Alfie is a 1966 song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David to promote the film Alfie. The original UK recording was by Cilla Black, released in January 1966, produced by George Martin at Abbey Road with Bacharach conducting a 48‑piece orchestra and playing piano. The lyric opens with the film’s line What’s it all about? and the song follows the puzzled, introspective questions of Alfie the man as he confronts love and meaning. It became a major UK hit for Black, while a US version by Dionne Warwick on Here Where There Is Love and a version by Cher on the album Cher also helped popularize the tune in the mid 1960s. The track is regarded as a 1960s jazz‑pop standard, in a key often linked to Bacharach’s sophisticated harmony. Bacharach won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement in 1968 in connection with Alfie, underscoring the song’s acclaimed arrangement as well as its enduring influence.
