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Post by erik on Aug 16, 2016 9:33:04 GMT -5
It was thirty-nine years ago, on this very same day of the week, Tuesday, August 16, 1977, that we lost a man who was arguably the most significant figure of American popular music in the second half of the 20th century, Elvis Presley, the King. But whatever can be said about his untimely demise at the way-too-early age of 42, or the shoddy, miserly manager he had, we can't forget that The King had so many great hit records in his time.
Three of which:
"Such A Night", which he actually recorded just after he returned from the Army in 1960, but which, perhaps because of the Colonel's emphasis on the movies, wasn't released as a single until the summer of 1964 (it got to #16):
"Frankie And Johnny", the title track of his 1966 film--to say the least, not one he'll be remembered for (but the song itself is a different kettle of fish [IMHO]); it got up to #25 in April 1966:
"Hard Headed Woman", from what was arguably his best film, 1958's King Creole; this hit #1 in July of that year:
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Post by the Scribe on Aug 16, 2016 15:08:02 GMT -5
I remember where I was and what I was doing when I got the news of the death of Elvis. It was then I truly regretted missing the opportunity to go see him on campus earlier that year. Linda Ronstadt's tribute to him (FM) became a special moment in music history for me.
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Post by sliderocker on Aug 16, 2016 16:27:44 GMT -5
Elvis was thought to have inspired John Lennon on the writing of "Imagine," with the song "Suppose":
Elvis did not write the song. It was written by George Goehring (music) and Sylvia Dee (lyrics). Dee had written the lyrics for "End of the World," and her inspiration was the death of her father. "Suppose" is no less devastating and one has to wonder if there was a traumatic event in her life that inspired "Suppose?" Elvis was quite taken with the song. His interest in the song dated back to 1960 at least, but he wouldn't record it officially until 1967.
The question as to whether the song may have inspired John Lennon to write "Imagine" is based on the fact the lyrics have a somewhat similar feel as what "Imagine." And like "Imagine," the lead instrument is the piano. It also has a chorus in the middle that breaks the flow of the music for the verses. But, the lyrics for "Suppose" are also darker at the song's end (Suppose I had no wish to be alive/suppose you didn't love me), compared to the optimistic lyrics for "Imagine." You can't listen to this song and not walk away feeling Elvis lived in a world no other person knew, and it was the loneliest place imaginable.
Of course, there is some question as to whether John Lennon ever heard the song. John was an Elvis fan and it's not hard to imagine him buying what was then Elvis' latest album and going through the chaff that was the "Speedway" soundtrack (the album this song was on as a bonus song) and discovering a shorter version of this gem, and being inspired by what he heard.
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Post by erik on Aug 16, 2016 17:21:31 GMT -5
Re. Linda's own tribute to Elvis--this is why I do believe that Elvis, both in terms of straightforward rock and roll and ballads, had an enormous impact on Linda's own approach to things. I can't remember where I saw it (it was years ago), but Linda once said in an interview that she was caught playing hooky from school when she was 10 years old and seeing LOVE ME TENDER at the Fox Theatre in Tucson, when it was a movie theater...and it just happened to be right next door to her family's hardware store (which, I believe, is now the Ronstadt Transit Center [how apropos]).
I have to believe that Elvis' death hit her fairly hard, which was why she did "Love Me Tender" in her concerts in 1977 (including that appearance in FM). And I could easily imagine doing any one of the songs in the King's repertoire, since she is pretty much the closest approximation we've ever had, certainly in terms of voice at the very least, to a female Elvis (IMHO).
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Post by the Scribe on Aug 17, 2016 4:19:34 GMT -5
Re. Linda's own tribute to Elvis--this is why I do believe that Elvis, both in terms of straightforward rock and roll and ballads, had an enormous impact on Linda's own approach to things. I can't remember where I saw it (it was years ago), but Linda once said in an interview that she was caught playing hooky from school when she was 10 years old and seeing LOVE ME TENDER at the Fox Theatre in Tucson, when it was a movie theater...and it just happened to be right next door to her family's hardware store (which, I believe, is now the Ronstadt Transit Center [how apropos]). I have to believe that Elvis' death hit her fairly hard, which was why she did "Love Me Tender" in her concerts in 1977 (including that appearance in FM). And I could easily imagine doing any one of the songs in the King's repertoire, since she is pretty much the closest approximation we've ever had, certainly in terms of voice at the very least, to a female Elvis (IMHO). |
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Post by sliderocker on Aug 17, 2016 22:53:39 GMT -5
Remember when the single of the Love Me Tender mashup between Linda and Elvis was released? Well, this ain't it but it is nice to see them together. The single of Elvis and Linda duetting on "Love Me Tender" was never an official release. RCA and Asylum couldn't come to terms over which label would release it and what royalties would be paid to Linda and to the label that agreed to just a label credit but not actively participate in the record's release. RCA acquired the rights to all recordings Elvis made for RCA between January 1956 and March 31, 1973 in Col. Parker's "Amazing Buyout Deal," so Elvis' estate wouldn't have gotten an artist's royalty on the deal. I'm not sure that would've set well with Linda had she known at the time. But, it was a shame the deal couldn't have been done and the duet released. The pirated single wasn't a very good edit. Someone did a better job of the duet and posted it on youtube but either RCA or Asylum could've done a proper edit or added instrumentation to help sync Linda's and Elvis' vocals. As was mentioned, Linda performed the song in the key Elvis sang in, so it would've been a simple matter of syncing the two. |
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