Download I’m probably one of the few lamebrains on the planet who didn’t know this Floyd Cramer classic had words – actual lyrics that are really quite beautiful and poignant. “It’s over – our love affair – too late now – I find I care”. See? Makes ya want to find out what happened, doesn’t it? It’s a sad story, for sure.
Mr. Cramer wrote and recorded this as an instrumental in 1960 and it immediately soared to the top of the country charts. Last Date exemplifies the “slip note” style of piano playing that became his trademark. Conway Twitty wrote lyrics for the tune in 1972 and recorded it as only Conway could do it – syrupy sweet with a crack in his voice and a tear in his eye.
So you, as a professional singer, can take this old, wonderful instrumental and make it your own. I tried to emulate Cramer’s piano style on track one but it’s a woefully inept attempt. You’ll mute that track anyway, so no problem. Have fun with this one. Your audience will certainly recognize the melody but the lyrics will put a fresh face on an old favorite. Tell ’em you wrote the words – they’ll never know! You’ll be a genius!
Click the link below to see Conway performing it – hope you like steel guitar.
Stageworthy Backing Tracks by Dave Zobrist 