stay with me (baby)

Legend has it that when Frank Sinatra canceled a New York recording date in July 1966 (he married Mia Farrow on the 16th), the three days’ notice was not enough to refund the booking of a 46-piece orchestra. Reprise Records made calls to producers, asking if anyone could use the date, which had already been paid for. Sensing opportunity, producer Jerry Ragavoy grabbed his arranger, and they hurriedly prepared charts for a song they would have otherwise recorded on a much smaller scale. Lorraine Ellison cut the vocal of “Stay With Me” live with the orchestra; the jaded session players fought back tears as she delivered what would go down as one of the most chillingly unhinged performances in pop history. via