CAFFE` LATTE` TOP 2000 TRACKS

#115 I'LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Bobbie Gentry
The song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" was a last minute addition to the Burt Bacharach and Hal David songbook for the 1968 musical "Promises, Promises". At the time it was being written, the former was ill, which inspired the latter to make a reference to pneumonia in the song's lyrics. Ella Fitzgerald was the 1st to release it as a single but her version flopped. The 2 writers were regular songwriters for Dionne Warwick. They presented the song to her. Warwick scored the US chart hit version; while Bobbie Gentry's remake found favour with British audiences. 
Roberta Streeter was born in 1944 to a couple that divorced soon after her birth. She grew up in poverty on her grandparents' farm. Her grandmother sold a cow to buy a 2nd-hand piano which the young girl began playing and creating songs on at the age of 7. After relocating to California with her mother at 13, the aspiring artist began performing in public. Inspired by the film 'Ruby Gentry', Roberta Streeter became Bobbie Gentry. 
After studying, she was signed to a record deal which saw the release of a solo single entitled "Mississippi Delta". Radio disc jockeys preferred its B-side, "Ode To Billie Joe". This became a massive #1 in the USA in 1967. The song earned Gentry 3 Grammy Awards. While her next recordings were mostly country, the singer/ songwriter was exploring other genres. In 1969, her 'Touch 'Em With Love' album was recorded in Nashville but featured elements of the gritty R&B that was in vogue at the time. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" was lifted off this LP and reached #1 in the UK.
Gentry starred in her own BBC TV series. Her chart entries slowed down, except for the hit duet with Glen Campbell "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Fancy" in 1970. In 1976, a film adaptation of "Ode To Billie Joe" hit screens.
Gentry's 2 marriages, to Bill Harrah and Jim Stafford, both ended within the 1st 12 months. Her live performances slowed down and she finally retired from both recording and performing. Gentry lives in Los Angeles. 

This is a list made up of the songs I enjoy the most, ranked in order of preference: the higher we go, the more I cherish them. Some were released as singles, others as album tracks. Some are obscure; others were worldwide hits or have universal appeal. They aren't always the most famous or popular, but simply a personal choice. I have excluded songs from the last few years in order to get a better idea of a song's lasting impression. I hope you find some new tracks to love, or re-discover some past favourites.
A new song from the Top 200 is added each day, while another 2 are also included from positions 1501-2000 daily. Check back here every 12 hours for an update of the 2000.