The Smiley Smile Message Board

Today would've been Elvis Presley's 80th birthday!


(http://www.scottymoore.net/images/dayton/560527MI06.jpg)


Time for some music. From each decade:

"My baby left me", 1956:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Ft08waa9o


"Just tell her Jim said hello", 1962:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QUMsGWIb2M


"Whole lotta shakin' goin' on", 1970:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asGttQF_0wk

"Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" was a great one to pull out of your hat!  I haven't heard that in years.  A Leiber and Stoller b-side gem.  I like this better than the a-side (She's Not You").  I'll have to track down a copy of Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4.  Is it on any other comp.?  Give us some more info on the track if you've got it.  Follow That Dream helped make that a fun summer in '62.  Not considered one of his best movies, but as a ten year old I thought it was funny.

Turner Classic Movies (TV channel in America) is running Elvis movies all day.  Have it on in fact.  Viva Las Vegas right now.  Gotta go, Ann's got the gloves off, and the coat is about to fall to the floor...

I just let Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller do the talking  ;)

Mike S: That was it. After that we stopped writing for Elvis. He continued to record songs of ours that had already been recorded by other performers. There was one exception—Doc Pomus called us up one day. We were all in the Brill Building. Doc was a dear friend and Jerry and I had produced lots of Doc and Morty's (Shuman) songs with the Drifters. Mort had either- gone off to Japan or moved to Paris. Doc, who was feeling somewhat abandoned, said, "Come on up, let's write a song for Elvis." So, at Doc's request, the three of us did just that. The song was "She's Not You."

Jerry L: Elvis did a really good job on it. He never did a bad job on any song. "She's Not You" is based on the style and sentiment of "I Really Don't Want To Know,"* one of the greatest country songs ever written.

"Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" was actually written with Johnny Cash in mind, but we sent it to Freddy Bienstock as a submission for Elvis.

Source: http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_jerry_leiber.html


"Just tell her Jim said hello" is one heck of a masterpiece. And it also shows the unbelievable stereo sound that Bill Porter pulled out in Nashville's Studio B. The early 60s gave us some of Elvis' very best recordings and performances and Bill Porter's genius was an important part of that. Presley's hard work on his singing in Germany showed as he sang himself with before unheard ease through his now even broader range of material. "It's now or never", "Surrender", you just name it. If ever there was pure gold in someone's voice, it was this time. It's not unlike Brian Wilson's seemingly unlimited ability to sing everything he set out to during '65/'66.
During these years Elvis also first showed his love for latin-american flavored music. "Just tell her Jim said hello" with it's bossa-nova sound or the great ballads like "For the millionth and the last time" and his own co-composition "You'll be gone" (written with Red West and Charlie Hodge) are good examples.

"Just tell her Jim said hello" appeared on single as the b-side to the No. 1 "She's not you" as feelsflow already mentioned. The album "Pot luck" has a song reminiscent of this one and cut during the same time, "Fountain of love". I don't know if it's available on other compilations. I'm not very good at that. but it for sure is an overlooked gem.

Also an "answer" song was cut in '63 by Gerri Granger, called "Just tell him Jane said hello":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_vWoV-Js9k



Just a couple of weeks ago, someone of the "For Elvis CD Collectors"-messageboard posted a pic of Presley, Leiber & Stoller from 1957 during publicity for "Jailhouse rock" that was new to me.

Here's one that's well known:

(http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/570600wstollelb41arunie.jpg) (http://www.fotos-hochladen.net)


And here's the "new" one:

(http://img5.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/570600wstolleo256r8ibhj.jpg) (http://www.fotos-hochladen.net)






* Elvis recorded a version of "I really don't want to know" for his "Elvis Country - I'm 10,000 years old" album in 1970. Probably the most soulful version of that song you could imagine. And in his last year it also became part of his live shows from time to time, also appearing during the '77 CBS special "Elvis in concert".

One of my all-time favourites by the Big E--
--love that chuckle towards the end!

"Baby Let's Play House" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd_zR3dOHA)

Same for me. Love that performance! Thanks for posting.


BTW, looking at your signature: today is also David Bowie's birthday

Thanks Rocker, I knew you would come up with something I'd not heard before.  Sure you had a fun day with your Elvis collection!

Keep it rockin' til midnight.

They say you learn something new every day. Thanks. i really didn't know. :=)

Looking for a connection between Bowie and Presley (but not expecting to find anything) I discovered that according to David he initially offered "Golden Years" to Elvis, who declined it...

Here! (https://books.google.nl/books?id=OomyGN_btTQC&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=%22sandford%22+%22golden+years%22+%22elvis%22&source=bl&ots=Z7BX8QlsXn&sig=BsEXnTJDJz14QzOB5B6WraZh8p8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9oOvVNrTJ5LvaN_EgpgI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22sandford%22%20%22golden%20years%22%20%22elvis%22&f=false)

   "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" also appeared on the expanded CD version of the POT LUCK album - it may be out of print at the moment. Great tune.

