"I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for American singer Dionne Warwick. It reached the highest position of number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967. On the R&B chart, it reached number eight. The next year, the song became a top ten hit for another American singer, Aretha Franklin.

Dionne Warwick original

"I Say a Little Prayer" was written by lyricist Hal David to express a woman's worry about her husband, who was fighting in the Vietnam War. Dionne Warwick recorded the song during a session on April 9, 1966. Usually, Burt Bacharach's recordings with Warwick took only one or two attempts, but he made ten takes for this song and was not satisfied with the final version, believing it was too quick.

The track was not released until September 1967, when it appeared on the album The Windows of the World. Scepter Records owner Florence Greenberg, not Bacharach, decided to include the song on the album. In October 1967, radio stations in the United States began playing the album track, leading to widespread airplay. This prompted Scepter Records to release the song as a single, paired with a newly recorded track titled "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls."

The upbeat style of "I Say a Little Prayer," which Bacharach disliked, became a major success. The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1967, No. 8 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 4 on the Canadian chart, and No. 4 on the Record World 100 Top Pops chart. The B-side, "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls," also became a hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1968 and No. 1 on the Record World chart. Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" single earned a gold certification from the RIAA for selling one million copies in January 1968. The single, paired with "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls," became one of the most successful double-sided hits of the rock era.

Like many of Bacharach's songs, both sides of the single include sections written in unusual time signatures. The verses of "Prayer" consist of two parts in 4/4 time, one part in 6/4 time, and three parts in 4/4 time. The chorus combines 4/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time.

Aretha Franklin version

"I Say a Little Prayer" returned to the Pop & R&B Top Ten in the fall of 1968 because of a recording by American singer Aretha Franklin from her 1968 album Aretha Now. Franklin and her backing vocalists, The Sweet Inspirations, were singing the song during rehearsals for the album when they realized the recording had potential. The version Franklin made was very different from the original by Dionne Warwick, especially because of the strong piano work by Clayton Ivey. Like Warwick’s version, Franklin’s recording was planned to be the B-side of her July 1968 single "The House That Jack Built." However, the song began to receive radio play in August 1968.

In October 1968, "I Say a Little Prayer" reached number ten on the Hot 100 chart and number three on the R&B singles chart. That same month, the single was certified Gold by the RIAA. This version became Franklin’s ninth and final consecutive Top Ten hit on the Hot 100 while she was signed to Atlantic Records. In the UK, "Prayer" was Franklin’s most successful single, reaching number four in September 1968. Later, she surpassed this achievement with her 1984 collaboration with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," which reached number one.

In February 1987, the UK music magazine New Musical Express listed Franklin’s "I Say a Little Prayer" as its top single of all time. It was followed by Al Green’s "Tired of Being Alone" and Dionne Warwick’s "Walk On By." The song did not appear in the magazine’s 2002 critics’ top 100 singles poll. In Australia, "I Say a Little Prayer" and "The House That Jack Built" were both ranked at number ten in November 1968 as a double-A-side release. The song also became a hit in Europe, reaching number twelve in France, number twenty-nine in West Germany, and number four in the Netherlands.

There are differences in the musical structure between Franklin’s version and Warwick’s original. Warwick’s song was in the key of G major, while Franklin’s was in A major. In the bridge, the chord under "Say a little prayer for…" changed from F#m7 in Warwick’s version to D in Franklin’s. In the chorus, the chord under "…and ever…" was also different, with Franklin’s arrangement using a more common chord, E major, instead of the original D major/C#.

In 2021, "I Say a Little Prayer" was listed at number 117 on Rolling Stone’s "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Diana King version

In 1997, Jamaican singer Diana King released a reggae-style cover of "I Say a Little Prayer." The song was produced by Andy Marvel and released by Work Group as the first single from her second album, Think Like a Girl (1997). It also appeared in the comedy movie My Best Friend's Wedding, which stars Julia Roberts. A dance remix by Love to Infinity helped the song gain popularity on radio. King's single reached No. 1 in Hungary, No. 6 in Australia, No. 12 in Norway, and No. 17 in the UK.

Jose F. Promis from AllMusic called the song "excellent" and "driving." Larry Flick from Billboard magazine described it as an "instantly appealing interpretation" and noted that the song has a "bold and energetic tone" due to the teamwork between King and producer Andy Marvel. He praised the remix by Love to Infinity for turning the song into a lively dance track with bright sounds and upbeat rhythms. The Daily Vault wrote that Aretha Franklin's version of "I Say a Little Prayer" is "better than the original in some ways," and that King's background vocals create a strong foundation for the song. Music & Media magazine called it "a '90s version of a '60s standard" and a "reggae-style version of the widely covered song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David."

Other recordings

Warwick's song "I Say a Little Prayer" was not listed on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. However, two instrumental versions of the song were on the chart in 1968. The first version, performed by Sérgio Mendes, reached No. 21 in the spring of 1968. Later that year, Julius Wechter and the Baja Marimba Band performed the song and reached No. 10 on the same chart.

The 1971 album Anne Murray / Glen Campbell includes a medley of "I Say a Little Prayer" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." In this version, Murray sings "I Say a Little Prayer," while Campbell sings his hit "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." The track reached No. 40 on the Country & Western chart and No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. This concept of combining two songs was first used in a 1968 single by Big Dee Irwin and Mamie Galore. Warwick herself sang "I Say a Little Prayer" while Isaac Hayes performed "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" on their 1977 live album A Man and a Woman.

In 1988, the UK dance group Bomb the Bass (featuring Maureen) released a version of the song that reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1999, Hungarian singer Zsuzsa Cserháti performed a cover of the song titled "(I Pray for You)."

In 1997, "I Say a Little Prayer" appeared in the comedy film My Best Friend's Wedding. The film included a reggae-style cover by Diana King and a version performed by the film's cast. King's version was released as a single and reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 1 in Hungary, No. 34 in France, and No. 6 in Australia. The film's soundtrack was a No. 1 album in Australia. In 2006, a parody of the song with altered lyrics appeared in the comedy film Date Movie, which made fun of its use in My Best Friend's Wedding.

The song was also featured in the television show Glee in the episode "Showmance." It was performed by Dianna Agron as her character Quinn Fabray, with Naya Rivera and Heather Morris dancing as Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce. Agron's version reached No. 125 on the UK Singles Chart.

Other covers include:
– Karine Costa's 2002 version, which reached No. 16 in France and No. 82 in Switzerland. This version was used in a television ad for the French bank Crédit Mutuel.
– The BossHoss' 2006 version, which reached No. 79 in Germany. In 2012, the group re-recorded the song with Ivy Quainoo, the first winner of The Voice of Germany.
– Tori Kelly and Pharrell Williams (as characters Meena and Alfonso) performed the song for the 2021 animated film Sing 2.
– Lianne La Havas' version of the song was used in This Is Us, season 3, episode 13.