| "That's What Friends Are For" | |
|---|---|
| Song byRod Stewart | |
| from the albumNight Shift | |
| Released | 1982 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:54 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriters | |
"That's What Friends Are For" is a song written byBurt Bacharach andCarole Bayer Sager.
It was first recorded byRod Stewart in 1982 for the soundtrack of the filmNight Shift, but it is best known for the 1985 version byDionne Warwick,[1]Elton John,Gladys Knight, andStevie Wonder. This recording, billed as being byDionne Warwick & Friends, was released as a charity single forAIDS research and prevention. It was a massive hit, becoming the number-one single of 1986 in the United States, and winning theGrammy Awards forBest Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals andSong of the Year. It raised more than $3 million for its cause.
"That’s What Friends Are For" was included on the expanded edition of the 2008 remaster of the albumBody Wishes.
| "That's What Friends Are For" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byDionne Warwick,Elton John,Gladys Knight andStevie Wonder (as "Dionne & Friends") | ||||
| from the albumFriends | ||||
| B-side | "Two Ships Passing in the Night" | |||
| Released | October 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Dionne Warwick singles chronology | ||||
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| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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| Gladys Knight singles chronology | ||||
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| Stevie Wonder singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "That's What Friends Are For" onYouTube | ||||
Dionne Warwick's recording of "That's What Friends Are For" marked the first time she had worked with Bacharach since the 1970s, when Warwick felt abandoned by Bacharach andHal David dissolving their partnership. Warwick said of their reconciliation:[1]
We realized we were more than just friends. We were family. Time has a way of giving people the opportunity to grow and understand ... Working with Burt is not a bit different from how it used to be. He expects me to deliver and I can. He knows what I'm going to do before I do it, and the same with me. That's how intertwined we've been.[1]
A one-off collaboration headed by Warwick and featuringGladys Knight,Elton John, andStevie Wonder, with a different second verse, was released as acharity single in the UK and the US in 1985. The song is in the key ofE♭ major.[3] It was recorded as a benefit for theAmerican Foundation for AIDS Research, and raised more than US$3 million for that cause. Warwick, who had previously raised money for blood-related diseases such assickle-cell anemia, wanted to help combat the then-growingAIDS epidemic because she had seen friends die painfully of the disease.[4] John plays piano and Wonder plays harmonica on the song; the two had previously worked together on 1983's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues".
In the US, the song held the number-one spot of the adult contemporary chart for two weeks, the number-one spot of the soul chart for three weeks, and the top spot of theBillboard Hot 100 for four weeks. It becameBillboard's number one single of 1986. It was certified Gold on January 15, 1986, by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was the final US number one for all but John (John would have two more US number-ones during the 1990s). Due to Wonder's involvement, it also holds the distinction of being the last number-one song for anyone who had topped the charts before theBritish Invasion (his first number-one hit, "Fingertips", came in 1963).
Outside the United States, the song topped the charts in Canada and Australia and reached the top 10 in Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden. On theUK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number 49 and climbed to its peak of number 16 three weeks later, staying at that position for another week before descending the chart. It remained in the UK top 100 for a further five weeks, totaling 10 weeks on the chart altogether.
The Dionne and Friends version of the song won the performers theGrammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, as well asSong of the Year for its writers, Bacharach and Bayer Sager. This rendition is also listed at number 75 onBillboard's Greatest Songs of all time.[5]
Warwick, John, Knight, and Wonder performed the song live together for the first time in 23 years at the 25th AnniversaryamfAR gala in New York City on February 10, 2011.[6]
Source:[7]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[38] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[39] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[41] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[42] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
On March 17, 1990, an AIDS benefit titledThat's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert was held atRadio City Music Hall in New York City. One month later,CBS aired a two-hour version of the concert on television. The celebrity guests and performers were:Luther Vandross,Air Supply,Lauren Bacall,Burt Bacharach,Eric Carmen,Chevy Chase,Jane Curtin,Clive Davis,Taylor Dayne,Michael Douglas,Exposé,Whoopi Goldberg,Melanie Griffith,Hall & Oates,Jennifer Holliday,Whitney Houston,Alan Jackson,Kenny G,Melissa Manchester,Barry Manilow,Milli Vanilli,Jeffrey Osborne,Carly Simon,Patti Smith,Lisa Stansfield,The Four Tops, andDionne Warwick. "That's What Friends Are For" was the finale song sung by Warwick and cousin Houston before being joined on the stage by the other guests of the event. More than $2.5 million was raised that night for the Arista Foundation which gave the proceeds to various AIDS organizations.
In September 2023, British actor-singersDenise van Outen andDuncan James released a duet version in aid ofMacmillan Cancer Support, which was recorded in tribute to their friend, singerSarah Harding, who died from breast cancer in 2021.[43]
In 2024, Warwick took part in a parody version of the song for aCapital One commercial celebrating the annualNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[44]
So working against AIDS, especially after years of raising money for work on many blood-related diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, seemed the right thing to do. 'You have to be granite not to want to help people with AIDS, because the devastation that it causes is so painful to see. I was so hurt to see my friend die with such agony,' Warwick remembers. 'I am tired of hurting, and it does hurt.
