Will You Love Me Tomorrow

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
File:The Shirelles 45.jpg
Single by The Shirelles
from the album Tonight's the Night
B-side	"Boys"
Released	November 1960 (US) 1961 (UK)
Format	Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded	1960
Genre	R&B
Length	2:43
Label	Scepter
Writer(s)	Gerry Goffin Carole King
The Shirelles singles chronology
"Tonight's the Night" (1960) "'Will You Love Me Tomorrow'" (1960) "Dedicated to the One I Love" (1961)

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", also known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally recorded by The Shirelles. It has been recorded by many artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at No. 126. The song is notable for being the first song by an all-girl group to reach No. 1 in the United States. The song is in AABA form.

The Shirelles' version

In 1960, The Shirelles released their version as Scepter single 1211, with "Boys" on the B-side. The single's first pressing was labelled simply "Tomorrow", then lengthened later. When first presented with the song, lead singer Shirley Owens (later known as Shirley Alston-Reeves) did not want to record it, because she thought it was "too country." She relented after a string arrangement was added. In 1961, the song went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. However, Owens recalled on Jim Parsons' syndicated oldies radio program, Shake Rattle Showtime, that some radio stations had banned the record because they had felt the lyrics were too sexually charged.

This version of the song, with session musician Gary Chester on drums, is currently ranked as the 110th greatest song of all time, as well as the best song of 1960, by Acclaimed Music.

The song appeared on the soundtrack of Michael Apted's Stardust.

Answer songs

Bertell Dache, a black demo singer for the Brill Building songwriters, recorded an answer song entitled "Not just Tomorrow, But Always". It has been erroneously claimed by some historians that Dache was a pseudonym for Epic recording artist Tony Orlando, whose recording of the original song had not been released as Don Kirshner thought the lyric was convincing only as sung by a woman. However, an ad for United Artists Records which appeared in Billboard during 1961 featured a photo of the singer which conclusively proved that Dache was not Tony Orlando.

The Satintones, an early Motown group, also recorded an answer song called "Tomorrow and Always," 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. The Satintones' versions are included in the box set "The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 1: 1959-1961."

Carole King version

In 1971 Carole King, the co-writer of the song, included a version on her landmark 1971 album Tapestry, with Joni Mitchell and James Taylor on background vocals. This was taken at a considerably slower tempo and with a more contemplative, melancholy feel than in the Shirelles recording. It gained considerable album-oriented rock airplay due to the large scale commercial success of the album. It is thus the version that many listeners are most familiar with.

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 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.

