Maybe (The Chantels song)
"Maybe" is a popular song, with words and music credited to the producer/writer/arranger and lead singer of The Valentines, Richard Barrett, but probably written by the Chantels' lead Arlene Smith and George Goldner, owner of the label. It was first recorded by The Chantels on October 16, 1957 in a doo-wop style, then released in December, 1957, and climbing the charts in January 1958. The Chantels's version reached #15 in the pop chart and #2 in the R&B chart. It was subsequently described as "arguably, the first true glimmering of the girl group sound". Rolling Stone ranked it #199 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song has been covered by many artists, including Janis Joplin, The Three Degrees (whose 1970 version became a top thirty hit) and The Shangri-Las. John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has been known to perform his own rendition of the song in live shows, as seen on the band's live DVD, Live At Slane Castle. The song is the only recording attributed to artist Jill Read (a pseudonym for the song's credited producer, Dave Edmunds, whose vocals were manipulated in the studio to sound like a woman).
The song made an appearance, albeit somewhat anachronistically, in the 2010 video game Mafia II, which took place in 1951 despite the fact that the song was recorded in 1957.