(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post.)
Elvis Presley - "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
Hit Number 1: November 28, 1960
Stay at Number 1: 6 Weeks
Something that a lot of people don't seem to know about "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is that Elvis was NOT the one who originally did the song. Instead, it was first written back in 1926, and was recorded several times in 1927. In 1950, the Blue Barron Orchestra made the top 20 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart with their version of the song. But let's be real here, Elvis has the most well-known and successful version of the song, and it's not even close. Presley brought the song to the top of the charts, and it stayed there for 6 weeks. It's not really hard to understand why.
Presley had never really done any slow ballad type songs, as he was still pretty much that rock and roll rebel at heart around the time he recorded "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". The first three Elvis #1 hits were all fast and fun, and while "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is not fast or fun, it still works very well, and still holds a very high reputation as one of Elvis' best songs. It had a hell of a time even reaching the public view though, as Elvis' record label, RCA Victor, was not sold on releasing the song. They didn't think that the song really fit Elvis' new style since returning from the army. But they eventually gave in, and ended up releasing the song anyway. The song was suggested by Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker to Presley as the song was Parker's wife's favorite song. So, it was probably pretty hard for RCA Victor to go against that. And I'm sure there were no regrets there, with the song becoming so huge in such a short amount of time after being released. Upon further research, this was the only time that Parker ever intervened on what Elvis should record.
But more speed bumps would follow, and Presley himself almost didn't allow "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" to ever happen. Presley started recording the song at 4 a.m., accompanied by acoustic guitar, drums, bass, and his backing group, the Jordanaires. Presley requested that everyone else leave the session, told Chet Atkins to turn off the lights, and performed the song including the spoken bridge part. After 2 takes, Presley hated it. Presley told his producer Steve Sholes, "Throw that tune out; I can't do it justice." Sholes wasn't ready to give up and he told the engineer to ignore Presley and asked Presley to try a new take as the Jordanaires bumped into their microphone stand since they were recording in the dark. That last take is the one that we hear today, almost 60 years later, on "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Needless to say, the song had a long journey to being released, but it was worth it for everyone in the end.
I for one am very glad that everything worked out, because "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a great song, though it isn't one of my favorite Elvis songs. I actually prefer his fun and fast bangers that he did in the late 50s, as opposed to his slower and quieter songs. But the great thing about Elvis (well, ONE of the many great things) is that even the songs that aren't quite my favorites; I still think of them as top-notch songs. That's exactly what you get with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". You can tell that there were little to know instruments involved on the track, as the main selling point is Elvis' voice. He sounds like he has a specific girl in mind as he's singing, and maybe he did, I don't know. But either way, his sadness in his voice sounds genuine and real, and that's not a very easy thing to do on a song. The most dramatic part of the song is the spoken bridge. He compares this situation to a play, and quotes Shakespeare when he says "Someone said that the world's a stage and each of us play a part." And the ending is where people's worlds start falling apart. When he says "And if you won't come back to me, then they can bring the curtain down." INSTANT chills. There is a reason why, even more than 40 years after his death, that Elvis is still very relevant in the music world, and will be for many years to come. Oh yeah, and we will see him again in this blog.
GRADE: 8/10
JUST MISSED:
Famed pianist Floyd Cramer got stuck behind "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" for 4 weeks at #2 with probably his biggest hit "Last Date". It's a pretty nice song, but doesn't leave any sort of impression on me. It's a 6.
Not my favorite Elvis song but still pretty darn good. His fun and fast bangers as you call them are vintage Elvis but you can't ignore his ballads. Memories is my all time favorite Elvis song.