"Don't Make Me Over," Dionne Warwick (1962)

Our first encounter with multiple legends

Peak: #5 on the R&B chart (#21 on the Hot 100)
Streams: 7.5 million

This song was requested by TLSP reader Heather M. Be on the lookout next week for your chance to request a lost song!

Here’s the thing about “Don’t Make Me Over:” It sounds like a gauntlet being thrown down. The oom-pah-pah tempo, maintained by drums and strings, is steady and confident. The lyrics may let the singer admit she’s hopelessly in love, but after making her confession, she demands, “Accept me for what I am. Accept me for what I do.” There’s strength in her vulnerability, and she insists that her feelings be taken seriously.

Dionne Warwick’s vocal insists the same thing. She begins the song with measured calm and careful phrasing, but by the end, while she’s still absolutely in control, she also belts for high heaven. It’s an astonishing performance that sounds like a template other artists are still using for their own performances.