# stay (maurice williams song) ![[stay-mauricewilliamsandthezodiacs.jpg|300]] single by maurice williams and the zodiacs b-side: "do you believe" written: 1953 released: august 1960 recorded: 1960 genre: doo-wop length: 1:36 label: herald songwriter(s): maurice williams producer(s): phil gernhard "stay" is a doo-wop song written by maurice williams and first recorded in 1960 by williams with ir group the zodiacs. commercially successful versions were later also issued by the hollies the four seasons and jackson browne # maurice williams original version the song was written by williams in 1953 when ey was 15 years old. ey had been trying to convince ir date not to go home at 10 o'clock as they was supposed to. ey lost the argument but as ey was to relate years later "like a flood the words just came to me" in 1960 the song was put on a demo by williams and ir band the zodiacs but it attracted no interest until an eight-year-old heard it and impressed the band members with ir positive reaction to the tune. the band's producer phil gernhard took it along with some other demos to new york city and played them for all the major record producers that they could access. finally al silver of herald records became interested but insisted that the song be re-recorded as the demo's recording levels were too low. they also said that one line "let's have another smoke" would have to be removed in order for the song to be played on commercial radio. after the group recorded the tune again it was released by herald records and was picked up by cklw radio. it entered the u.s. billboard hot 100 on october 3 1960 and reached the number one spot on november 21 1960. it was dislodged a week later by elvis presley's "are you lonesome tonight?." on the herald recording williams sang lead and henry gaston sang the falsetto chorus the original recording of "stay" was the shortest single ever to reach the top of the american record charts at that time at 1 minute 36 seconds by 1990 it had sold more than 8 million copies. its popularity revived when the dirty dancing soundtrack included it maurice williams & the zodiacs: chart (1960-1961): peak position:: : canada (chum chart): 9:: new zealand (lever hit parade): 4:: uk: 14:: u.s. billboard hot 100: 1:: u.s. billboard r&b: 3:: u.s. cash box top 100: 4:: : chart (1960): rank:: : u.s. (joel whitburn's pop annual): 18:: u.s. billboard hot 100: 98::#the hollies version in november 1963 the song was released by british band the hollies whose version reached no. 8 on the uk singles chart. it remained on the chart for a total of 16 weeks. the song is from ir debut album stay with the hollies // republic of bob