"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 The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

. They recorded it in 1959 soon after Holly's death and released it in 1960. Their original version hit No. 42 on British Record Retailer Chart in 1960. It has been notably performed by singers

Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to ''Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-ei ...

and

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

The Crickets version

"More Than I Can Say" was the third single from the Crickets' second release, '' In Style with the Crickets''. The song was written by guitarist Sonny Curtis and drummer Jerry Allison in around an hour in 1959. The hook was left unfinished at the time, and at the time of recording, the hook was left this way with no lyrics, only the "wo-wo yay-yay," which became a memorable part of the song. The single went on to become a minor hit in the UK, entering the top 40 and peaking at 26. Curtis considers this song to be one of his most enduring, looking back at the success subsequent artists have had performing it.

Personnel

* Sonny Curtis - vocals, guitar * Joe B. Mauldin - bass * Jerry Allison - drums *

Dudley Brooks Dudley Brooks (December 22, 1913 – July 17, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. Biography Brooks was born on December 22, 1913, in Los Angeles, California.

- piano

Charts

Bobby Vee version

was an American

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

singer whose prominence in the music industry arose from tragedy. After Holly,

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed ...

and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash on February 3, 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.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications) 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 No. 61 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It was a bigger hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where the song and its B-side, "Staying In", peaked at No. 4 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also reached No. 8 in New Zealand.

Beatles live cover version

According to author Mark Lewisohn in ''The Complete Beatles Chronicle'' (p. 364),

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

performed "More Than I Can Say" live in 1961 and 1962 (in Hamburg and Liverpool and elsewhere). Author Allen J. Weiner in ''The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide'' (p. 206) affirms this with the note that it came from a setlist made at the time by George Harrison. It is unclear whether the lead vocal was by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

or Harrison. No recording is known to survive.

Leo Sayer version

Leo Sayer's version of "More Than I Can Say" spent five weeks at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in December 1980 and January 1981. Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 6th Edition (Billboard Publications) Sayer's version of the song was certified gold by the RIAA. It also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, 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." The Sayer version was covered in French (as "Personne ne le sait") by Canadian singer Renée Martel on her album ''Un coin du ciel'' (1981).Renée Martel - Personne ne le sait
at YouTube The music video for the song was frequently aired on MTV when that channel launched on August 1, 1981.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

Irish singer Darren Holden covered "More Than I Can Say" in 1997, reaching No. 20 in Ireland.

References

External links

Leo Sayer single release info at discogs.com
{{authority control 1960 songs 1961 singles 1980 singles 1997 singles Bobby Vee songs Leo Sayer songs Number-one singles in Australia Songs written by Sonny Curtis Songs written by Jerry Allison Song recordings produced by Alan Tarney Coral Records singles Warner Records singles