The Shirelles Almost Didn’t Record ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’

In a new episode of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs, Carole King discussed her multiple entries on the list, both her solo hits and ones she co-penned with ex-husband and creative partner Gerry Goffin. Among them is the Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” the 1960 girl group classic that came to define the era.

King describes in detail how writing with Goffin worked. In this case, Goffin had penned 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 its final version. “I heard in later years that the Shirelles didn’t want to do it because it sounded too country,” King recalls. “That’s a thing I’d never put together until now.”

Thankfully, the Shirelles ended up recording the track, which would be a Number One hit. Along with composing the music, King also did the string arrangements for the recording as well, inspired by the use of strings on the Drifters’ “There Goes My Baby.”

“These are orchestral instruments and they’re putting it on a rhythm and blues song sung by a black singer, who sings from the church,” she says still in awe by the inventiveness of the textures at the time. “They put it all together. Gerry and I were floored at the time. That’s what made us decide to use strings on ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow.'”

In 2004, Rolling Stone launched its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Tabulated from a massive vote that had artists, industry figures, and critics weighing in, the list has been a source of conversation, inspiration, and controversy for two decades. It’s one of the most popular, influential, and argued-over 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 Songs list, with a whole new batch of voters from all over the music map. Our podcast, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs, takes a closer look at the entries on our list. Made in partnership with iHeart, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs finds hosts Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield 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 greatest songs ever made — and a breakdown of what makes them so great. 

Check out the latest episode above, on iHeart, or wherever you get your podcasts, and look for new episodes every Wednesday.