"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "whole-step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatur ...

. It exemplifies the " slip note" style of piano playing that Cramer made popular. It peaked at number 11 on the country chart and at number two on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

behind "

Are You Lonesome Tonight? "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (sometimes stylized as Are You Lonesome To-night?) is a song written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It was recorded several times in 1927, first by Charles Hart, but also with successful versions by Vaughn De ...

" by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. Cramer's recording inspired a number of successful cover versions, including a vocal adaptation by

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

Charts

Cover versions

*In 1960,

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

's orchestra recorded an instrumental version of the song for an album of the same title; the piano-dominated arrangement stuck very closely to Cramer's original version. Welk's version spent 11 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 21. *In 1960

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis ...

recorded the song, with lyrics written by her and

Boudleaux Bryant Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were be ...

, titled " My Last Date (with You)". The song reached No. 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 4 on ''Billboard''s " Hot C&W Sides" chart. *Also in 1960, the Davis lyric version was successfully released as a single by

Joni James Giovanna Carmella Babbo (September 22, 1930 – February 20, 2022), known professionally as Joni James, was an American singer of traditional pop. Biography Giovanna Carmella Babbo was born to an Italian-American family in Chicago, Illinois, on ...

, charting at #38 on the ''Billboard Hot 100, and as an album track by several artists including

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

and

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

. *In 1961

the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...

covered the song in their distinct surf-guitar style, on their Dolton album '' Another Smash!!!''. *

Ace Cannon John Henry "Ace" Cannon (May 5, 1934 – December 6, 2018) was an American tenor and alto saxophonist. He played and toured with Hi Records stablemate Bill Black's Combo, and started a solo career with his record "Tuff" in 1961, using the Blac ...

recorded a version for his 1963 album ''Moanin' Sax''. * In 1963

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

recorded a version of the song, along with Floyd Cramer, when Eddy joined the RCA label. *

The Spotnicks The Spotnicks were an instrumental rock band (music), group from Sweden that formed in 1961. They were known for wearing "space suit" costumes on stage (theatre), stage and for their innovative electronic guitar sound. They released 43 albums. Hi ...

recorded the song, also in 1963, and it was issued as a single. The song appeared later on the band's ''Greatest Hits'' album. *In 1964

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java (instrumental), Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn (album ...

released a version on his album, ''

Cotton Candy Cotton candy, also known as candy floss (candyfloss) and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool ...

''. *In 1967 the Soul Runners released a version of the song as a single which did not chart. *In 1968

Zal Yanovsky Zalman Yanovsky (December 19, 1944 – December 13, 2002) was a Canadian folk-rock musician and restaurateur. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky (née Gemeril), who died in 1958. ...

of the group

The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is a Canadian-American folk-rock band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1964. The band were among the most popular groups in the United States for a short period in the mid-1960s and their music and image influ ...

released a version on his solo album ''Alive & Well in Argentina''. *In 1972

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. *In 1975 the song was covered by British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

singer

T.T. Ross T.T. Ross was a British lovers rock singer best known for her 1970s singles "Last Date" and "Imagine". Ross began to record in 1970, initially as "Silkie Davis" or "Maxine", or as both halves of "Ruby & Gloria" (double-tracking her voice), amon ...

in 1975 on a single, produced by Dennis Harris, for the Lucky record label, and also issued on

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

. *In 1982

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

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. *In 1987

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

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) "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" is a song by American Rock music, rock band R.E.M., which first appeared on their 1987 album, ''Document (album), Document''. It was released as the album's second music single, single ...

". They recorded a vocal version of it with

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

for her album ''

Debravation ''Debravation'' is the fourth solo album by American singer Deborah Harry, released in July 19, 1993. It was the final album Harry made whilst signed to the Chrysalis label, thus ending a successful partnership that began with her time as a me ...

'' in 1993 using the same arrangement. *

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

R&B and

boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, but already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually ex ...

pianist and singer

Little Willie Littlefield Willie Littlefield, Jr., billed as Little Willie Littlefield (September 16, 1931 – June 23, 2013), was an American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer whose early recordings "formed a vital link between boogie-woogie and rock and roll". ...

recorded a version for his 1994 album '' Yellow Boogie & Blues''. *In 2013 the 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 Ezra Lee (August 1749 – October 29, 1821) was an American colonial soldier, best known for commanding and operating the one-man ''Turtle'' submarine. Early life and career Lee was born in Lyme, Connecticut. On January 1, 1776, he enlisted in ...

recorded his version on the album, ''Motor Head Baby''. *On April 8, 2024, St. Louis Musician, Paul Neihaus IV, released a single version.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Date (song) 1960 songs 1960 singles 1967 singles 1972 singles 1982 singles Songs written by Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer songs Skeeter Davis songs Al Hirt songs Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band songs Conway Twitty songs Emmylou Harris songs R.E.M. songs Debbie Harry songs Little Willie Littlefield songs RCA Records singles Decca Records singles Warner Records singles 1960s instrumentals