Maurice Williams was born 26 April 1938 in Lancaster, South Carolina. His first experience with music was in the church, where his mother and sister both performed. By the time he was six, Williams was performing regularly there. With his childhood friend Earl Gainey, Williams formed the gospel group The Junior Harmonizers. As rock and roll and doo-wop became their primary interest, the Junior Harmonizers changed their name to The Royal Charms.
In addition to Williams and Gainey, The Royal Charms were made up of Willie Jones (baritone), William Massey (tenor, baritone, trumpet), and Norman Wade (bass). In the winter of 1956, while still in high school, Williams and his band traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to record for the Excello record label. At the time they were going by the name 'The Royal Charms,' but the founder of Excello Records, Ernie Young, convinced them to change their name to 'The Gladiolas.' At the time, there were at least two other bands using the same name.
The song "Little Darlin'" was a #11 hit on the R&B chart in 1957, but did not break the Billboard Hot 100's Top 40.[citation needed] However, when the song was covered by the Canadian group The Diamonds, it moved up to #2.
Williams finished high school and while on the road with the band (after their station wagon broke down in Bluefield, West Virginia), the band came across a small car known as "The Zodiac" and the band changed their name.[citation needed] Shortly thereafter, Henry Gatson replaced Earl Gainey.
In the spring of 1959, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs performed at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Around that time, the group split and reformed. The members were Williams, Gatson, Wiley Bennett, and Charles Thomas. Later, Little Willie Morrow and Albert Hill were added. One month later, in the early summer of 1959, the band recorded in a Quonset Hut on Shakespeare Road in Columbia. The recording engineer, Homer Fesperman, recorded several tracks that the band had hoped would fetch them a hit. One of the last tracks that they recorded that day was "Stay," a song that Williams had written a couple of weeks before.
After taking the demo of "Stay" to Al Silver at Herald Records in New York City, the song was pressed and released in early 1960. "Stay" is the shortest recording ever to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States (1:39, though the label read 1:50). Later versions of "Stay" by The Four Seasons (1964) and Jackson Browne (1978) also reached the Top 20, each selling over one million copies in the United States alone. The inclusion of "Stay" on the soundtrack to the film Dirty Dancing in 1987 led to the song selling more records than it had during its original release. At the end of 1963, British band the Hollies covered "Stay", which gave the group their debut Top Ten hit single in the UK, peaking at #8.
A 1961 recording by the group, "May I", also released by Herald Records became, over the years, another million selling record.
Williams continued recording, touring, and releasing music through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. He is still active on the music industry, residing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Williams was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
May I
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
Stay
Stay
Just a little bit longer
Please, please, please, please, please
Tell me you're going to
And your mommy don't mind
If we have another dance
Just one more
One more time
Oh, won't you stay
Just a little bit longer
Please let me hear
You say that you will
Won't you press your sweet lips
To mine
Won't you say you love me
All of the time
Stay
Just a little bit longer
Please, please, please, please, please
Tell me you're going to
Come on, come on
Come on and stay
The lyrics to Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs's song "May I" convey a plea from a lover to their partner to stay just a little bit longer. The repeated phrase "please, please, please, please, please" emphasizes the urgency and desperation in the request. The singer acknowledges that their partner's parents don't mind them having another dance, and the singer yearns for just one more time together. The lyrics are simple but effective in conveying a strong emotional message of longing and desire.
Interestingly, the song was not originally titled "May I." The original title was "Stay," which is the word repeated throughout the song's chorus. The title was later changed to "May I" to avoid confusion with other popular songs with the same title. The song has been covered by a number of artists over the years, including Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Bob Dylan.
Line by Line Meaning
Stay
The singer asks the person they're addressing to stay with them a little bit longer.
Stay
The singer repeats their request for the person to stay the same amount of time.
Just a little bit longer
The singer specifies the length of time they want the person to stay for.
Please, please, please, please, please
The artist emphasizes their request, pleading for the person to grant their wish.
Tell me you're going to
The artist urges the person to confirm that they'll stay.
Now, your daddy don't mind
The singer assures the person that their dad won't object to them staying longer.
And your mommy don't mind
The singer assures the person that their mom won't object to them staying longer.
If we have another dance
The artist suggests that they and the person they're addressing can have another dance together if they stay.
Just one more
The artist only wants one more dance with the person.
One more time
The artist repeats their request for one more dance.
Oh, won't you stay
The singer reiterates their desire for the person to stay with them.
Please let me hear
The artist wants the person to confirm that they'll stay.
You say that you will
The singer wants the person to tell them that they'll stay.
Won't you press your sweet lips
The singer asks the person to kiss them.
To mine
The singer specifies that they want the person to kiss their lips.
Won't you say you love me
The artist wants the person to declare their love for them.
All of the time
The artist wants the person to love them constantly.
Come on, come on
The singer urges the person to come and stay with them.
Come on and stay
The singer repeats their request for the person to come and stay with them.
Writer(s): Maurice Williams
Contributed by Caroline M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
russell pappalardo SR
Damn! this is good,was always a Maurice Williams fan, sine 1960, and I thought Bill Deal was the real deal,when he recorded it with the Rhondels in '69
don falkner
Maurice Williams also wrote and sang "Stay" a number one hit and wrote and sang with his group a song called "Little Darlin"' that didn't do well on the top 40 chart. The Diamonds took the song and it became the first big hit on a record with the big hole in the middle, but only made it to number 2 on the Top 40 because of that darn Elvis.
don falkner
@William B YES!
William B
The Gladiolas, right?
kkthedj
Happy to have found this record 😊
Classic WWE 2k Matches
May I listen to this forever?
Frank Czuri
Much better than the hit version
Stephen Rajczyk
GREAT.....GREAT SONG !!!!!
New York Ukulele School
All versions are great, I prefer Little Isadore w Angel Rissoff
Elizabeth Snyder_baldonado
May I leave a hilarious comment about "May I"???
No???
AAAAaaaaaw...😢