Stay (Maurice Williams song)
Encyclopedia
"Stay" is a doo-wop
song recorded by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. 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 Silvers 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, being only 1 minute and 37 seconds long. 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
.
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
song recorded by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. 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
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
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
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and played them for all the major record producers that they could access. Finally, Al Silvers of Herald Records
Herald Records
Herald Records was an American record label of the 1950s and 1960s. Specialising in the vocal group sound, its biggest hit was "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs....
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
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
. It entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on October 9, 1960 and reached the number one spot on November 21, 1960. It was dislodged a week later by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Are You Lonesome Tonight? (song)
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a popular song with music by Lou Handman and lyrics by Roy Turk. It was written in 1926, first published in 1927 and most notably revived by Elvis Presley in 1960 ....
".
The original recording of "Stay" remains the shortest single ever to reach the top of the American record charts, being only 1 minute and 37 seconds long. 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
Dirty Dancing (soundtrack)
Dirty Dancing is the original soundtrack of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The album became a huge commercial success in the USA. It spent 18 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album sales charts and went multi-platinum. It spawned a follow-up album entitled More Dirty Dancing . Executive Produced by...
.
Cover versions
- The HolliesThe HolliesThe Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
: In August 1963 the song was released by the Hollies, who took it to number eight in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. - The Four Seasons: In 1964, the song was coveredCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by the Four Seasons, whose version peaked at number sixteen in the U.S. Vee Jay originally released the latter as the B-side of "Peanuts" in January, but when disc jockeyDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s 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 LoveGoodnight My Love"Goodnight My Love" can refer to:*"Goodnight My Love" , a 1932 song by Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, and Jules Lemare*"Goodnight My Love" , a 1936 song by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel...
" as the new B-side. - The Virginia Wolves: The song was also covered in 1966 by the Virginia Wolves (Amy Records AMY966 in the USA, Stateside Records SS563 in the UK) augmented by a brass punch that has seen it become a staple tune on the UK Northern SoulNorthern soulNorthern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
scene. - Singer-songwriter Andrew GoldAndrew GoldAndrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
recorded a version of "Stay" for his 1976 album What's Wrong with This Picture? - Jackson BrowneJackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
: A version of the song with revised lyrics is the last track on Jackson Browne's 1977 album Running on EmptyRunning on Empty (album)Running on Empty is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Released in 1977, the album reached #3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1978 and stayed on the charts for 65 weeks...
. The song, which follows on the heels of Browne's "The Load-OutThe Load-Out"The Load-Out" is a song by Jackson Browne from his 1977 album Running on Empty. It is a tribute to his roadies and fans. The song was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland....
" begs the audience to stay for an encore and includes an extensive playout. It includes backing contributions from David LindleyDavid Lindley (musician)David Perry Lindley is an American musician who is notable for his work with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and other rock musicians. He has worked extensively in other genres as well, performing with artists as varied as Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton...
and from Rosemary ButlerRosemary ButlerRosemary Butler began her career playing bass and singing in an all-girl band named the Ladybirds. The band appeared on several LA area television shows before opening for the Rolling Stones in 1964. She then joined all-female hard rock band Birtha who released two albums for Dunhill Records...
. Browne, Butler, and Lindley each contribute a similar verse in turn in ascending vocal ranges. It was released as a single and reached number twenty in the U.S. - Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
: "Stay" was the third and final single from Cyndi Lauper's 2003 cover album At LastAt Last (Cyndi Lauper album)At Last is a Grammy Award-nominated 2003 album by Cyndi Lauper. It made the top 40 of the album charts in both the US and Australia. The album features a duet with Tony Bennett on "Makin' Whoopee". Lauper co-produced the album with Russ Titelman...
. 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 DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Live at Last. - Georg DanzerGeorg DanzerGeorg Franz Danzer was an Austrian singer-songwriter. Although he is credited as one of the pioneers of Austropop , he always refused to be part of this genre.Danzer was successful as a solo...
: 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 BantonBuju BantonBuju Banton is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician.Banton has recorded pop and dance songs, as well as songs dealing with sociopolitical topics....
's song "Hush Baby Hush" on his 1995 album 'Til Shiloh'Til Shiloh’Til Shiloh is the fourth album by Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton, released in 1995 on Loose Cannon Records, a short-lived subsidiary of Island Records . His international breakthrough, ’Til Shiloh marked a turn towards more serious themes in Banton's lyrics, which had previously focused on...
. - DreamhouseDreamhouse (band)Dreamhouse are a British dance/pop group consisting of Paul Barry, David Riley, and Jules Tulley. They released their self-titled debut album in 1998 and released three singles, including a cover version of the Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs song "Stay"....
: British pop group DreamhouseDreamhouse (band)Dreamhouse are a British dance/pop group consisting of Paul Barry, David Riley, and Jules Tulley. They released their self-titled debut album in 1998 and released three singles, including a cover version of the Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs song "Stay"....
covered the song, released as a single in 1998. - Euro discoEuro discoEuro disco is an all encompassing colloquial term used to describe a variety of European electronic dance music that first originated from disco in the 1970s; incorporating elements of pop, New Wave and rock into disco-like continuous dance atmosphere...
duo Marx & Spencer released their version in 1983.