Category Archives: SONGS

Songs About Elvis

Posted on October 14, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Three weeks ago, when I was doing research for the article “Elvis Has Left The Building,” I learned something about Wikipedia.  If you type Songs About Elvis in the search box, it comes up with a list of 112 songs.  About half of them were by people or groups I had never heard of, but some of the familiar names have songs with interesting lyrics.  Here is a sampling.

He Was the King – Neil Young

Neil Young wrote this song with many verses that traced Elvis’ entire life as an entertainer.  Except for the reference to pills in one verse, I found it to be the best lyrics in the group.  Unfortunately, it appeared on one of Young’s least popular albums, Prairie Wind.

 

Back To Tupelo – Mark Knopfler

You may know Mark Knopfler as the front man of the group Dire Straits.  His ode to Elvis song appeared on his solo album Shangri La.

 

 

 

(619) 239-KING – Mojo Nixon

Most of Mojo Nixon’s songs are raunchy and funny, but he played it pretty straight on this CD single release.

 

Black Velvet – Alannah Myles

I never listened to the lyrics of this big hit closely enough to realize they were about Elvis.

 

Disgraceland – Alice Cooper

This song was included on his Dragontown album.  I expected the lyrics to be disturbing, and they were.  Here is the only verse worth including.

 

Elvis – Sister Hazel

I thought this was a woman, but it’s a five-man band.  Their song is more about a velvet Elvis painting than Elvis himself, and it appeared on their Fortress album.

 

Boy From Tupelo – Emmylou Harris

This soulful song tells of a spurned lover going away and disappearing like the buffalo, Elvis, and the five and dime stores.  Harris included it on her album Red Dirt Girl.

 

Elvis and I – Denis Leary

I never knew he was a singer as well as a comedian.  I never knew he spelled his name Denis.  I also couldn’t find a picture of the album Other Songs D-K that this one came from.

 

 

 

Elvis and Andy — Confederate Railroad

There are probably plenty of Elvis fans who also love Andy Griffith and the Mayberry gang.  Confederate Railroad celebrates one of them on this song from their album Notorious.

 

Elvis Has Left the Building – Jerry Reed

Elvis recorded four songs Jerry Reed wrote, including the hits “Guitar Man” and “U.S. Male.”  Reed also had a hit in 1967 with a song about Elvis, “Tupelo Mississippi Flash.”  He wrote a second Elvis song and sang it with other country stars on the album Old Dogs.

 

Elvis on Velvet – Stray Cats

The Stray Cats patterned their music after the Rockabilly sound of the early Elvis Records.  They also released this single about him.

 

 

I Saw Mr. Presley Tip-toeing Through the Tulips – Tiny Tim

Fortunately, the lyrics of this song are better than the artwork on the Tiny Tim album where it appeared.

 

 

©  2012    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

 

 

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

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Posted in Main Page, SONGS, THE MOST UNUSUAL ELVIS ARTICLES ON THE WEB

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Baby, I Don’t Care — Some Jerry Leiber Stories

Posted on August 27, 2011 by | 3 Comments

If you read other Elvis websites, you already know about the death of songwriter Jerry Leiber.  The other sites informed you that Leiber and his partner Mike Stoller wrote more than a dozen Elvis hits, including “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “King Creole.”

Jerry Leiber

Mike Stoller, Elvis, Jerry Leiber in 1957

For ElvisBlog, I thought it would be more fun to tell you some Jerry Leiber stories.  They all involve my favorite Elvis song, which happens to be written by Leiber & Stoller. 

Stoller and Leiber in Later Years

My number 1 Elvis song was never a hit.  It was never released as a single, and it was not originally included on any Elvis album.  The song is “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care.”

If you don’t immediately recognize this song, just visualize the swimming pool scene in the movie Jailhouse Rock.  In character as Vince Everett, Elvis sings “Baby, I Don’t Care” in front of a cabana, entertaining everyone at a Hollywood pool party he threw.  Elvis is wearing a grey sweater with a distinctive collar.

