More Than I Can Say

Did You Know?

• The Beatles performed "More Than I Can Say" live in 1961 and 1962 in Hamburg and Liverpool, according to author Mark Lewisohn.
• A setlist made by George Harrison confirms the Beatles performed the song, though it is unclear which member sang lead.
• No recording of the Beatles' cover is known to survive.

Original version

The Crickets' recording of "More Than I Can Say" was the third single from their second album, In Style with the Crickets. Curtis and Allison wrote the song in about an hour in 1959, leaving the hook unfinished with only "wo-wo yay-yay" as lyrics. The single became a minor UK hit, peaking at No. 26. Curtis regards the song as one of his most enduring due to later artists' success with it. The recording featured Curtis on vocals and guitar, Joe B. Mauldin on bass, Allison on drums, and Dudley Brooks on piano.

Bobby Vee version

Bobby Vee, an American pop singer who gained prominence after the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, recorded "More Than I Can Say" in 1961. It reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a bigger hit in the UK, where it and its B-side "Staying In" peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached No. 8 in New Zealand and appeared on his 1961 self-titled album Bobby Vee.

Leo Sayer version

Leo Sayer's take on "More Than I Can Say" climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in late 1980 and early 1981, kept from the top spot by Kenny Rogers' "Lady." The single earned a gold certification from the RIAA and spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In the UK, it also peaked at number two, while in Australia it held the top position on the Kent Music Report for two weeks. Sayer picked the song after spotting a TV ad for a Bobby Vee greatest hits collection; he bought the record that afternoon and recorded it that same night. Its music video was a frequent fixture on MTV following the channel's August 1, 1981 launch.