An “Alfie” Anniversary, Blog Names and Cher Turns 80!

Well, despite you all having experienced a heatwave down south this week, we in the far north have had much more manageable temperatures to deal with for which I’m grateful. I did however look out a summer dress for one of our sunny days, which was nice, but it seems rain is now forecast for the foreseeable, which is a bit disappointing as I’m getting myself ready for another meet up with some blogging buddies, this time in Leeds. I will no doubt share some photos next weekend.

But before I do that I want to share with you a snippet of info I stumbled upon recently. It was apparently 60 years ago this week, that the film Alfie had its general release in the UK. Over ten years later, I’m not entirely sure why I chose the opening line from the song Alfie for the title of this blog – I have always liked the work of Burt Bacharach, especially the songs he created with lyricist Hal David, but there must have been more to it than that.

We all have little family phrases that come out in certain situations and if we are pondering something quite difficult in our house, we invariably say, “What’s it all about?” quickly followed by the word, “Alfie”. Our phrases are usually music led, so if the fridge has a few leftovers we say, “We better use it up,” followed by, “and wear it out.” (From the Odyssey song.) If any of us say, “Well, well…,” it’s immediately followed by, “said the rocking chair.” (A Dean Friedman album.) You get the jist. So, I started off calling this blog, “What’s It All About, Alfie?” but then dropped the Alfie after rewatching the film, as Michael Caine’s character hasn’t aged well and I didn’t want this blog associated with him. To be fair, the character Alfie was thoroughly unlikeable back in 1966, but I didn’t really pick up on that so much when I first watched the film, I was more interested in seeing what London was like back in the Swinging 60s.

But anyway, I have written about the song a few times around here, and found out a lot about it. Burt wasn’t all that keen on making the theme song after watching the film, but he thought it should be lyric led, so sent a copy of the film to his writing partner Hal David over on the East Coast. Hal came up with a beautiful set of lyrics that summed up the behaviour of the self-centred character Alfie, and how without true love we merely exist (spoiler alert – he finds that out for himself in the end).

Cilla Black originally took on the song, to be released to promote the film. Burt flew over to London and after a gruelling session where he made her record the song around 30 times, he eventually picked the third take as being the best version. It became a hit in the UK, Australia and New Zealand but it wasn’t until Cher was persuaded to record the song for the actual film soundtrack that it did well in the US. Here are both versions for a compare and contrast.

Talking of Cher, did you watch the interview on the BBC with her last Saturday night? I stayed up to do just that and was really glad I did. She has just celebrated her 80th birthday but of course age literally is just a number with Cher as she could easily pass for 40. The interviewer was the ubiquitous Rylan, who was just the right person for such an interview. He was starstruck you could tell, but not much wonder. Having read Part 1 of her biography last year, you could fit 10 lifetimes into what she has been through and as she said herself, a biopic would be impossible as the film would last about 24 hours. If you want to watch the interview it’s on the iPlayer for another 23 days.

So, “What’s It All About?” – I think this blog has been going too long now to change the name, so I’m stuck with it. Still refers to the song but also, in a chummy, cockney way, it explains what I’m doing here – delving into the backstory of a song and of how it fits into my life.

I find it more than ironic that 60 years on from the release of a film about a self-centred, womanising, misogynistic male, we seem to be in the eye of a storm where many young men similarly want to treat women really badly. They call the network of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism The Manosphere. We seem to have come full circle. I am no expert on what is going on, but after watching the excellent, award-winning drama Adolescence and the Louis Theroux documentary, Inside the Manosphere (both on Netflix), I’m beginning to understand it all a bit more.

But enough of all that nastiness, I’m off to get ready for my trip to Leeds, a city I’ve never visited before. All being well, I’ll report back next Saturday and let you all know how it went (and how much rain did actually fall!).

Until next time…

Alfie Lyrics
(Song By Burt Bacharach/Hal David)

What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give?
Or are we meant to be kind?

And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?

As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie
I know there’s something much more
Something even non-believers can believe in

I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed you’re nothing, Alfie
When you walk, let your heart lead the way
And you’ll find love any day, Alfie
Alfie