The prompt from Jim:
This week the single word song title prompt, and the song that you choose must contain only one word in the title.
“Stay” was written by Maurice Williams when he was only 17 years old. It was written about a young girl named Mary who he tried to convince to stay out past her curfew. This was not the only song he wrote about Mary. When he was 15, he wrote the song “Little Darlin’” also about Mary. It was Mary’s 8 year old sister that liked “Stay” so much, it encouraged him to try and get someone interested in the song.
The song was recording under the Herald label, but only after condensing the song and removing the line “Let’s have another smoke” (otherwise it might not get commercial airplay.)
This interview in Our State Magazine from 2012 sheds more light on the song and is a charming read. Oh Won’t You Stay?
The song was released in 1960 performed by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. It reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and still holds the record for the shortest song to ever reach the top of the American charts at 1 minute and 36 seconds.
By 1990, the song had sold more than 8 million copies, helped by the fact it was included in the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack.
This clip is from a television show “The Village Square” that originated in Charleston, SC and was later in syndication throughout the U.S.
This is the clip from “Dirty Dancing”.
“Stay” was covered by a number of other musicians including The Four Seasons, Jackson Browne, Cyndi Lauper, the Hollies and others.
”Stay”
Lyrics from Songfacts.com
Stay, ah just a little bit longer,
Please, please, please, please, please,
Tell me that you’re going to
Now your Daddy don’t mind,
And your Mommy don’t mind,
If we have another dance, yeah,
Just one more, one more time.
Oh won’t you stay, just a little bit longer,
Please let me hear you say that you will
Say you will
Won’t you place your sweet lips to mine,
Won’t you say you love me all the time
Oh yeah, just a little bit longer,
Please, please, please, please, please,
Tell me you’re going to
Come on, come on, come on, stay,
Come on, come on, come on, stay,
Come on, come on, come on, stay, oh la de da,
Come on, come on, come on, stay, my, my, my, my,
Come on, come on, come on, stay
Song Lyric Sunday is hosted every Sunday by Jim Adams. If you would like to join in the fun, check out his blog for the rules and to take in all the other music posted by other bloggers.
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