In 1960, the American girl groupthe Shirelles released the first version of the song as Scepter single 1211, with "Boys" on the B-side, with both songs featured on their debut album Tonight's the Night. The single's first pressing was labeled simply "Tomorrow", then lengthened later. When first presented with the song, lead singer Shirley Owens thought it was "too country", but relented after a string arrangement was added. Session musicians on the recording included Paul Griffin on piano and Gary Chester on drums. Owens recalled on Jim Parsons' syndicated radio program Shake Rattle Showtime that some radio stations had banned the record because they felt the lyrics were too sexually charged. The song is in AABA form.[5]
Release and legacy
In addition to reaching No. 1 in the United States Billboard Hot 100, the song reached No. 2 on the BillboardR&B chart and No. 4 on the UK singles chart.[6] It reached No. 3 in New Zealand.[7]
Bertell Dache recorded an answer song entitled "Not Just Tomorrow, But Always" in 1960, which was arranged by Carole King.[citation needed]
The Satintones, an early Motown group, also recorded an answer song called "Tomorrow and Always" (in two different versions), which used the same melody as the original but initially neglected to credit King and Gerry Goffin. Following a threat of litigation, later pressings of the record included proper credit. Eventually, it was withdrawn and replaced by the song "Angel" with the same B-side "A Love That Can Never Be".[17] The Satintones' versions are included in the box set The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 1: 1959–1961.
Carole King version
Background
In 1971, Carole King, who composed the music of the song, recorded a version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" for her second studio album Tapestry, with Joni Mitchell and James Taylor performing background vocals on separate audio channels.[18] King's version of the song was taken at a considerably slower tempo. David Hepworth analyzed it as "less like the pleas for gentleness on the part of a trembling virgin and more like a mature woman requiring parity in a relationship."[18] It gained considerable album-oriented rock airplay due to the large-scale commercial success of the album.
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 musical 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.
The Four Seasons included a cover on their compilation album Edizione D'Oro: The 4 Seasons Gold Edition – 29 Gold Hits and hit number 15 in Cash Box and number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song in 1968.[citation needed]
Melanie included a version on her album Madrugada which reached number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 and reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom in 1974.[citation needed]
Dana Valery recorded a dance version that hit number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976.[19]
Dave Mason recorded the song in 1978 for his album Mariposa de Oro,[20] and had a number 39 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with his remake. It was his final top 40 hit on that chart.
Ram & Tam had a hit on the UK reggae chart, reaching no. 25 with their version in late 1979 and included it on their 1986 album Love & Life.[21][22]
Leslie Grace released a bachata version in 2012 which became her debut single. Her version peaked at number one on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart and number one on the Latin Airplay chart, becoming the youngest female artist to do so.[24] She also released a dance version for her 2013 self-titled album, Leslie Grace.
^ abcBreihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 28.
^ abHutcheon, David (2015). "The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 111.
^Chilton, Martin (June 20, 2014). "Gerry Goffin: 10 great songs". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 16, 2020. Among the musicians who have recorded the song, which is sometimes called Will You Still Love me Tomorrow[...]
^Bronson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. New York City: Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0823076772.
^Covach, John (2005). "Form in Rock Music: A Primer". In Stein, Deborah (ed.). Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 70. ISBN 0-19-517010-5.
