Popjustice Battle of the Legendary Divas - THE CHER SHOW!!!

Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

#22
Licence To Kill
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High Score: 10 @KamikazeHeart @Remorque @abael @Reboot @Baby Clyde
Low Score: 6 @Daniel_O @Butterfly
Average Score: 8.317
Chart Placings: UK #6

Remember when Bond themes were good???

Written by Jeffrey Cohen, Walter Afanasieff and Narada Michael Walden from the 1989 Bond film of the same name this unusually soulful theme tune is all about Miss Gladys' amazing vocal and that key change that sends shivers down your spine.

Initially Eric Clapton was approached for record the theme for License To Kill but thankfully the project fell through and rather than turn to the contemporary popstars who had been chosen for A View To Kill and The Living Daylights they went for a more oldchool approach and called in a legendary diva.

Having Grammy winning success the year before with Love Overboard and a sold out Farewell Tour Gladys left The Pips for a solo career at the end of 1988. It couldn't have got off to a better start with this track becoming a giant hit around Europe including Top 5 in Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. It was #1 for 8 weeks in Sweden and gave Gladys her last Top 10 in in the UK at #6. It didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at all!!!

Legendary Diva Patti was featured over the closing credits with a dreadful Diane Warren song called If You Asked Me To which later became a big hit for legendary diva Celine.

The B Side to Licence To Kill is called Pam.

At 5.15 this is the longest Bond song ever and every bit of it is magnificent. It has everything that a Bond themes needs without sounding like a woeful parody or being a tuneless dirge like ALL recent attempts. Gladys' vocal is everything. Without sounding like a broken record would this make the charts these days? If Mary J Blige is given the theme to No Time To Die (We can but dream) will she storm the charts worldwide? We're going to get stuck with Dua Lipa aren't we. To think bloody Sam Smith won and Oscar for his shitfest of a theme. This wasn't even nominated.

Anyway Miss Gladys is out. With 1 spot left who else will fall before they we reach the Top 20?

 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

I think the difference is glossy 80's production rather than more authentic 60's recording.

Goldfinger sounds like it used a 50 piece orchestra. Licence To Kill sounds like it could all have been programmed into a Moog synthesizer.

I absolutely love that slightly soulless production but only if got an amazing singer over the top. Gladys here but Dionne, Luther and Anita Baker always sounded amazing over this sort of thing.
 
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Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

LEGENDARY DIVA ELIMINATIONS

#12 - Gladys Knight

The One That Got Away

The early 70's were Gladys and The Pips imperial phase. Midnight Train To Georgia was used here to highlight that period but could have also been either one of these soul classics that reached #2 and #3 on the charts.





Baby Clyde's Favourite

Many legendary divas came a cropper during the disco era (Have you heard Aretha's disco album La Diva? Neither has anyone else. It peaked at #156 in the charts and has never been released on CD. Here's your chance). Gladys on the other hand too to it like a duck to water. One of these was a giant hit in the UK the other is one of my all time disco records......



 
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Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

#21
Say A Little Prayer
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High Score: 10 @Disco Blister @Maria
Low Score: 6 @Baby Clyde
Average Score: 8.329

Poor Dionne. There she is performing brilliantly with three quarters of her songs making the Top 25. Next thing she loses 3 tracks in 4 eliminations and she's out completely by before we reach the Top 20!!!

I ummed and ahhed about including both versions of I Say A Little Prayer because whilst Dionne's is the original and the bigger hit it felt that Aretha's had made it her own and had the classic, best known version. In the end I thought I go with the pair and see what happened. I thought Aretha would come up on top but would have predicted Dionne's version going out a long time ago.

Written by Bacharach and David (Obvs) it became Dionne's biggest solo hit at the time, reaching #4 at the end of 1967. A record that was broken a couple of months later when the singles B-Side (Theme from) Valley of the Dolls started gaining airplay and eventually made it to #2.

Obviously Aretha's is the most famous cover but the song also hit the charts with versions by Bomb The Bass feat Maureen and Diana King and was famously featured in the Julia Roberts hit My Best Friends Wedding.

I consider Dionne to be the greatest female pop singer of all time. She was lucky enough to be the muse of a genius songwriting team but her talent was part of why they wrote so many great songs. Whilst they sound simple many Bacharach & David compositions are incredibly difficult to sing with wide ranges, complicated lyrics and ever changing time signatures. Dionne was able to pull these off with minimal fuss and maximum effect. The very fact she always seems so effortless proves how amazing she really is.

It's a shame she couldn't even make it to the Top 20 but I'm sure the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award she received a couple of weeks ago will go some a way to easing her pain........



LEGENDARY DIVA COVERS

This is terrible



Thank god for the ultimate Legendary Diva.....

 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

LEGENDARY DIVA ELIMINATIONS

#11 - Dionne Warwick

The One That Got Away

With all those classic Bacharach and Davis records there are many great Dionne records that didn't get entered here but with Walk On By being her most famous hit there are 2 legendary early song that got overlooked in it's favour...../.

Her first ever hit written she'd spelt out in no uncertain terms how the songwriting duo were to deal with her.............



And this timeless classic that was gazumped by Cilla Black in the UK and became a 3 week #1. Dionne never forgave her..........




Baby Clyde's Favourite

Not necessarily my favourite Dionne records (Although she did win her 2nd Grammy for it) but I'm putting it here to highlight one of the greatest rhymes in songwriting history. Burt Bacharach gets all the plaudits but it's Hal David's lyrics that always impress me so much. This is genius.......

What do you get when you kiss a guy?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
After you do, he'll never phone ya
I'll never fall in love again

 
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Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

Ladies and Gentlemen your Top 20.......

