Leo Sayer - More Than I Can Say (1980)

"More Than I Can Say" is a song written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, both former members of Buddy Holly's band the ...

"More Than I Can Say" is a song written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, both former members of Buddy Holly's band the Crickets.

Leo Sayer's cover version of "More Than I Can Say" spent five weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1980 and January 1981, kept from the top spot by "Lady" by Kenny Rogers and "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon. Sayer's version of the song was certified a Gold Record by the RIAA. It also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. In the U.K., the song peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, while it spent two weeks atop the Kent Music Report in Australia. Sayer has stated that while looking for an "oldie" to record for his album Living in a Fantasy, he saw a TV commercial for a greatest hits collection by Vee and chose the song on the spot: "We went into a record store that afternoon, bought the record and had the song recorded that night."

The Sayer version was covered in French (as "Personne ne le sait") by Canadian singer Renée Martel on her 1981 album Un coin du ciel.

The music video for the song was frequently aired on MTV when that channel launched on August 1, 1981