                    

Leiber & Stoller wrote “Baby I Don’t Care” as part of the soundtrack for Jailhouse Rock.  Here is an unbelievable piece of trivia.  They composed “Jailhouse Rock,”  “Young and Beautiful,” “Treat Me Nice,” “I Want to Be Free,” “Don’t Leave Me Now,” and “Baby, I Don’t Care” in a period of four hours one afternoon.  They wrote an entire movie soundtrack in four hours.  These guys were really good!!

Here’s another oddity.  “Baby, I Don’t Care” was originally released only on an unusual format that saw some popularity in the 50s and early 60s:  It was the EP (Extended Play).  EPs looked like regular 45 singles, except there were two songs on each side.  Elvis released over twenty-five EPs in his history, including one titled Jailhouse Rock.  However, it had five songs on it, every song from the movie, except “Treat Me Nice.”

 

The EP Jailhouse Rock was an inexpensive way for kids to get a bunch of good songs, and it sold like crazy.  It entered the Billboard EP Chart at Number 1, and it stayed there for 22 consecutive weeks.   It dropped down to Number 2 for a week, and then bounced back and stayed Number 1 for six more weeks.  “Baby, I Don’t Care” was part of the best-selling Elvis EP ever, with over one million sales.  Leiber & Stoller wrote every song on it.

Even though Jailhouse Rock was a huge movie, there never was a soundtrack album.  What a missed opportunity.  RCA could have kept all six Leiber & Stoller songs together and added some filler songs and had a hit album.

There is one more piece of strange trivia involving “Baby, I Don’t Care.”  When Elvis sings the song in the movie, there are camera shots from close in and long shots from the opposite side of the pool.  They were filmed at different times, and when the long shots were filmed, the sun was shining right on the band.  Here is a close-up shot.

  

Notice that Scotty Moore is not wearing sunglasses.  Now, the long shot:

 

If you look close, Scotty is wearing Sunglasses.  Maybe the studio was missing their continuity person that day.

My wife can’t believe my favorite Elvis song is “Baby, I Don’t Care.”  She asks, “Why not Hound Dog” or “All Shook Up?”  I love all of the early Elvis songs, but I’ve heard the big hits so many times they don’t move me like they used too.  However, “Baby I Don’t Care” still sounds new. 

I like to remind my wife that the greatness of the song has been extolled by a pretty important icon of the music world.  Back in the early 90s, MTV often had “Guest VJs” who would showcase their favorite music videos.  One night a true rock god did the show.  It was Robert Plant, lead singer of the legendary heavy metal band, Led Zeppelin. 

 

 

For one of his music videos, Plant chose the film clip of Elvis singing “Baby, I Don’t Care” in Jailhouse Rock.  He called it the best Elvis song that was never released as a single.  So, I’m not the only person who really likes the song.

In their partnership, Mike Stoller wrote the music and Jerry Leiber wrote the lyrics.  So, as a last tribute to Jerry Leiber, here are the words he wrote for “Baby, I Don’t Care.”

You don’t like crazy music.
You don’t like rockin’ bands.
You just wanna go to a movie show,
And sit there holdin’ hands.
You’re so square.
Baby, I don’t care.

You don’t like hotrod racin’
Or drivin’ late at night.
You just wanna park where it’s nice and dark.
You just wanna hold me tight.
You’re so square.
Baby, I don’t care.

You don’t know any dance steps that are new,
But no one else could love me like you do, do, do, do.

I don’t know why my heart flips.
I only know it does.
I wonder why I love you, baby.
I guess it’s just because
You’re so square.

Baby, I don’t care.

 

Thank you, Jerry Leiber.  You gave us some great songs.

 

©  2011    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net
 

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

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Posted in ELVIS and OTHER STARS, HISTORY, Main Page, SONGS

Two More Elvis Record Oddities

Posted on August 29, 2010 by | Leave a comment

The recent Ultimate Elvis Auction in Memphis contained a treasure trove of delightfully odd Elvis records.  In an article a couple of weeks ago, we covered two that paired Elvis with other singers  Here are two more, and they both have origins with Elvis movies.

