"Don't Make Me Over" is a song written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

, originally recorded by American singer

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

in August 1962 and released in October 1962 as her lead solo single from her debut album, '' Presenting Dionne Warwick'' (1963), issued under Sceptor Records. The song reached number 21 on the US ''

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Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

and number five on the ''Billboard''

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chart.

Dionne Warwick original

Warwick recorded "Don't Make Me Over" in August 1962, a song that was later chosen as the lead single for her debut album ''Presenting Dionne Warwick''. In October 1962, Scepter Records released the track as her first solo single. Initially, Warwick had found out that "

Make It Easy on Yourself "Make It Easy on Yourself" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was initially a Top 20 Pop and R&B hit for Jerry Butler in 1962. The best-known version is the 1965 recording by the Walker Brothers, for whom it was ...

"—a song on which she had recorded the original demo and had wanted to be her first single release—had been given to another artist, Jerry Butler. From the catchy contemporary phrase, "Don't make me over", Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote and produced their first US top 40 pop hit (No. 21) and US R&B hit (No. 5). It was also a top-forty hit in Canada, at number 38. The background vocals in the song were from the Gospelaires, which featured sister Dee Dee, Sylvia Shemwell and aunt

Cissy Houston Emily Drinkard (September 30, 1933 – October 7, 2024), known professionally as Cissy Houston, was an American soul and gospel singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Houston began singing with three of her siblings in the family gospel group, T ...

. In 2000, Dionne Warwick's 1962 version of "Don't Make Me Over" on Scepter Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Track listing

*US, 7-inch vinyl single :A1: "Don't Make Me Over" – 2:51 :B1: "I Smiled Yesterday" – 2:43 *UK, 7-inch vinyl single :A1: "Don't Make Me Over" – 2:46 :A2: "Shall I Tell Her" – 2:33 :B1: "Make The Music Play" – 2:25 :B2: "Any Old Time Of Day" – 2:25 * France, 7-inch vinyl single :A1: "Don't Make Me Over" – 2:46 :A2: "Shall I Tell Her" – 3:20 :B1: "I Smiled Yesterday" – 2:44 :B2: "Wishin' And Hopin'" – 2:25

Charts

Jennifer Warnes version

Sybil version

In 1987, up-and-coming American singer

Sybil Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 1 ...

featured a dance cover of the song on her 1987 debut album, ''Let Yourself Go''. At the time, the song was overshadowed by the album's minor R&B hits and was not released as a single in its own right. However, in July 1989, Sybil released a remixed version of her 1987 recording as the second single from her second album, ''

'' (1989). This version, released by Next Plateau Records Inc., became a number-one hit in New Zealand for four weeks, reached number 20 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard''

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart, eventually receiving a gold certification from the

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(RIAA). This version also became a UK hit, peaking at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from ''

'' described Sybil's cover as a "spirited

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

-ish rendition of the

classic

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

has smash written all over it". In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue stated that it has a beat that musically reminds of "a hybrid" of Soul II Soul's " Keep On Movin'" and

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

's "

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", calling it "mellow and soulful".

Miranda Sawyer Miranda Caroline Sawyer (born 7 January 1967) is an English author, journalist and broadcaster. Education and early life Sawyer was born in Bristol and grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. Sawyer was educated ...

from ''

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'' noted "the swoony dance wisples" of the song. David Keeps from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' felt Sybil "seems to be emerging as the Dionne Warwick of the Soul II Soul generation", remarking her "achingly sexy conga-strings-and-coos" version of "Don't Make Me Over".

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Other versions

Various other versions of the song have been recorded: * In 1964 the English singer Louise Cordet recorded the song which was released on Decca F11875 coupled with "Two Lovers". * In January 1966, Liverpudlian band

the Swinging Blue Jeans The Swinging Blue Jeans are a four-piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the His Master's Voice label: " Hippy Hippy Shake", " Good Golly Miss Molly", and " You're No Good", issued in 1964. Subsequent sin ...

released a version which peaked at No. 31 in the United Kingdom and No. 83 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

* Brenda & the Tabulations hit number 15 on the US R&B chart with their version in 1970. * The Dowlands, 1965

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Make Me Over (Song) 1962 songs 1962 debut singles 1989 singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs with lyrics by Hal David Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Brenda & the Tabulations songs Dionne Warwick songs Jennifer Warnes songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Scepter Records singles Sybil (singer) songs