"Maybe" is a song with words and music originally credited to End Records owner George Goldner and "Casey". The co-writing credit was later transferred to Richard Barrett. Arlene Smith, lead singer of the Chantels, is believed to be an uncredited co-writer.[1] The song was first recorded by the Chantels on October 16, 1957, in a doo-wop style with Barrett playing piano, and released in December 1957. It climbed the charts in January 1958, reaching No. 15 in the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 in the Billboard R&B chart. It was subsequently described as "arguably, the first true glimmering of the girl group sound".[2] Rolling Stone ranked it No. 199 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] It was also included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[3]
| "Maybe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by the Chantels | ||||
| from the album We Are the Chantels | ||||
| B-side | "Come My Little Baby" | |||
| Released | December 1957 | |||
| Recorded | October 16, 1957 | |||
| Venue | a church in Midtown Manhattan | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | End | |||
| Songwriter(s) | George Goldner, Roger "Casey" Case (credited) Richard Barrett (later credited) | |||
| The Chantels singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Maybe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Shangri-Las | ||||
| from the album Leader of the Pack | ||||
| B-side | "Shout" | |||
| Released | December 1964 | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | Red Bird | |||
| Songwriter(s) | George Goldner | |||
| Producer(s) | Shadow Morton | |||
| The Shangri-Las singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Maybe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Three Degrees | ||||
| Released | 1966 | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | Red Bird | |||
| Songwriter(s) | George Goldner | |||
| Producer(s) | Shadow Morton | |||
| The Three Degrees singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Maybe" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Janis Joplin | |
| from the album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! | |
| B-side | "Work Me, Lord" |
| Released | September 11, 1969 |
| Recorded | June 16–26, 1969 |
| Studio | Columbia Records Studios, New York City, New York |
| Genre | Blues rock |
| Length | 3:41 |
| Label | Columbia Records |
| Songwriter(s) | George Goldner |
| Producer(s) | Gabriel Mekler |
| "Maybe" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Three Degrees | |
| from the album Maybe | |
| Released | July 1970 |
| Label | Roulette |
Billboard named the song No. 60 on its list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[4]
The song was also covered by The Three Degrees in 1966, Janis Joplin on her I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! album in 1969, and again by The Three Degrees in 1970.
Miguel Matute Project recorded a version in 2019 with Monica Mayen on vocals, included in the album "Desde Adentro y Otros Asuntos".
Album appearances
editThe original Chantels recording was included on the 1963 compilation album Golden Goodies Vol. 3 (Roulette R-25218). The song also appears on the 1973 compilation Rock 'N' Soul 1958 (ABCX-1958), and on the 1975 compilation More American Graffiti (MCA2-8007).
References
edit- ^ a b "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 2010.
- ^ "Maybe – The Chantels – Song Info - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
External links
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