Little Darlin'

"Little Darlin'"
Single by The Diamonds
B-side	Faithful and True
Released	February 8, 1957
Format	Single
Genre	Rock, Doo-wop
Length	2:05
Label	Mercury
Writer(s)	Maurice Williams

"Little Darlin'"
Song by Elvis Presley from the album Moody Blue
Released	July 19, 1977
Recorded	April 24, 1977
Genre	Rock
Length	1:56
Label	RCA Records
Writer(s)	Maurice Williams

"Little Darlin'" is a popular Top 40 song, made famous by the Diamonds.

It was written by Maurice Williams with both melody and doo-wop accompaniment strongly emphasizing the clave rhythm. It was first recorded by Excello Records in January 1957 and quickly released as a rhythm-and-blues song by Williams' R&B group, The Gladiolas. The song is noted for its spoken recitation by the lead singer ("My Darlin' I need you..."). The Gladiolas, featuring Williams, were from Lancaster, South Carolina, where they had been together since high school. Their original version of the song was on the small Excello label. (Excello primarily recording "swamp blues" songs in Crowley, Louisiana.) The Gladiolas song peaked at No. 11 on the R&B charts in April 1957, but barely dented the hot 100. By 1959, Williams' group became "Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs" with the rock 'n roll-R&B hit "Stay."

The Diamonds' version followed a month later. The Diamonds were soon covering Little Darlin' successfully.The Diamonds were a Canadian pop group that evolved into a Doo-Wop group. The Diamonds' version reached number two in sales for eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked this version as the No. 3 song for 1957.

The Diamonds' version is generally considered a superior version (though some die hard R&B purists disdain it since it is a cover).Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine argues that the Diamonds Little Darlin' is an unusual example of a cover being better than the original:

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Wikipedia