- More Than I Can Say
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"More Than I Can Say" 
Single by Leo Sayer from the album Living in a Fantasy B-side "Only Fooling" Released 1980 Format 7" (45 rpm) Genre Pop, Adult contemporary Length 3:34 Label Warner Bros. Writer(s) Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison Producer Alan Tarney Leo Sayer singles chronology "When the Money Runs Out"
(1979)"More Than I Can Say"
(1980)"Once in a While"
(1980)"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 and was recorded by their band in 1959 soon after Holly's death and was released in 1960. Their original version hit #42 on British Record Retailer Chart on 5/12/60. It has been notably performed by singers Bobby Vee and Leo Sayer.
Contents
Bobby Vee version
Vee is 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 in February 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.[1] 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 #61 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] It was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom, where the song and its B-side, "Staying In", peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]
Leo Sayer version
Sayer is a British singer-songwriter who enjoyed the majority of his chart success in the 1970s and early 1980s. He had two singles reach #1 in the U.S., "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" and "When I Need You", both in 1977.[3] He nearly had a third song achieve this feat, as his cover version of "More Than I Can Say" spent five weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1980 and January 1981, kept from the top spot by Lady by Kenny Rogers and (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon.[4] Sayer's version of the song was certified a Gold Record by the RIAA.[4] It also spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.[1] In the U.K., the song peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart,[5] while it spent two weeks atop the Kent Music Report in Australia. Sayer has stated that while looking for an "oldie" to record for his album Living in a Fantasy, he saw a TV commercial for a greatest hits collection by 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."[1]
Covers
- Covers have been recorded by country music artist Sammy Kershaw on his 1999 album, Maybe Not Tonight; by British reggae singer June Lodge, and in 1987 by the norwegian swing/pop duo Bobbysocks! on their LP Walkin' on Air.
- The Shadows did an instrumental version on their 1981 album Hits Right Up Your Street.
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1980 (U.S.)
References
- ^ a b c d Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Vee UK chart info at chartstats.com
- ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of #1 Hits, 5th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Sayer UK chart info at chartstats.com
External links
Categories:- 1961 singles
- 1980 singles
- Bobby Vee songs
- Leo Sayer songs
- Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Songs written by Sonny Curtis
- Songs written by Jerry Allison
- Pop ballads
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