"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.

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. 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. Cash Box praised Clapton's "guitar finesse."

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.

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Chart (1977–1978)Peak position
Weekly charts Chart (1977–1978) Peak position Australian Singles Chart 57 Canadian Adult Contemporary 1 Canadian CHUM Singles 2 Canadian Country Singles 49 Canadian Singles Chart 3 French Singles Chart 12 Hungarian Singles Chart 2 Italian Singles Chart 38 Japanese Singles Chart 5 New Zealand Singles Chart 16 Swedish Singles Chart 8 UK Singles Chart 39 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 25 US Billboard Country Songs 26 US Billboard Hot 100 3 US Cashbox Singles 3 US Record World Singles[citation needed] 8Year-end charts Chart (1978) Rank Canadian Singles Chart 29 Japanese Singles Chart 81 New Zealand Singles Chart 47 US Billboard Hot 100 15 US Cashbox Singles 16 All-time charts Chart (1958-2018) Position US Billboard Hot 100 564
Australian Singles Chart57
Canadian Adult Contemporary1
Canadian CHUM Singles2
Canadian Country Singles49
Canadian Singles Chart3
French Singles Chart12
Hungarian Singles Chart2
Italian Singles Chart38
Japanese Singles Chart5
New Zealand Singles Chart16
Swedish Singles Chart8
UK Singles Chart39
US Billboard Adult Contemporary25
US Billboard Country Songs26
US Billboard Hot 1003
US Cashbox Singles3
US Record World Singles[citation needed]8
Chart (1978)Rank
Canadian Singles Chart29
Japanese Singles Chart81
New Zealand Singles Chart47
US Billboard Hot 10015
US Cashbox Singles16
Chart (1958-2018)Position
US Billboard Hot 100564

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)Gold75,000^
Japan (RIAJ)Gold
New Zealand (RMNZ)Gold10,000*
United States (RIAA)Gold1,000,000^
* 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.[citation needed]
  • Jerry Garcia Band covered the song extensively from 1990 to 1995.
  • 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.

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). . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  • Tatsaku, Ren (December 2011). The Oricon Sales Report (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Oricon Style – Recording Industry Association of Japan.
  • Wood, Gerry (October 21, 1978). (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 90 (42). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN .
  • Zameczkowski, Olivier (February 5, 1978). (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 90 (5). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN .

External links