Aretha Franklin's two-sided hit single among the newcomers on Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 17, 1968

Billboard Hot 100

Related reading:
Music And Lyrics: Burt Bacharach And Hal David.  (NPR, 5/5/2010)

GROSS: So, I thought we could close with another song. And this is a song that you wrote - that you didn't write for "Promises, Promises," but it's been interpolated into the new production. And the song is "I Say a Little Prayer." And I thought we'd use Aretha Franklin's 1968 recording of it.  

Mr. DAVID: A great record. 

GROSS: Yeah. Were you amazed to hear her record this?  

Mr. BACHARACH: It's a better record than the record we made.  

Mr. DAVID: Mm-hmm. We did, yeah. And we did a great record, but she topped it.  

Mr. BACHARACH: Yeah.  

GROSS: Why is this one better?  

Mr. DAVID: You'll hear it.  

(Soundbite of laughter)  

Mr. BACHARACH: It's more natural.  

Mr. DAVID: Yeah.  

Mr. BACHARACH: It's just more natural. We were talking about our changes and time changes on the chorus of forever and forever, you stay in my heart, and I will - you know, that's going 4-4, 3-4, 4-4, 3-4. Then regard the way it was treated by Aretha, because Aretha just makes it seamless, the transition going from one change to another change. You never notice it.