The Shirelles had their first No. 1 hit with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” in 1961.
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” a No. 1 hit in 1961 for The Shirelles, was a landmark in three ways. It was the first No. 1 hit for the vocal group that had come together in Passaic, just a few years before. It was the first No. 1 hit, ever, for an all-female African American group. And it was the first major hit for the great songwriting team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, allowing them to leave their day jobs and concentrate on writing.
The song, which has become a standard in the decades since that original hit (and was recorded by King on her own landmark album, Tapestry, in 1971), is built around a simple but powerful idea: A young woman is unsure of her boyfriend, knowing that while all may seem right at the moment, his affection may not last.
“I’d like to know that your love
Is love I can be sure of
So tell me now, and I won’t ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow?”
Below is a video of The Shirelles performing the song in 1964.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.
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1 comment
An excellent tribute to one of the all-time love songs. It is amazing that teenagers King and Goffin wrote a song that over a century later seems as timely as it was then.