Sincerely (song)
original song written and composed by Alan Freed and Harvey Fuqua; first recorded by The Moonglows
"Sincerely" is a popular song written by Harvey Fuqua and Alan Freed and first released by The Moonglows in 1954.
The Moonglows recorded the song during their first session for Chess Records, which took place in October, 1954 at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago. The Moonglows' version reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart and number 20 on the Billboard Juke Box chart. Co-writing credits were shared by Moonglows band member Fuqua and disk jockey Freed. After it became known that Freed had inappropriately claimed songwriter credits for songs by bands he promoted (associated with his downfall in a payola investigation years later), Fuqua noted that Freed had in fact contributed to the songwriting for "Sincerely", thus his claim to a songwriting credit in this case was legitimate.
McGuire Sisters cover
The best-selling version of "Sincerely" was a pop cover recorded by the McGuire Sisters, which entered the charts in 1954 and reached number one the next year. It was eventually certified as a gold record. This version was featured in the 1982 film Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, where Cher, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis lipsync to it.
Other covers
Pat Boone recorded "Sincerely" as a non-album track and a B-side in 1964.
In 1988, a cover of the song by the country quartet Forester Sisters reached number eight on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Sincerely (song)” as original song written and composed by Alan Freed and Harvey Fuqua; first recorded by The Moonglows. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as original song written and composed by Alan Freed and Harvey Fuqua; first recorded by The Moonglows. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1410491. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1954, 1982, 1964 and 1988.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sincerely (song)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sincerely (song) primary sources, Sincerely (song) archive and Sincerely research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Sincerely (song)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.