Will You Love Me Tomorrow

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"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
The Shirelles 45.jpg
Single by the Shirelles
from the album Tonight's the Night
B-side "Boys"
Released
  • November 1960 (US)
  • 1961 (UK)
Recorded1960
Studio Bell Sound (New York City)
Genre
Length2:41
Label Scepter
Composer(s) Carole King
Lyricist(s) Gerry Goffin
Producer(s) Luther Dixon
The Shirelles singles chronology
"Tonight's the Night"
(1960)
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
(1960)
"Mama Said"
(1961)

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", [3] is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles; released as a single that November, it became the first song by an African-American girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [4] It has since been recorded by many other artists, including King on her 1971 album Tapestry .

Contents

The Shirelles' version

Background

In 1960, the American girl group the Shirelles released the first version of the song as Scepter single 1211, with "Boys" on the B-side. The single's first pressing was labeled simply "Tomorrow", then lengthened later. When first presented with the song, lead singer Shirley Owens thought it was "too country", but relented after a string arrangement was added. Session musicians on the recording included Paul Griffin on piano and Gary Chester on drums. Owens recalled on Jim Parsons's syndicated radio program Shake Rattle Showtime that some radio stations had banned the record because they felt the lyrics were too sexually charged. The song is in AABA form. [5]

Release and legacy

In addition to reaching No. 1 in the United States, the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 4 on the UK singles chart. [6] It reached No. 3 in New Zealand. [7]

The song was ranked at No. 126 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[ citation needed ][ when? ]Billboard named the song No. 3 on its list of the "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time" in 2017. [8]

In 1999, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [9]

Chart history

Answer songs

Bertell Dache recorded an answer song entitled "Not Now Tomorrow, But Always" in 1960, which was arranged by King.[ citation needed ]

The Satintones, an early Motown group, also recorded an answer song called "Tomorrow and Always" (in two different versions), which used the same melody as the original but initially neglected to credit King and Goffin. Following a threat of litigation, later pressings of the record included proper credit. Eventually, it was withdrawn and replaced by the song "Angel" with the same "b" side. [18] The Satintones' versions are included in the box set The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 1: 1959–1961.

Carole King version

Background

In 1971, Carole King, who composed the music of the song, recorded a version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" for her second studio album Tapestry , with Joni Mitchell and James Taylor performing background vocals on separate audio channels. [19] King's version of the song was taken at a considerably slower tempo. David Hepworth analyzed it as "less like the pleas for gentleness on the part of a trembling virgin and more like a mature woman requiring parity in a relationship." [19] It gained considerable album-oriented rock airplay due to the large-scale commercial success of the album.

The song became a feature of King's live shows. Taylor recreated his part during their joint arena-based Troubadour Reunion Tour of 2010.

In the 2013 Broadway musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical , the song is featured in part four times: once during its writing, once during King recording a demo of it, then with the Shirelles performing it, and then King singing and playing it later during an especially bad time in her marriage with Goffin. No other song is featured as frequently in the musical.

Personnel

Notable cover versions

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carole King</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1942)

Carole King Klein is an American singer-songwriter and musician. One of the most successful female songwriters in the US, she wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 over the latter half of the 20th century. She also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shirelles</span> African American girl group

The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie "Micki" Harris, and Beverly Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crystals</span> American vocal group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerry Goffin</span> American lyricist (1939–2014)

Gerald Goffin was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Take Good Care of My Baby", "The Loco-Motion", and "Go Away Little Girl". It was later said of Goffin that his gift was "to find words that expressed what many young people were feeling but were unable to articulate."

