Looking Ahead: 4 Terrific “Tomorrow” Songs From the 20th Century

Some songwriters dwell in the past. They can become hyper-focused on the present. Or they can look ahead to what’s next on the horizon. That latter group is the one that interests us for the purpose of this article.

These four songs all feature the word “tomorrow” in the title. Let’s see if, to borrow from another famous song with that title, the sun will come out in these songs.

“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles

Working from the Brill Building songwriting factory in New York City, Carole King and Gerry Goffin cranked out a seemingly endless supply of pop gems that other artists turned into hits. Shirley Owens, lead singer of The Shirelles, worried at first when she heard “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” She thought this particular Goffin/King number leaned a little too much toward country music. Once producer Luther Dixon added the string section, all worries were allayed. The Shirelles took the song to No. 1 in 1960. 11 years later, King, while working on her solo album Tapestry, slowed the pace down to a crawl to do her own moving version of the song, which featured James Taylor and Joni Mitchell on backing vocals.

“Tomorrow Is A Long Time” by Bob Dylan

Perhaps to a greater extent than any other artist in history, Bob Dylan has gained a reputation for amassing a vast trove of songs that sat on the cutting-room floor for a while. His Bootleg Series has helped unearth most of that material. “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” emerged even before then as a wonderful song that didn’t see the light of day, at least initially. He recorded the haunting song as a demo in 1962, which means it easily could have popped up on albums like The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan or The Times They Are A-Changin’. Instead, it went unheard, officially, until a live version showed up on Dylan’s second greatest hits collection in 1971. Most notably, Elvis Presley did a cover of this one, which featured some of Dylan’s most cryptic yet affecting wordplay.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles

You can thank Ringo Starr for this song appearing on this list. The track didn’t really have a refrain of any sort, which meant that it didn’t come with an obvious title. Because John Lennon felt a little bit self-conscious about putting out such a heady song, he wanted a title that took some of the air out of it. “Tomorrow Never Knows” was something that Ringo said, à la “A Hard Day’s Night”, that struck the band as both funny and somehow cosmic. And, considering the futuristic nature of the title, it fit perfectly. After all, the track, which closed out Revolver, found The Beatles and producer George Martin testing the limits of the studio and creating a wondrous cacophony.

“This Time Tomorrow” by The Kinks

Ray Davies tended to lock on a certain subject and then tease out all its nuances over the course of a single Kinks album, at least in the late 60s and early 70s. On the album Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneyground, Part One (Part Two never came, in case you’re wondering), he focused on the absurdity and aggravation of the rock and roll life. The album included the band’s huge hit “Lola”, which strayed from the topic somewhat. “This Time Tomorrow”, however, starts off the second side by diving into the peripatetic nature of the touring grind. While his brother Dave flickers away on his acoustic guitar, Ray wonders if all the traveling is wiping away his sense of identity.

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