Aretha Franklin - 2/6
Respect
I Say A Little Prayer

Barbra Streisand - 1/6
Woman In Love

Cher - 4/6
Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves
Take Me Home
If I Could Turn Back Time
Believe

Dolly Parton - 3/5
Jolene
9 to 5
I Will Always Love You

Dusty Springfield - 3/4
I Only Want To Be With You
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
Son of a Preacher Man

Edith Piaf - 1/3
Non, je ne regrette rien

Judy Garland - 1/3
Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Peggy Lee - 1/3
Fever

Shirley Bassey - 3/4
Goldfinger
Diamonds Are Forever

Tina Turner - 2/6
What’s Love Got To Do With It
Goldeneye

With Doris, Gladys and Dionne getting the boot 10 divs make up the Top 10 but fully half of the songs left are from only 3 - Cher, Dusty and Dolly. Can they keep up their dominance or will they start to fade? Are there any surprises left in?

For some unknown reason I was persuaded to travel to Leeds for a Drag Race themed 30th birthday party??? I'm not going home until Monday???? The good news is this means I have nothing to do but read my book and eliminate divas. They'll be more heading your way very #soon.
 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

#20
Diamonds Are Forever (1972)
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High Score: 10 @berserkboi @Reboot @Riiiiiiiii @Disco Blister
Low Score: 5.8 @Butterfly
Average Score: 8.341
Chart Positions: US #57 UK #38

Shirley's second crack at a Bond theme this one comes from the 1971 film of the same name which was Sean Connery's last official appearance as the popular secret agent. Never much of a hit on either side of the Atlantic nevertheless it went on to become an iconic number for Dame Shirl and my personal favourite of her entries here.

The title was actually a famous advertising slogan from the 40's used to market De Beers diamond rings and the genius lyric from Don Black (Who also wrote this Legendary Diva entry) argues that unlike any man, diamonds are forever because.........

They are all I need to please me
They can stimulate and tease me
They won't leave in the night
I've no fear that they might desert me
Diamonds are forever, hold one up and then caress it
Touch it, stroke it and undress it
I can see ev'ry part, nothing hides in the heart to hurt me

Obviously Shirley, in an unusually restrained performance for her, makes the most of every deliciously risque word. She wraps her golden voice around the verses before releasing her famous belt in just the right amounts when required. Apparently Bond producer Harry Saltzman hated the song, objecting to it's obvious innuendo. Composer John Barry later revealed that when recording it he told Shirley to imagine she was singing about a penis.

The song follows in the fine tradition of money over men songs like Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend or Just An Old Fashioned Girl but in this case the intention isn't mercenary but self preservation. Shirley is choosing jewellery not to enrich herself but because it can be trusted and depended upon..........

I don’t need love, for what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me
For when love’s gone, they’ll lustre on

I'd never realised how brilliantly written this was before. Imagine chosing 'lustre' over linger or sparkle. AMAZING!!! And of course the whole lyric suits the Bond persona perfectly. He's just the sort who would leave in the night without even saying good bye. I'm a bit obsessed with it now.

Hot as Connery was back in the day I think Shirley makes the right choice.



Here's the Italian version. Does anyone speak Italian? How is her pronunciation?

 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

berserkboi said:
An absolute classic that should have been in the Top 3 if you ask me!

In a strange twist - I also enjoy this very different hipster take on it from the Arctic Monkeys! Who’s doing their Singles Rate next? Is it you @Baby Clyde?

Click to expand...


I used to love Arctic Monkeys. Their 1st album is genius. The next 2 are fine as well. I gave up after that. They seemed to have lost their sense of humour.

Don't think I'll be doing a Singles Rate anytime soon although I'd probably vote is someone else did.
 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

What I love about her is that it could very easily come off as kind of ridiculous but she always stays just the right side of camp. She makes an absolute meal of almost every song she sings and yet coming from Shirley it seems totally justified.

Whilst she's amazing at interpreting other people's songs (Which I'll come to later) it's very hard for anyone to successfully cover hers because once she's sung it, it stays sung.
 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

#19
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (1966)
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High Score: 11 @KamikazeHeart 10 @Disco Blister @Daniel_O @WowWowWowWow @berserkboi
Low Score: 5 @abael @Butterfly
Average Score: 8.352
Chart Positions: US #4 UK #1

Finally Dusty falls and so does @KamikazeHeart's 11.

Of all the 60's Brit Girls Dusty is the one with the most lasting legacy and critical appreciation and yet back in the day she wasn't necessarily the most popular. Whilst Lulu didn't reach #1 until the 90's near miss Legendary Divas Cilla and Sandie Shaw ruled the British charts. Cilla had 11 Top 10 hits including two #1's and the hugely underrated Shaw racked up three #1's and a Eurovision win!!!

Dusty sole UK #1 was this classic which held the top spot for 1 week in April 1966.

Originally an Italian hit for Pino Donnagio and introduced at the 1965 Sanremo Song Festival where it apparently made Dusty cry. Deciding to record her own version the English lyric was eventually written by music managers Vicki Wickham and Simon Napier Bell in the back of a taxi. Dusty famously recorded the vocal on the stairs in the corridor and she liked the acoustics. It took her 47 takes.

An international hit it made the Top 10 around the world and became Dusty's biggest US hit reaching #4 on the Billboard charts.

The title was used for Napier Bell's brilliant autobiography which all pop lovers should read.

The song has been covered by all many or artists over the years including this hit for The King himself.....



With 3/4 of her songs making the Top 20 Miss Springfield has been leading the way so far in this rate but she had to start losing songs at some point. Can her last 2 make the Top 10?



LEGENDARY DIVA COVERS

I’d assumed this would have been covered by many divas and surely Dionne or Shirley but the only one I can find in this competition is....

 
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