The upcoming 30^th Anniversary celebration will generate stories about Elvis in all sorts of media.  Many of these feature articles will mention the fact that Elvis had eighteen #1 hits.  What they won’t mention is that Elvis also had a record six #2 hits.  These songs sold over a million copies each and spent many weeks on the Top 40 charts, but they had unfortunate timing for their release and got stalled behind some of Rock & Roll’s monster hits.  Let’s take a look at the six Elvis songs in reverse chronological order.  All statistical information comes from a reference I have used for over twenty years: “The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.”

Burning Love:  This was Elvis’ highest-ranking song during the last seven years of his career, but it was kept from the top spot by the only #1 hit for another legend, Chuck Berry.  It’s hard to believe Berry’s songs like “School Day,” “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode” never reached #1, but his 1972 novelty song “My Ding-A-Ling” did.  It stayed on top for two weeks and effectively blocked Elvis.  However, “Burning Love” is a classic that became a staple of his concerts, and it stayed in the Top 40 for twelve weeks.

Return To Sender:  In 1962 this song stayed at #2 for an unbelievable five weeks, and it was blocked from the top by the same song for the entire period.  So what was the powerhouse single that denied Elvis #1?  It was “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by the Four Seasons.  1962 was the year they blasted onto the music scene, and their first three releases (not counting a Christmas song) spent a combined thirteen weeks at #1.  It was a pretty good year for Elvis, too, with “Good Luck Charm” going to #1 and six other singles ranking on the charts.  “Return To Sender” stayed in the Top 40 for a total of fourteen weeks.

Can’t Help Falling In Love:  This was one of those six other hits in 1962, making it a year of double frustration for Elvis.  “Can’t Help Falling In Love” had the misfortune of trying to buck the early 60s twist fad.  During the one week it reached #2, it was sandwiched between two twist songs.  “The Twist” by Chubby Checker was #3 and dropping after it’s second reign as #1 (the other was in the Fall of 1960).  No other song has ever gone to #1 twice in different years.  The song that kept Elvis from the top was “Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee and The Starlighters.  “Can’t Help Falling In Love” stayed in the Top 40 for twelve weeks.

A Fool Such As I:  Elvis was still in the Army in 1959, but the vault of songs he recorded before going to Germany produced four hits, including “A Big Hunk of Love” at #1.  Next best was “A Fool Such As I,” and it stalled at #2 behind “Come Softly To Me” by the Fleetwoods, which claimed the top spot for four weeks.  “A Fool Such As I” spent eleven weeks in the Top 40.  However, it fared better in England, where it was #1 for five weeks.

Wear My Ring Around Your Neck:  In April 1958, this song entered the Billboard charts at #7 – the highest entry position of any Elvis single.  It was certified a million seller based on advance orders alone.  With momentum like that, how could “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck” not make it to #1?  It was blocked blocked by the novelty song “Witch Doctor” by David Seville, who later created Alvin and the Chipmunks.  “Wear My Ring Around your Neck” stayed in the Top 40 for thirteen weeks.

Love Me:  Elvis entered 1957 with five #1 hits already to his credit (“Jailhouse Rock,” “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Me Tender”).  He would achieve four more in 1957 (“Too Much,” “All Shook Up,” “Teddy Bear,” and “Jailhouse Rock).  ”Love Me” stalled at #2 for two weeks, but this is quite an achievement for a song that was not released as a single.  It was one of four songs on the EP Elvis, Volume 1.  EPs (Extended Play) were in essence 45-RPM mini-albums.  Elvis, Volume 1 was released on the same day as Elvis’ first album Elvis.  The four songs were also in the album, and the EP cover had the same picture.  “Love Me” was blocked by a huge hit “Singing The Blues” by Guy Mitchell.  “Singing The Blues” stayed at #1 for ten straight weeks.  If that sounds like it ought to be a record, it is not.  The longest stay at # 1 belongs to Elvis.  “Don’t Be Cruel” sat at #1 for 11 weeks, and the next week, the flip-side “Hound Dog” moved into the top spot.

For what it’s worth, Elvis also had three songs stalled at 3#.  “Devil In Disguise” and “Crying in the Chapel” in 1963, and “In The Ghetto” in 1969.

“A Little Less Conversation” was the surprise hit of 2002, and it introduced Elvis to a whole new generation of fans who had never heard “Heartbreak Hotel” or “All Shook Up.”  It probably has the most interesting story of any of Elvis’ #1 hits.  For starters, how many songs top the charts thirty-four years after they are recorded?