Flaming Star on Blue Vinyl:

Elvis’ 1960 movie Flaming Star went through a series of title changes:  Flaming Lance, Flaming Heart, Black Heart, Black Star and finally Flaming Star.  On August 8, 1960, Elvis went into Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood and recorded the title track, which at that time was “Black Star.”  Sometime within the next two months, the title was changed to Flaming Star, so a new title song needed to be recorded.  It was a simple matter for songwriters Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards to change the lyrics of “Black Star.”  Within the Indian mythology of the film, either a ‘black star’ or a ‘flaming star’ worked as a vision some Indians claimed to see as a sign of impending death. 

image

 

So, the producers had the new song they needed for Elvis to record, but they still had a bigger obstacle to contend with — Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker

When they met with Parker, they quickly realized he had them boxed.  They needed a rerecorded title song, and it had to be done in a big rush.  Well, if you know Col. Parker very well, you can appreciate his next move.  He asked for more money.  According to different reports, he demanded either $5,000 or $10,000.  Either way, that was a lot of money fifty years ago.

Col. Parker called it his ‘late fee’ — and they paid it.  Elvis recorded “Flaming Star” at Radio Recorders studio on October 7, 1960.   When he finished, the studio gave a 45 RPM copy of the song to Parker.

In addition to the title cut on the A-side, the B-side is “A Cane and a High Starched Collar.”  This song was sung in the family’s cabin during the first few minutes of the film.  From that point on, there was no more Elvis singing.

image 

“Flaming Star” Title Song on Blue Vinyl

As you can see, the record is blue vinyl with no printing other than Elvis’ name and the song title.  Recently this record failed to sell at the Ultimate Elvis Auction, because no one met the minimum starting bid of $1,500 ($1,792.50 including auctioneer’s fee.)  It seems like it would be worth more than that, because it is the only known copy, and likely the only copy in existence.

 

Record Sleeve Movie Prop:

 

image



This looks like this could be the picture sleeve for an Elvis 45 RPM single, but that’s not his name on it.  So, who is Guy Lambert?  He is the lead character in Elvis’ 1967 movie Double Trouble.  In the movie, Elvis plays Lambert, a singer who travels the world with his band Georgie and his G-Men. 

image
 

 

In the movie, Elvis/Guy goes into the Peca Records studio, and records the song “Could I Fall in Love.”  One night, Guy is with his girlfriend in her apartment, and as a surprise, he puts his record on the turntable.  Then he proceeds to sing a duet with himself.  It must have soothed her, because she was asleep on his shoulder at the end.

image

Guy Lambert Putting His Record on Turntable

 

Although the picture sleeve appeared on screen for just five seconds, the MGM prop people created a very real looking fake record to use in the movie. The disc inside was just a generic 45, because it wasn’t seen close-up in the scene.  As far is known, just one copy of the sleeve was made.

image

Close Up of Record in the Movie Double Trouble

This phony record sleeve has changed hands a few times, most recently at the Ultimate Elvis Auction in Memphis.  Because it was presented as a one-of-a-kind item in mint condition, the high bid was $5,000, plus the auctioneer’s fee of $975.50.  How about that?  $6,000 for an empty, phony 45 record sleeve.  Only with Elvis.

I did equally bad predicting how the bidding would end up on these two records with movie origins.  I never thought the picture sleeve would bring so much, and I figured the only copy of blue vinyl “Burning Star” would top out over $3,000.  Shows how much I know.

 

©  2010    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

 

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Posted in AUCTIONS / MEMORABILIA, Main Page, SONGS

So, Was “Hound Dog” A Number 1 Hit, Or Not?

Posted on March 21, 2010 by | Leave a comment

If you were asked to guess what Elvis’ ten biggest hits were, would you have “Hound Dog” on your list?  Certainly.  How about one of his five biggest hits?  Very likely, as well.  So, it may come as a surprise to you that “Hound Dog” was never credited as a Number 1 hit on the esteemed Billboard list generally considered the official word on this sort of thing.  How can that be?

I asked myself that question when a recent article appeared on the Elvis-History Blog, written by my friend Alan Hanson.  It was titled, “Elvis's #2 Recordings Help Make Him #1 on the Charts.”  Alan started his wonderful blog two years ago.  He read a number of ElvisBlog columns as part of his research in deciding to start his own site, but he did not go back to my June, 2007 article titled “Elvis – King of the Number 2 Hits.”   So, in our efforts to come up with another new topic each week, we both thought of the same idea — independently and years apart.