<i>Tapestry</i> (Carole King album) 1971 studio album by Carole King

Tapestry is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released on February 10, 1971, by Ode Records and produced by Lou Adler. The album's lead singles, "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move", spent five weeks at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You've Got a Friend</span> 1971 single by Carole King

"You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song written by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, Tapestry (1971). Another well-known version is by James Taylor from his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. His was released as a single in 1971, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart. The two versions were recorded simultaneously in 1971 with shared musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman</span> 1967 song by Aretha Franklin

"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is a 1967 song by American soul singer Aretha Franklin released as a single by the Atlantic label. The lyrics were written by Gerry Goffin from an idea by Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler, and the music was composed by Carole King. Written for Franklin, the record reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became one of her signature songs. It made history on the UK Singles Chart a week after her death, finally becoming a hit almost 51 years after it was first released, entering at No. 79. Franklin also included a live recording on the album Aretha in Paris in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Loco-Motion</span> 1962 song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King

"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oh No Not My Baby</span>

"Oh No Not My Baby" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song's lyrics describe how friends and family repeatedly warn the singer about a partner's infidelities. The song is regarded as an American standard due to its long-time popularity with both music listeners and recording artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Hear You No More</span> 1964 single by Betty Everett

"I Can't Hear You No More" is a composition written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded as "I Can't Hear You" in 1964 by Betty Everett. The most successful version was the 1976 top 40 single by Helen Reddy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Away Little Girl</span> Popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King

"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded by Bobby Vee for Liberty Records on March 28, 1962. The lyrics consist of a young man asking a young attractive woman to stay away from him, so that he will not be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her. The song is notable for making the American Top 20 three times: for Steve Lawrence in 1963, for The Happenings in 1966, and for Donny Osmond in 1971. It is also the first song, and one of only nine, to reach US number 1 by two different artists. Also notable in each of the solo versions is the similar double-tracked treatment of the singer's voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To Know Him Is to Love Him</span> 1958 single by The Teddy Bears

"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by the words on his father's gravestone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him". It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which he was a member, The Teddy Bears. The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. Peter & Gordon and Bobby Vinton later each experienced chart success with the song, in 1965 and 1968, respectively.

"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" is a romantic ballad written by lyricist Gerry Goffin with Michael Masser and recorded by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack for their 1983 album of duets, Born to Love, issued as the lead single. The track—produced by Masser—became a million-selling international hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)</span> 1961 single by American singer Barbara George

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Might as Well Rain Until September</span> 1962 single by Carole King

"It Might as Well Rain Until September" is a 1962 song originally written for Bobby Vee by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. King recorded the demo version of the song and it became a hit for her. However, Vee's management balked at releasing the song as a single, instead using it only as an album track. Bobby Vee recorded the song the same year for his 1963 Liberty album The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.

<i>Emotions</i> (Brenda Lee album) 1961 studio album by Brenda Lee

Emotions is the fourth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on April 3, 1961 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was one of two studio albums released by Lee in 1961 and its title track became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year.

<i>Youve Got a Friend</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1971 studio album by Johnny Mathis

You've Got a Friend is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on August 11, 1971, by Columbia Records. The phrase "Today's Great Hits" can be found above the title on both sides of the record jacket as well as both sides of the LP label as if to emphasize that this is essentially an album covering songs that were recently on the charts. This was a common practice of many vocalists of the period, so much so in fact that fellow Columbia artist Andy Williams also released an album titled You've Got a Friend in August 1971 on which he coincidentally covers seven of the 11 tracks that Mathis recorded for this album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Stay Mad at You</span> 1963 single by Skeeter Davis

"I Can't Stay Mad at You" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded by American country artist Skeeter Davis, becoming her second top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. "I Can't Stay Mad at You" followed on the popular success of Davis' earlier 1963 crossover hit "The End of the World". The song was one of the first Goffin-King compositions to be recorded by a country music performer.

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Leslie Grace is the self-titled second studio album and first tropical album by American singer Leslie Grace. The album was released on June 25, 2013, by Top Stop Music. It debuted at number four on the Billboard Latin Albums chart, and number three on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. A deluxe edition of the album was released on July 4, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yours Until Tomorrow</span> 1968 single by Vivian Reed

"Yours Until Tomorrow" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, recorded by Dee Dee Warwick in 1968. It was used as the B-side to her recording of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." Versions by, respectively, Vivian Reed and Gene Pitney performed on music charts.

References

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