1001 Songs Challenge #118: Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

 

The Shirelles – Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)

 

We’re back in the US today and it’s a familiar song for me and a real treat as well. Written by husband and wife team – Gerry Goffin and Carole King – our song today is Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Numerous artists have covered this but the ones chosen for this list are The Shirelles. This African-American quartet are considered one of the earliest girl groups and were comprised of Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie Harris and Beverly Lee. They specialised in R&B, doo-wop and soul so a decent combination based on the songs enjoyed on this list thus far.

Will You Love Me Tomorrow is a song about love and passion. In this case we have a young woman/teenager who is alone with her partner. Love is in the air for sure and with it our narrator may be about to lose her virginity. She has doubts though and that comes in the form of the song’s title. She’s pretty confident she wants to sleep with her boyfriend but is he sincere in his love for her or is it a masquerade, a clever disguise that will be shed upon sunrise? All the narrator wants is the reassurance of his love but whether that comes or not is unclear. It sounds like she is willing to gamble but is this the start of true love or is a broken heart on the horizon?

For me, this song goes back to my childhood in the 1980s. It was used in an advert for Real Fires where a dog walks into a room and sits by a fire, followed by a cat and then a mouse. The unlikely trio all sit together and enjoy the warmth of an open fireplace while The Shirelles sing in the background. Yes, TV in the 1980s was out there! The song itself raised eyebrows with some radio stations given the sexual undertone in there but by today’s standards this is mild stuff indeed. What isn’t in doubt is what a great song it is; fantastic vocals from all four of the group and that accompanying music is simply sublime. A 1960s gem if ever there was one.

 

Favourite songs so far:

Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel (1956)

Fats Domino – Blueberry Hill (1956)

Johnny Cash – I Walk the Line (1956)

Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode (1958)

Cliff Richard & The Drifters – Move It (1958)

Ritchie Valens – La Bamba (1958)

Eddie Cochran – Summertime Blues (1958)

Peggy Lee – Fever (1958)

The Everly Brothers – All I Have to Do Is Dream (1958)

The Shirelles – Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)