The weird thing was that Alan’s list of Elvis’ Number 2 hits and mine had different songs on them.  We both agreed on four songs:

“Burning Love”
“Return To Sender”
“Can’t Help Falling in Love”
“A Fool Such as I”

I had two Number 2 songs in my blog that Alan did not:

“Wear My Ring Around Your Neck”
“Love Me”

And he had three songs in his list of Number 2 hits that I had at Number 1.

“Hard Headed Woman”
“Too Much”
“Hound Dog”

Here’s why this occurred.  On August 4, 1958, Billboard magazine first published their Hot 100 chart, and it has continued for more than a half-century to be the industry standard for reporting hit songs.  However, Billboard originally got into ranking the hits on January 1, 1955, when it started publishing three lists:

Best Sellers in Stores
Most Played by [Disc] Jockeys
Most Played in Juke Boxes

I found a complete copy of the January 26, 1957 issue of Billboard magazine on line, Here is a look at these three charts

These were short charts, containing just 20 or 25 top hits.  Do you remember, in the movie Jailhouse Rock, what job Judy Tyler’s character had when she met Elvis?   She went around and collected the statistics about song plays on jukeboxes.  Although she was reporting to a record company, I imagine it was people like her who provided Billboard with the data they used to compile their Most Played in Juke Boxes chart.

On November 12, 1955, a little more than ten months after the first three lists were born, Billboard added a fourth: the Top 100 chart.  Gradually, over the next few years, this became the most definitive list, because it generally reported the aggregate positions of songs on the other three lists combined.

By the time Billboard changed the name of the Top 100 chart to the Hot 100 chart in August 1958, the other three charts were either recently eliminated or would be soon thereafter.  However, they lasted long enough to confuse the tally of Elvis songs that made it to Number 1.

Alan and I used different references to come up with our reports on Elvis’ Number 2 hits.  He actually went to his local library and accessed the microfiche records for every weekly Billboard Top 100/Hot 100 chart from 1956 to 1977 and recorded the rankings of the Elvis songs.  It took him almost a year to gather all this information.  I simply used a book titled The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn.  Every singer or group who ever had a hit is listed, along with a discography of their hits.  In the book, Whitburn acknowledged that for the period 1955 through July 1958, the highest chart position indicated for each song was its highest on any of the four Billboard charts.

So, to determine the highest rank that Elvis’ early records reached, I referenced all of the Billboard charts.   Alan referenced only the Top 100 chart, which is reasonable because it ultimately morphed into the Hot 100 chart that endures to this day.

                 

Original 1956 Picture Sleeves

I wouldn’t argue adamantly about the proper top ranking for most of the records where Alan and I had it different, but I would for “Hound Dog.”  As you may know, it was half of the biggest two-sided hit record in history.  Depending on how you look at it, “Hound Dog” was on the flip-side of “Don’t Be Cruel,” or vice-a-versa.  For this reason, Whitburn’s book went into great detail about how long both songs stayed at Number 1 on all four lists.  “Hound Dog” was Number 1 for four weeks on the Jukebox chart and five weeks on the Stores chart.

So, I rest my case.  “Hound Dog” spent nine weeks as Number 1 on two of the Billboard charts in operation during the period of its run.  They were well-established charts that had over a year-and-a-half of pedigree behind them.    In the summer of 1956, the Top 100 chart was only nine months old, and it is uncertain where it stood at that point in its ultimate elevation to top dog status.  So, if a song achieved Number 1 then on any of the four charts, it should be enough to claim that rank.  “Hound Dog” made it to the top on two of the charts, so that settles it for me.

If you aren’t convinced, call the folks at Graceland and see if they count “Hound Dog” as a Number 1 hit for Elvis.  They will probably laugh that you would even have to ask.


 Re-Release from 1959

[Editor's note:  Alan Hanson has since published a difinitive history of the chart positions of "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" on his Elvis-History-Blog.  Check it out.]

 

©  2010    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

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Posted in HISTORY, LISTS, Main Page, SONGS

ELVIS, KING OF THE #2 HITS

Posted on June 24, 2007 by | Leave a comment

The upcoming 30th 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.

