"Church Bells May Ring" is a song written by

The Willows The Willows may refer to: Places * The Willows, El Paso, Texas, USA * The Willows, Queensland, a town in Australia * The Willows, Salford, home of Salford Rugby League club in Salford, England, UK * The Willows, Saskatoon, a residential community ...

, with songwriting credits also given to

Morty Craft Morton Irving Craft (August 19, 1920 – January 27, 2022) was an American music arranger, songwriter, record producer, business executive, and record label owner. Biography Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Craft's early career was as a saxop ...

; Craft, a veteran arranger and talent scout, owned Melba Records, the label the Willows recorded for, and as often happened in the 1950s, label executives would give themselves a songwriting credit. There is little evidence Craft wrote the song, and according to the band members, he only paid them $200, despite the fact that the song sold well. The Willows were formed in New York City in 1952. Their original name was the Five Willows, and their song was originally called "Church Bells Are Ringing." "Church Bells May Ring" reached number 11 on the U.S. R&B chart and number 62 on the U.S. pop chart in 1956.

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

played chimes on the song.

Other charting versions

The Diamonds The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet that rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with 16 ''Billboard'' hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (ba ...

released a version of the song as a single which reached number 14 on the U.S. pop chart in 1956. *The Willows re-released a version of the song as a single which reached number 114 on the U.S. pop chart in 1961.

Other versions

* The Cadets released a version of the song as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to their 1956 single "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...

". *

Sunny Gale Sunny Gale (born Selma Segal, February 20, 1927) is a retired American pop singer who was popular in the 1950s. Gale reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 several times throughout the earlier half of the decade, scoring her biggest R&B hit with "W ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1960, but it did not chart. * The Four Seasons released a version of the song on their 1964 album ''Dawn (Go Away) and 11 Other Great Songs''. *

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...

released a version of the song on their 1964 album ''The Shirelles Sing the Golden Oldies''.

References

1956 songs 1956 singles 1960 singles 1961 singles The Diamonds songs The Four Seasons (band) songs The Shirelles songs {{1950s-single-stub