(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls
Encyclopedia
" Valley of the Dolls" is a 1967 song by André
and Dory Previn
, composed for the film version of the Jacqueline Susann
novel Valley of the Dolls
, and recorded by Dionne Warwick
.
Actress Barbara Parkins
, who starred in the motion picture, suggested that Warwick be considered to sing the film's theme song. The song was to be given to Judy Garland
, who had been fired from the film. Warwick performed the song, and when the film became a success in the early weeks of 1968, her single of the film theme became a million-seller, peaking at #2 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
in early 1968, #2 on the CashBox chart and #1 on the Record World chart. The tune was the B-side of another million selling tune composed for Warwick by Burt Bacharach
and Hal David
entitled "I Say a Little Prayer
," which hit the Billboard
Hot 100 Top 5 in November 1967. The single would become one of the biggest double-sided hits of the rock era.
Warwick re-recorded a Pat Williams-arranged and Burt Bacharach-produced version of the theme at A&R Studios in New York because contractual restrictions from her home label, Scepter Records
, would not allow her version from the film to be included in the 20th Century-Fox soundtrack album. The re-recorded version became a million-seller. The RIAA-certified
Gold Scepter LP that contained the hit version of the song, Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls
, peaked at number six on the Billboard Top 10 Albums chart, and would remain on the chart for over a year.
In the UK "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" had a February 1968 release with "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
" as the B-side
, peaking at UK #28.
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
and Dory Previn
Dory Previn
Dory Previn, née Dorothy Veronica Langan , is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet.During the late 1950s and 1960s she was a lyricist for motion picture songs, and with her first husband André Previn received several Academy Award nominations...
, composed for the film version of the Jacqueline Susann
Jacqueline Susann
Jacqueline Susann was an American author known for her best-selling novels. Her most notable work was Valley of the Dolls, a book that broke sales records and spawned an Oscar-nominated 1967 film and a short-lived TV series.-Early years:Jacqueline Susann was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to...
novel Valley of the Dolls
Valley of the Dolls
Valley of the Dolls is a novel by American writer Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966. The "dolls" within the title is a slang term for downers, barbiturates used as sleep aids....
, and recorded by Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
.
Actress Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins is a Canadian television and film actress.-Early life and rise to stardom:Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the age of sixteen, she and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting, tap, ballet, and...
, who starred in the motion picture, suggested that Warwick be considered to sing the film's theme song. The song was to be given to Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, who had been fired from the film. Warwick performed the song, and when the film became a success in the early weeks of 1968, her single of the film theme became a million-seller, peaking at #2 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in early 1968, #2 on the CashBox chart and #1 on the Record World chart. The tune was the B-side of another million selling tune composed for Warwick by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
entitled "I Say a Little Prayer
I Say a Little Prayer
"I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967.-Background:...
," which hit the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 Top 5 in November 1967. The single would become one of the biggest double-sided hits of the rock era.
Warwick re-recorded a Pat Williams-arranged and Burt Bacharach-produced version of the theme at A&R Studios in New York because contractual restrictions from her home label, Scepter Records
Scepter Records
Scepter Records is a record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. She had just sold Tiara Records with The Shirelles for $4000 to Decca Records. When The Shirelles didn't produce any hits for Decca, they were given back to Greenberg, who promptly signed them. By 1961 Greenberg launched a...
, would not allow her version from the film to be included in the 20th Century-Fox soundtrack album. The re-recorded version became a million-seller. The RIAA-certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
Gold Scepter LP that contained the hit version of the song, Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls
Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls
Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls -- Dionne Warwick's twelfth album for the Scepter label -- was recorded during the summer and fall of 1967 and was released early the next year. It was recorded at A&R Sound Studios in New York and was produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The LP was...
, peaked at number six on the Billboard Top 10 Albums chart, and would remain on the chart for over a year.
In the UK "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" had a February 1968 release with "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. With music by Allie Wrubel and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song...
" as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, peaking at UK #28.
Cover versions
- Gladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
- album Silk N' Soul 1968 - The Chopsticks (a Hong Kong female duo) - album Some Day 1970
- EruptionEruption (band)Eruption was a popular disco / R&B / Soul band in the 1970s and 1980s.-History:Silent Eruption was formed in 1974 in Britain. In 1975 they won the RCA Soul Search Contest, whilst their first single "Let Me Take You Back in Time" was released in 1976...
- album Leave a Light 1979 - k.d. langK.D. LangKathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
- Drag 1997