In 1968, Elvis filmed one of his last movies, Live A Little, Love A Little.  The musical director needed to come up with a song for a scene where Elvis tries to get a beautiful girl to leave a swimming pool with him.  Budding songwriter Mac Davis got the assignment.  Davis had already penned “A Little Less Conversation” in hopes Aretha Franklin would record it, but she showed no interest, so he submitted it for the Elvis movie.  It was the beginning of an association with Elvis that produced the hit songs “Memories,” “In The Ghetto,” and “Don’t Cry Daddy.”  It was also a significant step in Mac Davis’ own career, as he later became a major recording artist, with hits of his own like “Stop and Smell The Roses” (#9) and “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me” (#1).

In the late 60’s, many of Elvis’ singles came from movie soundtracks, and although Live A Little, Love A Little was a box-office bomb, that didn’t stop the tradition.  “Almost In Love” was released as the A-side, backed with “A Little Less Conversation.”  “Almost in Love” peaked at #98, but enough DJ’s flipped the record over and played the other side that “A Little Less Conversation” entered the charts for four weeks, peaking at #69.

Later in 1968, Elvis recorded another version of “A little Less Conversation” for a production number in the ’68 Comeback Special.  It was cut from the final show, but it did make it into the special’s soundtrack album.  Then, for the next thirty-four years, the song languished in obscurity.

That changed in 2002 when Nike Corp. wanted a special song to use in their promotional ad blitz during the TV broadcasts of the soccer World Cup.  Nike’s theme for their sports shoes at that time was “Just Do It,” and someone on their staff suggested the “less talk and more action” lyrics of “A Little Less Conversation’ would be perfect for the campaign.  The brain trust at Nike agreed but thought the original arrangement was dated and needed to be revved up for the modern age. 

Soon, they connected with a Dutch musician and producer, Tom Holkenburg, who modestly described himself as a “master alchemist, electronic daredevil, and breaker of sound barriers.”  He was one of Europe’s hottest producers, and much of his work had been in advertising music.  His specialties were industrial rock and techno, and he did his thing under the pseudonym JXL.  J stood for “junky”, XL stood for “expanding the limits” of music.  JXL stirred up a truly incredible mix of techno sounds, all built around the original vocals and accompaniment. 

The Nike ad featuring “ A Little Less Conversation” appeared on television all over Europe in the spring of 2002.  The music was so popular that people called the stations and asked to hear the ad again and inquired where they could buy the CD.  When RCA/BMG Records heard about this, it didn’t take them long to oblige.  They put out a CD with three versions of “A Little Less Conversation” on it: a three-minute thirty-second version for radio play, a six-minute version as a dance track, and the one-minute thirty-nine-second 1968 original.

“A Little Less Conversation” soon topped the charts in over thirty countries all over Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and of course, the USA.  However, the strange story didn’t end here.  The multi-platinum CD Elvis’s Thirty #1 Hits came out a short time later.  You probably have a copy, so check out the song list.  There are actually thirty-one songs.  RCA/BMG added “A Little Less Conversation” to boost sales, and the fans got a bonus song.

“A Little Less Conversation” certainly proved one thing.  Elvis may be dead, but his music and influence live on.

Last Sunday, an Associated Press story appeared in the entertainment sections of many American newspapers.  It was titled AUDIO ARCHIVES – Library of Congress picks 50 Recordings To Save For Posterity.  There was a list of the 50 selections, which I immediately scanned before reading the article itself.  I wanted to see what recordings from the fifties they included.  There were three:  “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Jerry Lee Lewis, “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino, and “That’ll Be The Day” by Buddy Holly and The Crickets.

I love all three of these songs, and still have the original 45’s of each that I purchased as a teenager.  However, instead of being happy at their selection for this honor, I was annoyed.  Even though I didn’t know what the National Recording Registry was all about, it just seemed like there should be an Elvis song in it.  At that point, I figured I’d better read the article.

This quickly revealed that 2006 is the fifth year of these selections, so it figured Elvis certainly had to be in the previous groups.  This prompted a visit to the Library of Congress website for a complete look at the whole National Recording Registry thing.  The Library of Congress has registered recordings since 2002 that are culturally, historically or aesthetically important.  The Librarian of Congress, who makes the selections, certainly thinks it is a big deal.  He proudly states, “The National Recording Registry represents a stunning array of the diversity, humanity and creativity of our sound heritage.”

These honored recordings are not limited to just music.  Here’s a sample of some non-musical items:  FDR’s “Fireside Chats,” “Who’s On First “ by Abbott and Costello, the first official trans-Atlantic telephone conversation in 1927, Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have A Dream, and “Casey At The Bat” by DeWolf Hopper, who recited the poem over 10,000 in performances.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library with 126 million items, including 500,000 LP’s, 450,000 78-RPM discs, 200,000 CD’s and 100,000 cassettes.  Now that’s what I call a record collection.