You're right! I only thought about the original album releases and not the re-releases because I don't have a very good overview on them. That said, "Just tell her Jim said hello" might also be on FTD's "Pot luck" release, but I'm not sure without checking it.





Always glad if I can help putting the focus on Elvis' music.  ;)
 







I didn't know that! Thanks for the info! I don't know very much of Bowie and that song was unknown to me until I looked ofr it on youtube after reading your post. I wonder if it really would've been a good one for Elvis.

Golden Years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKUy6ygUgP0

But it's interesting to note that quite a few famous songwriters who grew up on Elvis offered or planned to offer songs to him. Bruce Springsteen wanted to give this song:

Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-srbcsqoY4

Carl Perkins had Elvis in mind for a song called "Mama" (you can hear it on Perkins' "Jet propelled" double CD). IIRC there were also tunes by George Harrison, Elton John and Bob Dylan for Elvis. But I fear that many were trying to put they're own view on what Elvis should be recording on him. Many of them didn't seem to understand that Elvis didn't necessarily want to record what they would consider an "Elvis-song". On the other hand, I doubt he heard these song at all.

  The story I heard is that Elvis considered covering "Golden Years" after hearing Bowie's single. It may have worked had he tried. David was on RCA Records at the time btw.

Really? The plot thickens! Thanks for that, Mr. F,  and welcome. :=)

Look, it was Elvis' 80th birthday regardless of if he's alive or not. In 100 years, it'll be his 180th birthday. In 200 years, on the slight chance that I'm no longer around, it'll still be my 229th birthday.

GOD.

*shouts "GAWW-AWWWD" from the sewers like Jeff Foskett circa-2012*

We all get older, but Elvis is frozen in time. Suffice to say he really brought R&B to the young people of the 50s and 60s, and in later years made country music a national obsession.

Welcome to the board Mr. French!

And runnersdialzero, did I understand it correctly that it was your birthday as well? If so, congratulations!




I don't know about country. For many people it was a natural thing to go back to country after Rock'n'Roll had faded, I guess. The big interest in country also started during Elvis' movie years, fueled by the folk scene. But Presley sure had a lot of country hits during his later periode. But he never did pure country music. The closes probably would be "Just call me lonesome" so I'm not sure if I would agree. The outlaw movement and later on Urban Cowboy certainly had a bigger influence on that.




BTW it wasn't mentioned yet, a few days ago Joe Guercio died.

Naw, I share a birthday with Avril Lavigne and Lil Wayne. :(

I never liked that Elvis' version of "Got my mojo working/Hands off" didn't have a real intro (it was a spontaneous jam) so I just edited something for the sheer fun of it. I would've included the backgroundvocals which I really like but I couldn't do it without getting the horns (which on the other hand in this case I hate with a passion) onto this as well. Therefor I used the undubbed version from the "A hundred years from now" CD.
It's nothing big, nothing fancy, just a little edit:

http://www44.zippyshare.com/v/ZdLUiEkH/file.html

Elvis's touch on pop culture can't really be overstated.  I don't have children, but the other day I found myself watching a cartoon.  It's called "Dinosaur Train", I happened to have it on that channel, and the show came on, I'd never seen it so I watched a few minutes.  It's a show for young children and shows some Dinosaurs going to visit other dinosaurs, it basically teaches them names and what the differences were between each dinosaur.  

So, they go visit a T-Rex who's called "The King".  He's a full-on Elvis caricature, and sang a little rockabilly song about a Dinosaur.  

So 40 years after his death, he's still influencing the cartoons we show our children.  

The caricatures that they use to represent him are cheesy and stereotypical, but all of that ultimately is based out of love.  Everybody loves Elvis, even if they won't admit it, the world has rarely seen an entertainer as talented as him.  I think it's always worth noting too, his strong character.  The man had flaws like we all do, but even his ex-wife is quick to speak of what a kind, loving human being he was.  

Great man, incredible singer.  Thank GOD he recorded so much while he was with us that we can remember him by.  

Oh. Yeah!




If anyone shouldn't know what to ask Brian when he will answer questions, please ask him what his favorite Presley song is. It's really not important but I always wondered. We have footage of him playing "His latest flame" and "The wonder of you". So it might be something unexpected. I wonder if Brian ever heard Elvis' version of "You've lost that loving feeling"

Never considered myself to be much of a Presley fan.  YET...I'd say I have about a dozen Elvis cds.  Not bad for a 'non' fan eh?  About 50% of it is pre RCA.  There were others from the era I liked and still like at least as much.  Some...significantly more.  Not certain that the competition was as fierce or plentiful back then but still... he did it.  Some of his material has stood the test of time quite well.  A most significant 'player' as it turns out.  Staying power?  Hard to believe it been well over 35 years since he passed.  A prototype performer.  As a musician...he was a decent pianist, a poor songwriter and an extraordinary singer.  Enough to make him 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll?
Apparently. :hat

And a great post by you, Ron, thank you.