 

©  2007   Philip R Arnold   All Rights Reserved   www.elvisblog.net.

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Posted in SONGS

A LITTLE MORE INFO ON “A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION'

Posted on July 23, 2006 by | Leave a comment

“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.

 

©  2006 Philip R Arnold   www.elvisblog.net

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Posted in SONGS

JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI PRESENTS MY FAVORITE ELVIS SONGS

Posted on July 2, 2006 by | Leave a comment


This past Friday, the news was full of stories and live feeds of President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visiting Graceland.  Radio, TV, newspapers, and web news pages gave Elvis fans all the coverage we could possibly want, so what’s left to say on Elvisblog?  What’s an angle that hasn’t been covered?
 
Well. Here’s a good one.  Nearly every news report mentioned that Prime Minister Koizumi released a CD back in 2001 of his 25 favorite Elvis songs.  Only 200,000 copies were made, and all the proceeds went to Japanese charities.  Hopefully, you have seen the photo of the CD cover in other media, because posting pictures is something Elvisblog doesn’t do (maybe next year).  However, the CD picture is a clever computer cut-and-paste merging of Koizumi into an old photo of Elvis on the front porch of Graceland.  For some reason, the words on the CD cover shown on the news reports are in English, not Japanese.
 
Check out the list of Koizumi’s 25 favorite Elvis songs.
 
            I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
            Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
            I Was the One
            Any way you want me
            Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?
            That’s When Your Heartache Begin
            Don’t
            A Fool Such As I
            It’s Now Or Never
            Are You Lonesome Tonight?
No More
Can’t Help Falling In Love
The Wonder of You
Bridge Over troubled Waters
You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
The First Time Ever I Saw Your face
Amazing Grace
American Trilogy
The Impossible Dream
Separate Ways
You Gave Me A Mountain
My Boy
An Evening Prayer
If I Can Dream
Hawaiian Wedding Song
 
This list prompts several observations.  None of Elvis’ biggest hits are on the list.  No “Hound Dog” or “Don’t Be Cruel.”  Instead of “Heartbreak Hotel,” Koizumi selected the flip-side “I Was The One.”  Likewise, there is no “All Shook Up,” but the B-side “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” is there.  Obviously, he prefers Elvis’ ballads to his rockers.  “Wear My Ring” and “A Fool Such As I” are the only true fast songs in the collection.  Also interesting is the number of gospel songs at the end of the CD.
 
To be sure, several of Koizumi’s favorites are among Elvis’ more obscure songs.  “No More” came from the soundtrack of Blue Hawaii.  Koizumi obviously liked this album, because he also included “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and  “Hawaiian Wedding Song” from it, too.  “My Boy” was released in 1975, and it went to # 20 on the charts.  IF you are curious to hear this one, it is on the album Good Times.
 
“Separate Ways also made it to # 2 (1972), and it is on the RCA Camden album of the same name.  “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was the flip-side of “American Trilogy,” and both songs made the list.  “An Evening Prayer” was on the album, He Touched Me, as is “Amazing Grace.”
 
Elvis never recorded “The Impossible Dream” in the studio.  It was released only on the live concert album Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden.  Two other selections were never released as singles.  “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” is from the soundtrack to the 1972 documentary film Elvis – That’s The Way It Is.  Elvis sang “You Gave Me A Mountain” in the TV special Elvis Aloha From Hawaii.
 
The news reports made it plain that Prime Minister Koizumi is a genuine Elvis fan.  His selections for the Elvis CD show he has certainly spent many hours listening deep into the Elvis library of songs:  B-sides, movie soundtracks, TV specials, documentary movies, and gospel albums.  Way to go, Mr. Prime Minister.
 
©  2006   Philip R Arnold   www.elvisblog.net 

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ELVIS AND THE NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

Posted on April 23, 2006 by | Leave a comment

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

 

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ELVIS REALLY IS EVERYWHERE, PART 2

Posted on March 19, 2006 by | Leave a comment

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

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ELVIS JUKEBOX RANKINGS

Posted on January 31, 2005 by | Leave a comment

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

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