Other versions

• Brenda Lee released her own version in 1961 on the album Emotions.
• Mike Berry released a version in January 1961
• Lil Malmkvist (a younger sister of Siw Malmkvist) recorded a Swedish version called "Hur blir det i morgon" in 1961.
• Ronnie James Dio with his band The Prophets released their version of the song as a single in 1962.
• Ben E. King released a cover on his 1962 album Ben E. King Sings for Soulful Lovers.
• The Chiffons released their version in 1963 on their album: He's So Fine.
• The Kestrels released a cover on their 1963 album Smash Hits! From the Kestrels (Piccadilly NML 38009)
• Dusty Springfield included her version as a track on her 1964 album A Girl Called Dusty. Springfield also recorded a French-language version of the song called Demain tu peux changer. She also re-recorded the song in 1980, but this recording remains unissued.
• Carla Thomas released a version on her 1965 album Comfort Me.
• Len Barry released a version on his 1965 album 1-2-3.
• Lesley Gore covered the song on her 1966 Sings All About Love album.
• Jackie DeShannon released a version on her 1966 album Are You Ready For This?
• Cher released a version on her 1966 album Cher.
• Jocelyne French teen pop star (and Brenda Lee sound alike) released a version called "Reviendra-t-il Encore" in 1966.
• Finest Kind, a Canadian close harmony vocal trio, covered the song on Silks & Spices.
• The Righteous Brothers performed "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" on their album Sayin' Something in 1967
• The Four Seasons had a No. 24 hit with this song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.
• Sandy Posey cut a version, produced by Joe South for MGM, in 1968.
• The Saw Doctors play this live in the middle of their song "Thats What she Said Last Night".
• Françoise Hardy recorded her own version on her 1969 album En Anglais (album known in the U.S. and Canada as Loving).
• Linda Ronstadt released a version on her 1970 album Silk Purse. It reached #98 in Cash Box and (Bubbled Under to) #111 in Billboard.
• Bruce Springsteen's "Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom" recorded a live version in 1971, which can be heard on YouTube.
• Roberta Flack's version hit number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".
• Smokey Robinson included the song on his first solo album in 1973.
• Melanie Safka reached #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 and reached the Top 40 in the United Kingdom in 1974.
• Jody Miller made the country charts with a remake of the song in 1975.
• Morningside Drive released a dance version of the song in 1975, which reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Dana Valery recorded a dance version that hit number ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976.
• The Michael Stanley Band recorded a version at the Cleveland Agora for their 1977 double live album, "Stage Pass".
• Graham Bonnet recorded this song for inclusion on his first, eponymous, solo album in 1977.
• Dave Mason had a No. 39 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978 with his remake. It was his final top forty hit on that chart.
• Brotherhood of Man released their version as a single in 1980.
• Rainbow played a cover of this song during the 1980 dates of their Down to Earth tour, including whilst headlining the 1980 Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park.
• Maureen Tucker of The Velvet Underground recorded it as the B-side on the single "Around and Around" in 1981.
• Dionne Warwick recorded the song with The Shirelles on her 1983 album, How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye.
• Laura Branigan remade it for her 1984 album Self Control.
• Elton John sang it at the Prince's Trust benefit concert in 1987. It was the first song he performed publicly after having undergone vocal cord surgery at the beginning of that same year. Elton John's version of the song has not officially been released.
• Millie Jackson recorded a cover for the 1989 album Back to the S**t!.
• Angus Tung wrote a version of the song with Mandarin lyrics in 1989, which was subsequently translated as a Cantonese duet for Shirley Kwan and Alan Tam.
• The Afghan Whigs released a cover of the song on their 1991 7" Ornament. The version featured Marcy Mays of the band Scrawl on vocals with The Afghan Whigs lead singer Greg Dulli on background vocals.
• Joe Walsh recorded a version which was featured on his 1992 album Songs for a Dying Planet.
• Patti LaBelle and Loretta Devine sung a ballad version of the song on LaBelle's short-lived sitcom Out All Night in 1992.
• Björn Again recorded a dance version on their 1993 album Flashback!
• Bryan Ferry had a hit in the United Kingdom with his version in 1993.
• Neil Diamond included this song on his 1993 album, Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building.
• The Nylons, a Canadian a cappella group, released a cover of the song on their 1994 album Because....
• Laura Nyro covered the song on her final album Angel in the Dark which was recorded in 1994–95 but only released in 2001 after her death.
• Debbie Gibson recorded a cover of this song for her 1995 album Think With Your Heart. (This version is mistakenly attributed to Carly Simon on p2p networks quite a bit).
• The Bee Gees recorded what Carole King called "the definitive version" for a Carole King tribute album entitled Tapestry Revisited in 1995.
• Lobo recorded a cover of this song in 1995 on his album Classic Hits.
• The Killer Barbies recorded a punk rock version of the song on their 1995 debut album Dressed to Kiss.
• Dianne Reeves recorded a smooth jazz version on her 1997 album That Day.
• Lorrie Morgan recorded a country version of the song in 1997 for her Gold album Shakin' Things Up.
• Jennifer Peña recorded a Spanish version on her album Jennifer y los Jetz entitled "Cuando Despierte Mañana" in 1997.
• Shawn Colvin covered the song for the closing credits of the series finale of The Larry Sanders Show in 1998.
• Frances Black recorded the song on her "Don't Get Me Wrong" album in 1998.
• Minnie Driver's character sings the song in the film Beautiful.
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes remade the song on their 2001 album Blow in the Wind.
• Mest uses the hook in the refrain of their song "Reason" on Destination Unknown released in 2001.
• Touch Acoustra, a Washington DC based jazz ensemble, recorded the song with Norah Jones as featured vocalist on their 2002 CD, When It Comes Upon You.
• Kate Ceberano covered the song for her 2004 album 19 Days in New York.
• Lauryn Hill performed a version during her 2006 tour. The versions have not been officially released.
• John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers frequently played a live version of the song featuring only guitar and vocals during the band's 2006–07 Stadium Arcadium tour.
• Joni Mitchell references this song in her song "Chinese Café/Unchained Melody" with the line "You give your love so sweetly".
• The French Kicks recorded a version on their 2009 EP Covers.
• Lykke Li recorded a version in July 2009, which is featured on the trailer for the Carrie 2013 remake
• Kanye West's song "Devil in a New Dress" samples Smokey Robinson's cover on his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).
• The Like, an all-girl alternative band, covered the song in 2010.
• American Idol (season 10) contestant James Durbin performed the song during Carole King week in April 2011.
• Joseph Leo Bwarie recorded a jazz version the song, which is on his 2011 album "Nothin' But Love"
• U2 played a snippet of the song in Denver at their U2 360 Tour concert on May 21, 2011, in Winnipeg at their 360 concert on May 29, 2011, in Montreal at their 360 concert on July 8, 2011, in Seattle, Washington on June 4, 2011, and in Miami, Florida at their 360 concert on June 29, 2011. The song led into U2's live favorite "Where The Streets Have No Name".
• Sweet Talk Radio performs a version that was played in the Haven episode Audrey Parker's Day Off on August 19, 2011.
• Amy Winehouse recorded it for the 2004 film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, slowing down the tempo and using a jazz arrangement. Another version is included in posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures as Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow 2011.
• Leslie Grace released a bachata version which became her debut single. Her version peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart and No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart, becoming the youngest female artist to do so.

• Jahmene Douglas performed a version as part of his The X Factor 2012 Bootcamp audition.
• Joe Dewick (Local Sheffield Artist and Member of The City Phasers) recorded a version in February 2013.
• Celia Pavey performed a version as part of her The Voice 2013 Episode 22: Live Finals 3 performance.
• The Zombies - performed this for BBC
• Evan Dando - bootleg
• Bette Midler covered the song on her 2014 album It's the Girls!.
• Human Nature cover the song on their 2014 album Jukebox.
• In 2015, popular TV series Glee covered the song as a mash-up with Alanis Morissette's "Head over Feet" in the third episode of their sixth and final season, "Jagged Little Tapestry".

See also

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1961 (U.S.)

References

Notes

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics