Sonic Connections
The MJ Anthem
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Will You Love
Me Tomorrow
The Shirelles
1960
The first girl-group No. 1
In 1960, the Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” made history as the first girl-group single to top the Billboard Hot 100. Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, it introduced a new sophistication to teen pop and marked a milestone for both the Brill Building era and American music.
A musical answer
The song’s impact was immediate: in 1961, King and Goffin wrote “Not Just Tomorrow, But Always,” serving as an answer song to the classic.
Will You Love
Me Tomorrow?
Carole King
1971
Carole reclaims her song
On Tapestry (1971), Carole King slowed “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” to piano and voice, with Joni Mitchell and James Taylor on harmonies. The teen plea became an intimate adult meditation on love and vulnerability.
Will You Still Love
Me Tomorrow
Dionne Warwick
1983
Covers that connect eras
Just one of many covers over the years, Dionne Warwick’s 1983 take — with the Shirelles on guest vocals — bridged the girl-group sound with a new era of adult soul.
Will You Love
Me Tomorrow
Smokey Robinson
1973
Smokey’s soulful spin
On his 1973 album, Smokey Robinson reimagined King’s melody, layering lush strings and signature Motown vocals. His phrasing gave the ballad new warmth, reshaping it for R&B audiences and paving the way for future reinventions.
Devil in A New Dress
Kanye West feat. Rick Ross
2010
Hip-hop revival
Kanye West sampled Smokey Robinson’s soulful rendition on “Devil in A New Dress” (2010), channeling Carole King’s composition through a hip-hop lens and proving the ballad’s reach across genres and generations.
A standard, covered anew
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” has become a modern standard, covered by other Rock Hall Inductees like Linda Ronstadt and the Bee Gees — each artist finding something new in King’s lyrics and melody to make their own.
