Stay (Maurice Williams song)
"Stay" is a doo-wop song recorded by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs.[1] The song was written by Williams in 1953 when he was 15 years old. He had been trying to convince his date not to go home at 10 o'clock as she was supposed to. He lost the argument, but as he was to relate years later, "Like a flood, the words just came to me."
In 1960, the song was put on a demo by Williams and his band, the Zodiacs, but it attracted no interest until a ten-year-old heard it and impressed the band members with her positive reaction to the tune. The band's producers took it along with some other demos to New York City and played them for all the major record producers that they could access. Finally, Al Silver of Herald Records became interested, but insisted that the song be re-recorded as the demo's recording levels were too low. They also said that one line, "Let's have another smoke" would have to be removed in order for the song to be played on commercial radio. After the group recorded the tune again, it was released by Herald Records and was picked up by CKLW. It entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on October 9, 1960 and reached the number one spot on November 21, 1960. It was dislodged a week later by Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?".
The original recording of "Stay" remains the shortest single ever to reach the top of the American record charts, at 1 minute 50 seconds in length. By 1990, it had sold more than 8 million copies. It received a new lease of popularity after being featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The song was named as the Greatest Really Short Rock Song of all time by Digital Dream Door .
Other versions
- In August 1963 the song was released by the Hollies,[2] who took it to number eight in the UK Singles Chart.
- In 1964, the song was covered by the Dave Clark 5 on their studio album "Glad All Over."
- In 1964, the song was covered by the Four Seasons, whose version peaked at number 16,[3] in the U.S. Vee Jay originally released the latter as the B-side of "Peanuts" in January, but when disc jockeys started to "turn the single over" to play "Stay" on the air, the record company superseded the single with a new one with "Stay" as the A-side and "Goodnight My Love" as the new B-side.[4]
- The song was covered by Jan & Dean and was planned to be released on their album Carnival of Sound in 1968. Carnival of Sound was not released until 2010.
- Singer-songwriter Andrew Gold recorded a version of "Stay" for his 1976 album What's Wrong with This Picture?
- A version of the song with revised lyrics is the last track on Jackson Browne's 1977 album Running on Empty. The song, which follows on the heels of Browne's "The Load-Out" begs the audience to stay for an encore and includes an extensive playout. It includes backing contributions from David Lindley and from Rosemary Butler. Browne, Butler, and Lindley each contribute a similar verse in turn in ascending vocal ranges. It was released as a single and reached number 20 in the U.S.
- Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band recorded a version for the No Nukes album in September 1979.
- "Stay" was the third and final single from Cyndi Lauper's 2003 cover album At Last. It was a promo-only single, released only in the U.S. and Australia. The video that accompanied it is rarely seen but is commercially available as a special feature on the DVD, Live at Last.
- In 1980 Austrian singer Georg Danzer wrote a German text to the Jackson Browne medley "The Load Out"/"Stay". It was performed live on the album Direkt as "Roadie Song".
- Lyrics from the song were interpolated on reggae artist Buju Banton's song "Hush Baby Hush" on his 1995 album 'Til Shiloh.
- British pop group Dreamhouse covered the song, first released as a single in 1995, then again in 1998.
- Italo disco duo Marx & Spencer released their version in 1983.
- Australian group Human Nature covered the song on their 2014 album Jukebox.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1960 (U.S.)
References
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| | | Albums |
- Sherry & 11 Others (1962)
- The 4 Seasons Greetings (1962)
- Big Girls Don't Cry and Twelve Others (1963)
- The 4 Seasons Sing Ain't That a Shame and 11 Others (1963)
- Golden Hits of the 4 Seasons (1963)
- Dawn (1964)
- Rag Doll (1964)
- Born to Wonder (1964)
- Stay and Other Great Hits (1964)
- The 4 Seasons Sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach... Hal David... Bob Dylan (1965)
- 4 Seasons Entertain You (1965)
- Lets Hang On (1965)
- Working My Way Back to You (1965)
- On Stage with The Four Seasons (1965)
- New Gold Hits (1967)
- The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (1968)
- Edizione D'Oro (Gold Edition) (1968)
- Half and Half (1970)
- Chameleon (1972)
- Who Loves You (1975)
- Helicon (1977)
- The Very Best of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (2002)
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| Singles | |
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| Related topics | |
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| Book:The Four Seasons |
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| Studio albums | |
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| US albums | |
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| Extended plays | |
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| Live albums | |
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| Compilations |
- The Hollies' Greatest Hits (US)
- Hollies' Greatest (UK)
- Hollies' Greatest Hits (GER)
- Hollies' Greatest Volume 2 (UK)
- The Hollies' Greatest Hits (US)
- The Very Best of the Hollies (US)
- The History of the Hollies (UK)
- 20 Golden Greats (UK)
- The Best of the Hollies E.P.'s (UK)
- The Other Side of the Hollies (UK)
- Hollies' Greatest (US version) (US)
- All the Hits and More – The Definitive Collection (UK)
- Rarities (UK)
