My song today is ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’. This song was written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles, who took their single to Number 1 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart. The song is also notable for being the first song by a black all-girl group to reach Number 1 in the United States. It has since been recorded by many artists over the years, including a 1971 version by co-writer Carole King on her landmark studio album ‘Tapestry’. The song gained considerable airplay due to the large-scale commercial success of the album. The song became a feature of Carole King's live shows.
In addition to reaching Number 1 in the U.S., the song also reached Number 2 on the ‘R&B’ chart and Number 4 in the UK. The song also reached Number 3 in New Zealand. This version of the song (as of 2009) was ranked as the 162nd greatest song of all time, as well as the best song of 1960 by ‘Acclaimed Music’. It was ranked at Number126 among Rolling Stone’s list of ‘The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time’. Billboard named the song Number 3 on their list of ‘100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
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When a person falls in love with someone, they are so romantically involved and lost in the moment that for them to contemplate their relationship may not work out doesn’t even come into play as being a remote possibility. When a couple is at the altar rails on their wedding day, neither of them is entertaining the possibility of a relationship break-up and an acrimonious divorce farther down the road of their marriage. Indeed, few couples embarking on a love relationship that is emotionally absorbing is never likely to apply cold reason to their situation. I have never understood how anyone wealthy who is proposing to marry could have the nerve to ask their partner to sign a prenuptial agreement, or how anyone marrying a wealthy spouse would possibly agree to sign one. For me, to request a prenuptial would be unthinkable, and to accede to signing a prenuptial would certainly be a ‘deal-breaker’ for the continuation of any long-term relationship?
When I worked as a Probation Officer in Huddersfield between 1970-95, I did have occasion to come across a woman who liked the idea of getting married more than she enjoyed being married. She just loved ‘the big day’ which involved dressing up in a wedding gown, bridesmaids, lots of flowers, and the large reception afterward. I never knew if she enjoyed any of her wedding nights with the groom, but if I was guessing, I’d have to bet my money that she faked any pleasure until after the honeymoon period in Barbados had been spent.
The woman concerned had been married around four times, which was almost unheard of at the time unless you were a film star called Elizabeth Taylor or Zsa Zsa Gabor. Each of her weddings was short-lived and no sooner than she got back from one honeymoon with her new groom, she would be thinking about her next wedding day. I often wondered if she was a bigamist who just forgot to mention another few short-lived marriages she’d had on the side, and which might have slipped her mind.
No relationship can ever thrive on left-over attention, and for this woman’s part, she was never in it for the love but for the wedding day. There must be nothing worse than lying beside one’s spouse while they are asleep in bed and thinking “Will you still love me tomorrow?”
Love and peace Bill xxx