And, yes, Elvis is included in the National Recording Registry.  His complete output from the 1954 and 1955 Sun Records recording sessions was honored as a group in the inaugural listing in 2002.  So my initial fear that Elvis didn’t receive the recognition he deserved turned out to be unfounded.

Similar recognition to other fifties’ songs has been rather limited.  Besides the titles mentioned above, the only other fifties’ songs honored so far are:  “Earth Angel” by the Penguins, “Roll Over Beethoven” by Chuck Berry, and “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles.  That leaves a lot of great tunes to be honored in future years.  It will probably be a long wait, but someday we should see “Heartbreak Hotel added to the National Recording Register.  If the Library of Congress ever starts a National Video Register, Elvis doing “Hound Dog” on the Milton Berle Show is a cinch to make the inaugural list.

©  2006   Philip R Arnold   www.elvisblog.net

Elvis International magazine has a section called “Elvis Is Everywhere,” and it is filled with little articles sent in by the readers.  Collectively, these stories show how deeply Elvis is woven into the fabric of our culture.  Even non-fans would have to admit you don’t need to look very hard to find references to Elvis all around us.

My most recent experience with this phenomenon came last weekend at a show put on by the Black Watch Pipe and Drum Corps.  This is the marching band of one of the most storied military units in the history of Great Britain.  Two-dozen men, dressed in kilts and all their other regalia, performed about twenty songs with only bagpipes and drums, and it was wonderful.

Believe it or not, as the Black Watch marched out of the arena at the end of the program’s first half, they played an Elvis song.  No, it wasn’t “Jailhouse Rock,” “All Shook Up," or anything like that; it was “Wooden Heart.”  I knew I’d have to do some research on this when I got home, and here’s what I found.

The Black Watch’s history of playing the melody goes back many years before Elvis ever recorded the song.  It is a traditional German folk song of unknown origin.  In 1960, it was adapted for Elvis to sing in the movie GI Blues, which is set in Germany.  From that point on, the facts about “Wooden Heart” could provide a lot of questions in an Elvis trivia contest.

For example:  What Elvis song went to #1 in England in 1960, but didn’t get released in America until three years later?  For some reason, RCA decided to release “Wooden Heart” as a single in England two months after the movie premiered, but not in the USA.  Sounds like a dumb move to me.

Here’s another good trivia question:  What Elvis song was covered by Joe Dowell in 1961 and reached #1 on the charts for him?  While RCA sat on “Wooden Heart,” Shelby Singleton, the savvy owner of Smash Records, released a single of the song by unknown Joe Dowell, and it sold a million copies.

And another question:  What 1964 Elvis single reached only #107 in America, but sold over a million copies in West Germany?  I guess the combination of Elvis and a beloved national folk song was a winner over there.

“Wooden Heart” is an Elvis trivia-lovers goldmine, providing these additional questions:

            What Elvis song featured a tuba and accordion?

            What Elvis song contains eight lines of the lyrics in German?

            What Elvis song had the re-release of Blue Christmas on the

            flip side?

And now, I have my own personal “Wooden Heart” trivia question:

What Elvis song does the famous Black Watch band perform on bagpipes all over the world?

Elvis really is everywhere.

©  2006   Philip R Arnold    www.elvisblog.net

Guess what is Elvis' most successful record in terms of jukebox play?  According to the Amusement & Music Operators Association, it is HoundDog/Don't Be Cruel from 1956, the 3rd biggest jukebox hit of all time.  This trade association of jukebox owners, operators, and suppliers compiled their list back in 1989 (100th anniversary of the jukebox).  They updated it again in 1996, and there were no changes in the top of the rankings.

So,Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel seems to be permanently locked into the #3 position.  It's no surprise that this double-sided hit got the most play of all the Elvis records featured on jukeboxes.  Hound Dog stayed at the top of the record charts for twelve weeks, and then Don't Be Cruel took over the next week.   That's a long run of popularity during an age when jukeboxes were really big.

What two songs could possibly beat Elvis?  #2 is the 1979 Bob Seger hit. Old Time Rock & Roll, no doubt helped by Tom Cruise singing it in his underwear in the movie, "Risky Business."  #1 is Crazy by Patsy Cline.  That song came out in 1962, but I'll bet you can still find it on some jukeboxes in 2005.  Talk about staying power.  Elvis' next best finish in the jukebox rankings is All Shook Up at #38.  Seems like it should be higher.

© 2005  Philip R Arnold