Ellison recorded "Stay with Me" following a studio cancellation by Frank Sinatra, which was to be produced by Jerry Ragovoy with a 46-piece orchestra.

Fat Daddy and the entire staff at WCHB, Detroit, say that the new Lorraine Ellison on WB, "Stay With Me," is the "R & B record of the year."

Al said he hasn't heard anything this good in three years'In the December 16, 1967 issue of New Musical Express, Alan Smith described being introduced to the song by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees:[11]

'The first time I met Maurice he was carrying an old single by Lorraine Ellison, “Stay With Me Baby”, which he thrust on to the record player with urgency and delight.

Seconds later I was listening to a full-blooded, screaming, beautiful, agonised, ecstatic, sobbing, sexual, soaring performance of a song that prickled the hairs at the nape of the neck.

I asked Warner Brothers to rush me a copy as soon as they could, and I raced home and also thrust it on to the record player with urgency and delight.

'The song was ranked number 935 among the greatest singles ever made in Dave Marsh's book The Heart of Rock & Soul (1989).

Other versions include those by The Walker Brothers, Charity Brown, David Essex, Ruby Turner, Rebecca Wheatley, Janis Joplin, Bobby Hatfield, Robin Lee, Genya Ravan, Terry Reid, Steve Marriott, Long John Baldry, Sharon Tandy,[13] Les Fleur de Lys, Natalie Cole, Jimmy Witherspoon, Dan McCafferty, Kiki Dee, Shirley Brown, Samantha Rose, Sam Brown, Phil Seymour, Trine Rein,[14] Whitesnake, Ronnie Montrose, Duffy, Mary J. Blige, Melissa Etheridge, La'Porsha Renae, Thunder ft. Jade Smythe and Chris Cornell.