The Beatles, "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You"

I've never been a great dancer. I flail around, and generally have a fun time doing so, but I just don't have that "cool," that sexy fluidity that emanates from the pelvis in a real dancer. You either have it or you don't. So the only dancing I've done in recent years has been at weddings.

Which perhaps makes "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You" an odd choice to mark this first week of February, roughly the 45th anniversary of the Beatles' magnificent assault on America. (Music geeks are probably the only community for whom year no. 45 is a big deal.) Why a song that didn't even make the Top 40? And why on earth would George prefer dancing over the prospect of being able "to kiss or hold your hand"?

Well, you can hear "She Loves You" or "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or "Please Please Me" just about anywhere. I wanted to showcase something slightly less familiar. And this innocent little George-sung ditty - on which Paul and John do some of my very favorite backing harmonies; those fuzzy ohhh-OH! fill-ins kill me every time - well, what can I say: I understand now.

Dionne Warwick, "Anyone Who Had a Heart"

Apologies for the unplanned mini-hiatus: working overnights recently made it hard to think lucidly about what to cover here.

Speaking of covers: I've been on a kick lately with Dionne Warwick's interp of the Bacharach-David tune "Anyone Who Had a Heart," one of the very best of the pair's efforts both lyrically and melodically. Went on a YouTube hunt for Dusty Springfield's cover, since one of my general music rules is "anything Dionne can do, Dusty can do better" - but alas, it was nowhere to be found. (Ed. note: Someone has since posted it! Speak Ts'ao Ts'ao's name, and Ts'ao Ts'ao shall appear!)

I also found a number of other covers of the song varying wildly in quality. In roughly descending order, I checked out covers from such determined dames as Cilla Black, Shelby Lynne (whose recent album of Dusty covers left me wanting), Atomic Kitten, Bjork, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, Luther Vandross, and even Tim Curry. (The mouthy humorman falls atypically flat with this one, carelessly tossing that beautiful melody around as if it were a damn Nerf football.)

What it all comes back to: There is no topping Dionne's performance of this majestic song, even by Dusty. Especially when, at the repeated coda, she hits what would seem to be the highest note in her range - then sustains and tops it, for several notes, and repeats the whole coda line twice more without even taking a breath. It's an astonishing effort that she gets little credit for - just because she doesn't melt down doesn't mean it's not soulful or meaningful - and I've been thinking it really warrants a few spins. Especially if you're feeling like you're loving more than you're being loved.