Dionne Warwick has once again thrown shade at the late Cilla Black, reigniting their long-standing feud over a song that Warwick claims was ‘stolen.’
The feud dates back to the 1960s when Dionne Warwick, known for her hit “Heartbreaker,” accused Cilla Black, the iconic host of Blind Date, of appropriating her music.
The focal point of the dispute revolves around the emotional ballad “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” originally recorded by Dionne and written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
The Liverpool legend, Cilla Black, released her version of the song on January 31, 1984, just two months after Dionne’s release.
The re-release was prompted by English producer George Martin. This musical clash triggered a feud that persisted beyond Black’s death in 2015.
The recent episode in this long-standing dispute emerged when a user on X (formerly Twitter), @FirstGentleman, shared a revelation:
“I just found out the “Surprise Surprise” lady (Cilla Black) stole a bunch of songs from @dionnewarwick back in the day, including Anyone who had a heart.”
Dionne Warwick responded with a video featuring Cilla Black uttering her signature catchphrase, ‘surprise surprise,’ adding a new layer of mockery to the ongoing feud.
The animosity between the two singers was detailed in Warwick’s 2010 autobiography, “My Life, As I See It.” In the book, she expressed her frustration, stating:
“Anyone Who Had A Heart, for example, was just flat-out copied. Note for note, word for word, and not very well, I might add – by the white British pop singer Cilla Black (whose real name is Cilla White; go figure).”
The decades-old dispute showcases the enduring tension between the two musical legends, providing a glimpse into the complexities of the music industry and the personal rivalries that can arise within it.
