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It'll Be Me (Jerry Lee Lewis song)

"It'll Be Me" is a song written by Jack Clement, first released in April 1957 by Jerry Lee Lewis, as B-side to his single "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" (Sun 267).

"It'll Be Me"
Song by Jerry Lee Lewis
A-side"Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On"
ReleasedApril 15, 1957 (1957-04-15)
GenreRock and roll, rockabilly
Length2:44
LabelSun
Songwriter(s)Jack Clement
Producer(s)Sam Phillips, Jack Clement
Jerry Lee Lewis chronology
"Crazy Arms"
(1956) 		"It'll Be Me"
(1957) 		"Great Balls of Fire"
(1957)

Jerry Lee Lewis

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The song was written by Clement with the intention that it be the follow-up A-side to Jerry Lee Lewis' first local hit, "Crazy Arms". According to Clement, "We were working on a song I'd written called "It'll Be Me", and I was in the control room and getting tired of it, so I went out there and said, 'Why don't we get off of this? We'll come back to it later, Jerry. Let's cut something else...'." Band member J. W. Brown suggested that Lewis play another song that had been going down well in live performances, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On". When the single was released, "It'll Be Me" was used as the B-side.[1]

Another (slower and shorter) version of the song, from a later recording session, was released in May 1958 on his first album Jerry Lee Lewis.

Lewis's version of "It'll be Me" is used in the 1993 British TV series Lipstick on Your Collar.[2]

Cliff Richard and the Shadows

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"It'll Be Me"
 
Single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows
from the album 32 Minutes and 17 Seconds with Cliff Richard
B-side"Since I Lost You"
Released31 August 1962[3]
Recorded17 May 1962
StudioEMI Studios, London
GenreRock and roll
Length1:55
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Jack Clement
Producer(s)Norrie Paramor
Cliff Richard and the Shadows singles chronology
"Lessons in Love"
(1962) 		"It'll Be Me"
(1962) 		"Wonderful to Be Young"
(1962)

Cliff Richard and the Shadows released their version as the A-side of a single in August 1962. It reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart[4] and was a top ten hit in numerous other countries. In 1983 Richard rerecorded the song for his 25th Anniversary album Rock 'n' Roll Silver (exclusive to the limited edition box-set Silver).

Chart performance

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Chart (1962) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 2
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6][7] 6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 8
Canada (CHUM)[9] 14
Denmark (Tracklisten)[7][10] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[11][12] 2
Israel[13] 2
Hong Kong[14] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[16] 2
South Africa (SARMDA)[17][18][13] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 5

Other versions

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Tom Jones recorded two studio versions of the song, one for his album Country, the other with Jools Holland (Tom Jones & Jools Holland album, 2004). Other versions are by Deep Purple, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Move (Something Else from The Move, 1968), Johnny Cymbal, Les Carle, Bobby Vee, Johnny Winter, Paul Rishell and Janis Martin.

References

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  1. ^ Gottlieb, Gary (2010). How Does It Sound Now?. Cengage Learning. p. 309. ISBN 978-1598639216.
  2. ^ "Various – Lipstick On Your Collar". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Cliff Richard Song Database - 1960s Songs". Cliffrichardsongs.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  4. ^ "Cliff Richard UK Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  5. ^ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  6. ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
  7. ^ a b Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (10 November 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 54–. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "Cliff Richard & The Shadows – It'll Be Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  9. ^ "CHUM Chart". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2016-09-27.|
  10. ^ "Denmark singles chart - It'll Be Me". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  11. ^ The official Irish charts listed "It'll Be Me" for one week only, at number 10, in its inaugural publication, 10 October 1962. Because this is after it had peaked in the existing charts, the chart peak at number 2 in the Evening Herald (1 week, September 21) and Billboard (2 weeks), has been used instead. Note, the Billboard publication lags 3 or 4 weeks behind the Irish official chart (probably reasonable in 1962).Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (20 October 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.;sourced from Teenager Express, Dublin. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ "Ireland Official Charts". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  13. ^ a b Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (1 December 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (6 October 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 16. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "Cliff Richard & The Shadows – It'll Be Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ^ "Cliff Richard & The Shadows – It'll Be Me". VG-lista.
  17. ^ Courtesy South African Record Manufacturers' and Distributors' Assn.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (3 November 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 27. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ Courtesy South African Record Manufacturers' and Distributors' Assn.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (17 November 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ Johansson, Carl-Owe (1980). Rock Around the Clock - Saturday Night Fever 1955-1978. Vara, Sweden: Dominique muzic-club.
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