Lay Down Sally

For the Olympic rower mocked as Lay Down Sally, see Sally Robbins.

"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.

"Lay Down Sally"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Slowhand
B-side	"Cocaine"
Released	November 1977
Recorded	Olympic Studios in Barnes, London[1]
Genre	Roots rock[2] country rock[3]
Length	3:50
Label	RSO
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" 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

• Eric Clapton – lead vocals and lead guitar
• George Terry – rhythm guitar
• Dick Sims – fender rhodes
• Carl Radle – bass guitar
• Jamie Oldaker – drums
• Marcy Levy and Yvonne Elliman – harmony vocals

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1977–1978) Peak position Australian Singles Chart[8] 57 Canadian Adult Contemporary[9] 1 Canadian CHUM Singles[10] 2 Canadian Country Singles[11] 49 Canadian Singles Chart[12] 3 French Singles Chart[13] 12 Hungarian Singles Chart[14] 2 Italian Singles Chart[15] 38 Japanese Singles Chart[16] 5 New Zealand Singles Chart[17] 16 Swedish Singles Chart[18] 8 UK Singles Chart[19] 39 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[20] 25 US Billboard Country Songs[21] 26 US Billboard Hot 100[22] 3 US Cashbox Singles[23] 3 US Record World Singles[citation needed] 8

Year-end charts Chart (1978) Rank Canadian Singles Chart[24] 29 Japanese Singles Chart[16] 81 New Zealand Singles Chart[25] 47 US Billboard Hot 100[26] 15 US Cashbox Singles[27] 16 All-time charts Chart (1958-2018) Position US Billboard Hot 100[28] 564

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[29]	Gold	75,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[16]	Gold
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25]	Gold	10,000*
United States (RIAA)[30]	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.^{[citation needed]}
• Jerry Garcia Band covered the song extensively from 1990 to 1995.^[31]
• 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.^[32]