- The Air That I Breathe – The Very Best of the Hollies (UK)
- 30th Anniversary Collection
- The Hollies at Abbey Road 1963 to 1966
- The Hollies at Abbey Road 1966 to 1970
- The Hollies at Abbey Road 1973 to 1989
- Greatest Hits (UK)
- A's B's & EP's
- On a Carousel 1963-1974: The Ultimate Hollies
- Midas Touch: The Very Best of The Hollies
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| Box Sets |
- The Long Road Home - The 40th Anniversary Collection
- At Abbey Road 1963-1989
- Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years: The Complete Hollies April 1963 - October 1968
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| UK and US (All Labels) |
- 1963
- "Stay" / "Now's the Time"
- 1964
- "Just One Look" / "Keep Off That Friend of Mine"
- "Here I Go Again" / "Baby That's All" (UK) - "Lucille" (US)
- "We're Through" / "Come On Back"
- 1965
- "Yes I Will" / "Nobody"
- "I'm Alive" / "You Know He Did"
- "Look Through Any Window" / "So Lonely"
- 1966
- "I Can't Let Go" / "Running Through the Night (UK) - "I've Got a Way of my Own" (US)
- "Bus Stop" / "Don't Run and Hide"
- "After the Fox (with Peter Sellers)" / "The Fox Trot (Gold, Gold, Who's Got the Gold)" (Burt Bacharach)
- "Stop Stop Stop" / "It's You"
- 1967
- "On a Carousel" / "All the World Is Love"
- "Carrie Anne" / "Signs That Will Never Change"
- "King Midas in Reverse" / "Everything Is Sunshine" (UK) - "Water on the Brain" (US)
- 1968
- "Jennifer Eccles" / "Open Up Your Eyes" (UK) - "Try It" (US)
- "Listen to Me" / "Do the Best You Can" (UK) - "Everything is Sunshine" (US)
- 1969
- "Sorry Suzanne" / "Not That Way At All"
- "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" / "Cos You Like to Love Me"
- 1970
- "I Can't Tell the Bottom from the Top" / "Mad Professor Blyth"
- "Gasoline Alley Bred" / "Dandelion Wine"
- 1971
- "Hey Willy" / "Row the Boat Together"
- 1972
- "The Baby" / "Oh Granny"
- "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" / "Cable Car" (UK) - "Look What We've Got" (US)
- "Magic Woman Touch" / "Indian Girl" (UK) - "Blue in the Morning" (US)
- 1973
- "The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee" / "Born a Man"
- 1974
- "The Air That I Breathe" / "No More Riders"
- "I'm Down" / "Hello Lady Goodbye" (UK) - "Look Out Johnny (There's a Monkey on Your Back)" (US-1975)
- "Sandy (4th July, Asbury Park)" / "Second Hand Hang-Ups"
- 1983
- "Stop! In the Name of Love" / "Musical Pictures"
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| UK only (Parlophone) (Polydor) (EMI) |
- 1963
- "(Ain't That) Just Like Me" / "Hey What's Wrong With Me"
- "Searchin'" / "Whole World Over"
- 1965
- "If I Needed Someone" / "I've Got a Way of My Own"
- 1974
- "Son of a Rotten Gambler" / "Layin' to the Music"
- 1976
- "Boulder to Birmingham" / "Crocodile Woman (She Bites)"
- "Star" / "Love is the Thing"
- "Daddy Don't Mind" / "C'Mon"
- "Wiggle That Whotsit" / "Corrine"
- 1977
- "Hello to Romance" / "48 Hour Parole"
- "Amnesty" / "Crossfire"
- 1979
- "Something to Live For" / "Song of the Sun"
- 1980
- "Soldier's Song" / "Draggin' My Heels"
- "Heartbeat" / "Take Your Time (new version)"
- 1981
- "Holliedaze (A Medley)" / "Holliepops (A Medley)"
- "Take My Love and Run" / "Driver"
- 1985
- "Too Many Hearts Get Broken" / "You're All Woman"
- 1987
- "This Is It" / "You Gave Me Strength"
- "Reunion of the Heart" / "Too Many Hearts Get Broken"
- 1989
- "Find Me a Family" / "No Rules"
- 1993
- "The Woman I Love" / "Purple Rain (Live Version)"
- 2005
- "Hope" / "Shine On Me"
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| US only (Imperial) (Epic) (Atlantic) |
- 1967
- "Pay You Back With Interest" / "Whatcha Gonna Do 'Bout It"
- "Just One Look" / "Running Through the Night"
- "Dear Eloise" / "When Your Light's Turned On"
- "If I Needed Someone" / "Yes I Will"
- 1968
- "Do the Best You Can" / "Elevated Observations"
- 1971
- "Survival of the Fittest" / "Man Without a Heart"
- 1972
- "Long Dark Road" / "Indian Girl"
- 1973
- "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" / "I Had a Dream"
- "Slow Down" / "Won't We Feel Good"
- 1974
- "Don't Let Me Down" / "Layin' to the Music"
- 1975
- "Another Night" / "Time Machine Jive"
- 1976
- "Write On" / "Crocodile Woman (She Bites)"
- 1977
- "Draggin' My Heels" / "I Won't Move Over"
- 1978
- "Writing on the Wall" / "Burn Out"
- 1983
- "If the Lights Go Out" / "Someone Else's Eyes"
- "Casualty" / "Someone Else's Eyes"
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| Italy only (Parlophon) |
- 1967
- "Non Prego Per Me" / "Devi Avere Fiducia in Me"
- "Kill Me Quick" / "We're Alive"
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| Studio albums | |
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| Live albums | |
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| Compilation albums | |
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| Singles | |
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| Related articles | |
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| She's So Unusual | |
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| True Colors | |
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| A Night to Remember | |
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| Hat Full of Stars | |
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| Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some | |
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| Sisters of Avalon | |
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| Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life | |
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| Shine | |
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| At Last | |
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| The Body Acoustic | |
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| Bring Ya to the Brink | |
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| Memphis Blues | |
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| Other singles | |
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