"Save the Last Dance for Me" was written in 1960 by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus, and originally released by The Drifters, with Ben E. King singing lead. There is a moving back story to the song. Doc Pomus, real name Jerome Felder, was the Brooklyn born son of Jewish immigrants. A polio victim at age seven, he walked with crutches most of his life, and eventually used a wheelchair. He married the Broadway dancer Willi Burke in 1957, and the song was based on his recollection of their wedding when he watched her dancing with other men, including his brother. According to one source, Ben E. King was moved to tears when he heard that the song was about Doc Pomus's wedding day. (Note: Doc Pomus's brother was the prominent New York City lawyer Raoul Felder.)
"Save the Last Dance for Me" was the last song in Leonard Cohen's final set the night before he died:
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