Lay Down Sally

"Lay Down Sally" is a song performed by Eric Clapton, and written by Clapton, Marcy Levy, and George Terry. It appeared on his November 1977 album Slowhand, and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

For the Olympic rower mocked as Lay Down Sally, see Sally Robbins.
"Lay Down Sally"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Slowhand
B-side"Cocaine"
ReleasedNovember 1977
RecordedOlympic Studios in Barnes, London[1]
Genre
Length3:50
LabelRSO
Songwriter(s)Eric Clapton · Marcy Levy · George Terry
Producer(s)Glyn Johns
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"Carnival"
(1977)		 "Lay Down Sally"
(1977)		 "Wonderful Tonight"
(1977)
Official audio
"Lay Down Sally" by Eric Clapton on YouTube

Background

"Lay Down Sally" is a country blues song performed in the style of J. J. Cale. Clapton also attributed other members of his band – Carl Radle of Oklahoma, George Terry, Jamie Oldaker and others – as influencing the song.[4] Clapton explained, "It's as close as I can get, being English, but the band being a Tulsa band, they play like that naturally. You couldn't get them to do an English rock sound, no way. Their idea of a driving beat isn't being loud or anything. It's subtle."

Billboard magazine described Clapton's vocal as "low key but earthy" and also praised Marcy Levy's backing vocals.[5] Cash Box praised Clapton's "guitar finesse."[6]

The single was a crossover country music hit, reaching No. 26 in April 1978, Clapton's best showing on the Hot Country Songs chart. "Lay Down Sally" was a significant part of the soundtrack of the 2013 film August: Osage County, in which the song was played as the intro music and twice more later in the film.[7]

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[29] Gold 75,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[16] Gold  
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[31] Gold 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Covers
  • Red Sovine, a country singer best known for his sentimental recitations and truck-driving songs, recorded a cover version that – save for the mid-song guitar bridge – closely resembled the Clapton original. Sovine's version reached No. 70 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in the summer of 1978, and was the last charting single released in his lifetime.
  • Jerry Garcia Band covered the song extensively from 1990 to 1995.[32]
  • Asleep at the Wheel covered the song on their 1995 album The Wheel Keeps on Rollin'. Their version peaked at number 70 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada in 1996.[33]

References
  1. Welch, Chris (2016). Clapton - Updated Edition: The Ultimate Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-76035-019-5.
  2. Don Breithaupt (2007). Steely Dan's Aja. A & C Black. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-8264-2783-0.
  3. Welch, Chris (2016). Clapton - Updated Edition: The Ultimate Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-76035-019-5.
  4. Pidgeon, John (1985). Eric Clapton: A Biography. Vermillion & Company. p. 103. ISBN 0-09-160161-4.
  5. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. December 24, 1977. p. 144. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  6. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 24, 1977. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  7. "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Of 'August: Osage County' To Be Released On" (Press release). PR Newswire.com. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  8. Kent 1993.
  9. "RPM Adult Oriented Playlist". RPM Magazine. Canada: Library and Archives Canada. 29 (4). April 22, 1978. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  10. "1050 CHUM – CHUM Charts > Clapton, Eric". CHUM 1050 AM. Canada: CHUM Limited. 2005. Archived from the original on February 22, 2006. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  11. "RPM Country Playlist". RPM Magazine. Canada: Library and Archives Canada. 29 (8). May 20, 1978. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  12. "RPM 100 Top Singles". RPM Magazine. Canada: Library and Archives Canada. 29 (4). April 22, 1978. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  13. Zameczkowski 1978, p. 82.
  14. Wood 1978, p. 75–78.
  15. "M&D: Classifiche > Eric Clapton". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Italy: Musicaedischi.it. Look for Clapton releases. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  16. Tatsaku 2011, p. 43–47.
  17. "charts.nz – Eric Clapton – Lay Down Sally". Recorded Music NZ. New Zealand: Steffen Hung – Hung Medien. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  18. "Sverigetopplistan – Eric Clapton – Lay Down Sally". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Sweden: Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  19. "Official Singles Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. United Kingdom: Officialcharts.com. January 15, 1978. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  20. "Eric Clapton – Chart history | Billboard > Adult Contemporary". Billboard Magazine. United States: Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  21. "Eric Clapton | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  22. "Eric Clapton – Chart history | Billboard > Hot 100". Billboard Magazine. United States: Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  23. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". Cash Box Magazine. United States: Cashboxmagazine.com. April 8, 1978. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  24. "Top 200 Singles of 1978". RPM Magazine. Canada: Library and Archives Canada. 30 (14). December 30, 1978. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  25. Fuld 1998, p. 175.
  26. "Top Pop Singles" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. United States: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 90 (51): 82. December 23, 1978. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  27. Hoffmann 1983, p. 135.
  28. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  29. "Canadian Music Market" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. United States: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 90 (12): 73. March 25, 1978. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  30. "BPI Gold Sales Award". British Phonographic Industry. United Kingdom: O'Real Associates. December 13, 1981. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  31. "American single certifications – Eric Clapton – Lay Down Sally". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  32. "Lay Down Sally". The Jerry Site. Archived from the original on 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  33. "RPM Country Tracks". RPM. April 15, 1996. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

Bibliography
  • Fuld, William (1998). The New Zealand Charts – A Red Chart? (3 ed.). Fuld Pressings.
  • Hoffmann, Frank (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0810815957.
  • Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  • Tatsaku, Ren (December 2011). The Oricon Sales Report (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Oricon Style – Recording Industry Association of Japan.
  • Wood, Gerry (October 21, 1978). "Billboard International" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 90 (42). ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  • Zameczkowski, Olivier (February 5, 1978). "Hits of the World > France" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 90 (5). ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
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