Last Date (song)

"Last Date"
Single by Floyd Cramer
from the album Last Date
Released	1960
Genre	Country
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Floyd Cramer

"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. It exemplifies the "slip note" style of piano playing that Cramer made popular. It peaked at number 11 on the country chart^[1] and at number two on the Hot 100. Cramer's recording inspired a number of successful cover versions, including a vocal adaptation by Conway Twitty.

Chart performance

Chart (1960)	Peak position
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
Canadian RPM Top Singles	4
Australian Kent Music Report	8

Cover versions

• In 1960 Skeeter Davis recorded the song, with lyrics written by her and Boudleaux Bryant, titled "My Last Date (with You)". The song was a top-30 pop and top-five country hit.
• Also in 1960, the Davis lyric version was successfully released as a single by Joni James and as an album track by several artists including Ann-Margret and Pat Boone.
• In 1961 the Ventures covered the song in their distinct surf-guitar style, on their Dolton album Another Smash!!!.
• Ace Cannon recorded a version for his 1963 album Moanin' Sax.
• In 1963 Duane Eddy recorded a version of the song, along with Floyd Cramer, when Eddy joined the RCA label
• In the mid-1960s Lawrence Welk's orchestra recorded an instrumental version of the song; the piano-dominated arrangement stuck very closely to Cramer's original version.
• In 1964 Al Hirt released a version on his album, Cotton Candy.^[2]
• In 1972 Conway Twitty recorded the song, with new lyrics written by him, and was known as "(Lost Her Love) On Our Last Date" and was his seventh solo number one on the US Country Chart. It spent one week at number one and a total of 13 weeks on the chart.^[3]
• In 1975 the song was covered by British reggae singer T.T. Ross in 1975 on a single, produced by Dennis Harris, for the Lucky record label, and also issued on Polydor Records.
• In 1982 Emmylou Harris recorded the Conway Twitty version as "(Lost His Love) On Our Last Date" which was her fifth number one on the country chart as a solo artist.^[4]
• In 1987 R.E.M. recorded an instrumental version of the Skeeter Davis version for the B-side of their single It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine). They recorded a vocal version of it with Debbie Harry for her album Debravation in 1993 using the same arrangement.
• American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Little Willie Littlefield recorded a version for his 1994 album Yellow Boogie & Blues.
• In 2013 David Bromberg Band recorded a studio version of "Last Date" which had been a regular part of their live repertoire. The song appears on the album "Only Slightly Mad"
• In 2014 Ezra Lee recorded his version on the album, Motor Head Baby.

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 91.
2. Al Hirt, Cotton Candy Retrieved April 7, 2013.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 361.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 153.