Window of the World” album. The rest is history. It took off like a rocket, becoming a million-selling hit. DJs loved it. Women loved it. Everyone loved it.

It hit #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1967.

Aretha Franklin sings “I Say a Little Prayer”

The song was so good that Aretha Franklin (above) recorded it the next year with her version reaching #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and #3 on the R & B singles chart. Rolling Stone put out a list of the “Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and ranked Franklin’s version 117th.

This is Bacharach and David’s third entry to my list. Believe it or not, they still have one more to come. An even better song! But not next week, which instead features a lush, romantic ballad popularized by, who else, but Nat King Cole.

This countdown is getting serious! Stick with us. And share this list, because love is the antidote to abortion. Love songs spread love. And so does Pulse Life Advocates in our pro-life educational outreach. Be sure to support us financially if you’re able. Thank-you!