The Shirelles almost didn’t record “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”

In a new episode of Rolling Stones The 500 best songsCarole King spoke about her numerous entries on the list, both her solo hits and those co-written with her ex-husband and creative partner Gerry Goffin. Among them is the Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” the 1960 girl group classic that defined the era.

King describes in detail how the writing process with Goffin worked. In this case, Goffin had written the first verse, which then made the music pour out of King almost immediately. She notes that the song sounded quite country at first, as opposed to the pop-R&B of the final version. “I heard in later years that the Shirelles didn’t want to do it because it sounded too country,” King recalls. “I had never managed to do anything like that until now.”

Fortunately, the Shirelles eventually recorded the song, which would become a number one hit. King not only composed the music, but also arranged the strings for the recording, inspired by the use of strings in the Drifters’ “There Goes My Baby.”

“They’re orchestral instruments and they’re playing a rhythm and blues song sung by a black singer who comes from church,” she says, still impressed by the inventiveness of the textures at the time. “They put it all together. Gerry and I were speechless at the time. That’s why we decided to use strings on ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’.”

In 2004, Rolling Stone has released its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The list was created from a massive vote involving artists, industry figures and critics, and has been a source of conversation, inspiration and controversy for two decades. It’s 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 revamped our 500 Songs list, with a whole new group of voters from across the music landscape. Our podcast, Rolling Stone’s 500 Best Songstakes a closer look at the entries on our list. Made in collaboration with iHeart, Rolling Stone’s 500 Best Songs Hosts Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield discuss a new song each week and delve into its history and impact with the help of a special guest – including an RS colleague Colleagues, producers and the artists themselves. It is our celebration of the greatest songs of all time – and an analysis of what makes them so great.