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Stay (Maurice Williams song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Stay'" is a doo-wop song written by Maurice Williams and first recorded in 1960 by Williams with his group the Zodiacs. Commercially successful versions were later also issued by The Hollies, The Four Seasons and Jackson Browne.
Maurice Williams original version
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 producer, Phil Gernhard, 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 3, 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?". On the Herald recording, Williams sang lead and Henry Gaston sang the falsetto chorus.
The original recording of "Stay" remains the shortest single ever to reach the top of the American record charts, at 1 minute 36 seconds. By 1990, it had sold more than 8 million copies. Its popularity revived when the 'Dirty Dancing' soundtrack included it.
Chart history
Weekly charts
;Maurice Williams & the ZodiacsYear-end charts
The Four Seasons version
The Four Seasons' version was first released on their June 1963 album 'The 4 Seasons Sing Ain't That a Shame and 11 Others'; it was later released as a single in December 1963. Vee Jay originally released it as the B-side of "Peanuts" in December, but when disc jockeys started to "turn the single over" to play "Stay" on the air, the record company superseded the single with a new one with "Stay" as the A-side and "Goodnight My Love" as the new B-side.Tom Neely, 'Goldmine Price Guide to 45 RPM Records, 5th edition (KP Books, 2005) It peaked at number 16 on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 in April 1964.
Jackson Browne version
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 Rosemary Butler. 'Billboard Magazine' described this version as "spirited and gospel-like". 'Cash Box' said that it has "effective guitar and keyboard solos and an easy beat" and "pleasing lead vocals", and that "David Lindley draws appreciation from the audience with his teasing falsetto". 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. as well as number 12 in the UK.
Charts
Cyndi Lauper version
"Stay" was the third and final single from Cyndi Lauper's 2003 album 'At Last'. It was a promo-only single, released only in the U.S., Australia and France. The video that accompanied it is rarely seen but is commercially available as a special feature on the DVD, 'Live at Last'. The single peaked at #64 on the French Singles Chart.
Other versions
*In 1960 the song was covered by Little Joe and the Thrillers.
*In August 1963, the song was released by the Hollies, who took it to number eight in the UK Singles Chart.
*In 1964, the song was recorded by The Dave Clark Five on their studio album 'Glad All Over'.
*In 1966 the Virginia Wolves released a soul version of the song.
*The song was recorded in 1968 by Jan & Dean for release on their album 'Carnival of Sound' but the album was not released until 2010.
*Singer-songwriter Andrew Gold recorded a version of "Stay" for his 1976 album 'What's Wrong with This Picture?'.
*Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band recorded a version with Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, and Rosemary Butler for the 'No Nukes' album in September 1979.
*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".
*Italo disco duo Marx & Spencer released their version in 1983.
*In 1984, P.D.Q. Bach (a.k.a. Peter Schickele) lampooned the song in his opera The Abduction of Figaro in the aria "Stay With Me".
*Lyrics from the song were interpolated on reggae artist Buju Banton's song "Hush Baby Hush" on his 1995 album 'Til Shiloh'.
*The recording of the song by British pop group Dreamhouse was first released as a single in 1995, then again in 1998.
* Australian group Human Nature included the song on their 2014 album 'Jukebox'.
See also
*List of 'Billboard' Hot 100 number-one singles of 1960
References
Category:1960 singles
Category:1964 singles
Category:1978 singles
Category:Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs songs
Category:The Hollies songs
Category:The Four Seasons (band) songs
Category:Jackson Browne songs
Category:Cyndi Lauper songs
Category:Jan and Dean songs
Category:Dreamhouse (band) songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Vee-Jay Records singles
Category:Asylum Records singles
Category:Sony Music singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe
Category:1960 songs
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