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Elvis may have gotten his break with "Heartbreak Hotel" but his cover of this rock'n'roll classic began "Elvis" as we knew him. It was his debut performance of this song that made him a controversial pop star, what with his mild gyrations and all. We've come so far.
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To me, this is classic Elvis. Singing about love. And shaking. And doing that deep voice "a-huh-huh" thing he does. This is how I analyze Elvis.
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This was back in the day when becoming a pop star meant you were destined to become a movie star as well (if you could muster it). Elvis could, for the most part, which helped cement him in our collective visual pop history. Jail is fun!
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Of Elvis's love songs, I'm partial to the fun, silly ones. This one is so cheesy that you can't help but smile.
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In 1958, Elvis was drafted into the army, depriving teenage girls across America without their stud for two years. The musical Bye, Bye, Birdie was inspired by this development, and I think it may just be one of the best musicals created. So many classic songs. Apparently, Elvis was supposed to take over the role of Conrad Birdie (the Elvis stand-in) for the film version but his manager said no. Jesse Pearson does just fine, and I love "Honestly Sincere," as it plays with the idea that Elvis was singing all these sweet, sincere songs, but he was totally being marketed for his animalistic sexual appeal.
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Another fun song. There's something about those catchy hooks. Elvis and his team of music creators were very skilled.
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Elvis seemed to get a little bitter as he grew older. But he reels you in with that classic doo-wop hook, so you barely notice it.
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This might just be my favorite Elvis song. I want to go to Vegas for a quick montage just so this song can be playing the entire time.
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While Elvis's strongest era was the late '50s/early '60s, he continued performing and headlining well into the '70s before his passing. He may not have had as many memorable hits, but his last #1 single was certainly worthy of that title. It's not his usual classic style, but it is still Elvis.
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Yes, I'm going to work Al into as many mixes as possible. This is his Elvis-inspired single that is a little more harsher in his description of a love that has fallen apart. The doo-wop backup singers really sell this poetic breakup song. It genuinely works as a love song, not just a comedy song. And his little gasp at the end of the song that hints at his true feelings is such a great touch.
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Elvis came back in a big way in 2001 thanks to this remix of one of his lesser known hits. This was one of the first songs, if not the first song I downloaded. My, how time flies.
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The Meatloaf anecdote about this song really sold me on it's charm, where he tried to make a "simple song" like this one, but he realized he could only get as far as "I want you" and "I need you" before he got to the more complicated caveats of "I love you," creating the song "Two out of Three."
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I didn't realize how much I cherished this song until I looked it up today for this post and sat there, simply captivated and genuinely moved by the sentiments Elvis sings. I usually multitask while doing these posts, but I just had to stop everything for this one.
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