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More Than I Can Say

Summary

"More Than I Can Say" is a song written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, both former members of Buddy Holly's band the Crickets. They recorded it in 1959 soon after Holly's death and released it in 1960. Their original version reached No. 42 on the British Record Retailer Chart in 1960. It has been notably performed by singers Bobby Vee and Leo Sayer.

"More Than I Can Say"
Single by the Crickets
from the album In Style with the Crickets
B-side"Baby My Heart"
ReleasedApril 1960 (UK)
May 1960 (US)
Length2:38
LabelCoral
Songwriter(s)Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison
Producer(s)Norman Petty
The Crickets singles chronology
"When You Ask About Love"
(1959) 		"More Than I Can Say"
(1960) 		"Don't Cha Know"
(1960)

The Crickets version edit

"More Than I Can Say" was the third single from the Crickets' second release, In Style with the Crickets. The song was written by guitarist Sonny Curtis and drummer Jerry Allison in around an hour in 1959.[1] The hook was left unfinished at the time, and at the time of recording, the hook was left this way with no lyrics, only the "wo-wo yay-yay," which became a memorable part of the song. The single went on to become a minor hit in the UK, entering the top 40 and peaking at 26. Curtis considers this song to be one of his most enduring, looking back at the success subsequent artists have had performing it.

Personnel edit

Charts edit

Chart Peak
position
UK singles chart[3] 26

Bobby Vee version edit

Bobby Vee was an American pop music singer whose prominence in the music industry arose from tragedy. After Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, a then-teenaged Vee was one of a group of local musicians recruited to play at the next leg of a scheduled concert in Fargo, North Dakota.[4] In 1961, Vee (whose other hit singles include "Take Good Care of My Baby" and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes") recorded "More Than I Can Say", and it reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] It was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom, where the song and its B-side, "Staying In", peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.[5] It also reached No. 8 in New Zealand.[6] It was featured on his 1961 album, Bobby Vee.

Beatles live cover version edit

According to author Mark Lewisohn in The Complete Beatles Chronicle (p. 364), the Beatles performed "More Than I Can Say" live in 1961 and 1962 (in Hamburg and Liverpool and elsewhere). Author Allen J. Weiner in The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide (p. 206) confirms this, noting that it came from a setlist made at the time by George Harrison. It is unclear whether the lead vocal was by John Lennon, Paul McCartney or Harrison. No recording is known to survive.

Leo Sayer version edit

"More Than I Can Say"
 
Single by Leo Sayer
from the album Living in a Fantasy
B-side
  • "Only Fooling" (most of the world)
  • "Millionaire" (US)
ReleasedJune 27, 1980
GenreSoft rock[7]
Length3:34
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison
Producer(s)Alan Tarney
Leo Sayer singles chronology
"When the Money Runs Out"
(1979) 		"More Than I Can Say"
(1980) 		"Once in a While"
(1980)

Leo Sayer's version of "More Than I Can Say" spent five weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1980 and January 1981.[8] Sayer's version of the song was certified gold by the RIAA.[8] It also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[4] In the UK, the song peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart,[9] while it spent two weeks atop the Kent Music Report in Australia.

Sayer has said that while looking for an "oldie" to record for his album Living in a Fantasy, he saw a television commercial for a greatest hits collection by Bobby Vee and chose the song on the spot: "We went into a record store that afternoon, bought the record and had the song recorded that night."[4]

The music video for the song was frequently aired on MTV when that channel launched on August 1, 1981.

Chart performance edit

Weekly charts edit

Chart (1980–1981) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10][11] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 4
Canada RPM Top Singles[14] 7
Denmark (Hitlisten)[15] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 2
Israel (IBA)[17] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 6
New Zealand[20] 5
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[21] 2
Spain (AFYVE)[22] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 2
UK Singles Chart 2
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 2
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 1
US Cash Box Top 100[25] 3
West Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 8
Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[27] 1

Year-end charts edit

Chart (1980) Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10][28] 8
South Africa[29] 20
UK[30] 49
US Cash Box[31] 47
Chart (1981) Rank
Canada[32] 64
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 52

Other versions edit

  • Irish singer Darren Holden covered "More Than I Can Say" in 1997, reaching No. 20 in Ireland.[citation needed]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ International Songwriters Association (February 4, 1959). "International Songwriters Association (ISA) Songs And Songwriting • Sonny Curtis Interview". Songwriter.co.uk. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  2. ^ "Who's Who On The Cricket's Recordings". Rockin50s.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "CRICKETS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  5. ^ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "flavour of new zealand - Lever hit parades". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "8 Questions with Leo Sayer: He still makes you feel like dancing | The Straits Times". The Straits Times. December 1, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  9. ^ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. January 5, 1981. Retrieved January 17, 2022 – via Imgur.
  11. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  12. ^ "Leo Sayer – More Than I Can Say" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "Leo Sayer – More Than I Can Say" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 31, 1981" (PDF).
  15. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. April 11, 1981. p. 75. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – More Than I Can Say". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  17. ^ August 25, 1980
  18. ^ "Leo Sayer – More Than I Can Say" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Leo Sayer" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART.
  21. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  22. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. April 11, 1981. p. 75. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "Leo Sayer – More Than I Can Say". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  24. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  25. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 12/27/80". Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Leo Sayer – More Than I Can Say" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  27. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  28. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  29. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1980". Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  30. ^ "Chart File". Record Mirror. London, England: Spotlight Publications. March 21, 1981. p. 37.
  31. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1980". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  32. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1980/Top 100 Songs of 1980 | Music Outfitters". www.musicoutfitters.com.

External links edit

  • Leo Sayer single release info at discogs.com

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