In a new episode of The Rolling Stones The 500 best songs, Carole King discussed her many entries on the list, both her solo hits and those she co-wrote with ex-husband and creative partner Gerry Goffin. Among them is the Shirelles' “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” the girl group's era-defining 1960 hit.
King details how writing with Goffin worked. In this case, Goffin had written the first verse, which then caused the music to pour out of King almost immediately. He notes that the song sounded quite country in the beginning, as opposed to the pop-R&B of its final version. “I heard in later years that the Shirelles didn't want to do it because it sounded too country,” King recalls. “This is something I've never made before.”
Fortunately, the Shirelles ended up recording the track, which would go on to become a Number One hit. Along with composing the music, King also did the string arrangements for the recording, inspired by the use of strings on “There Goes My Baby” by the Drifters.
“These are instrumentals and they put it on a rhythm and blues song that was sung by a black singer, who sings from the church,” he says, still in awe of the inventiveness of the textures at the time. “They put it all together. Gerry and I were on the floor at the time. That's what made us decide to use strings on 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow'.
in 2004, Rolling rock released his list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Drawn from a massive vote involving artists, industry figures and critics, the list has been a source of discussion, inspiration and controversy for two decades. It is one of the most popular, influential and controversial features the magazine has ever done.
So we set out to make it even bigger, better and fresher. In 2021, we completely overhauled our 500 song listwith a whole new batch of voters from across the musical map. Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs takes a closer look at the entries on our list. Produced in partnership with iHeart, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs finds Brittany and Rob discussing a new song each week, delving into its history and impact with the help of a special guest — including fellow RS colleagues, producers and the artists themselves. It's our celebration of the best songs we've ever made — and a breakdown of what makes them so great.
Watch the latest episode above, at iHeartor wherever you get your podcasts and look for new episodes every Wednesday.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/shirelles-will-you-love-me-tomorrow-carole-king-country-1235058048/