NileQT87
Member
elvis had 2.5 octave range that has elements of both a baritone and tenor voice, he was entirely self-taught in music--never had a proper music lesson in his life, was a pioneer in bringing genres together (country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, jazz, opera... there was very little he didn't try). he was a master producer and interpreter of music.
frank sinatra, jerry lee lewis, the righteous brothers, jackie wilson, the supremes, etc... never wrote a song in their lives. at least elvis came up with the title for one (that's someone you'll never forget) and the idea for the lyrics of another (if i can dream). and he changed drastically enough arrangements and lyrics that you've got to give him some credit there. but his era wasn't about singer/songwriters. that wasn't the point at the time for music. a lot of people from his era sang old standards from the 1800s. in many cases, he brought new life to songs that were pretty much forgotten and dead (are you lonesome tonight? is from the '30s). and that's all right mama? never was a hit. never was looked at twice until elvis recorded it with a country/blues/gospel mix that didn't sound at all like the original blues record by big arthur crudup. in fact, elvis' recordings made many of these writers more money than their own recordings did.
songwriters like jerry lieber and mike stoller (two white jewish guys from new york were responsible for songs like hound dog, jailhouse rock, treat me nice, love me, etc... there's an often bandied about accusation that elvis stole from big mama thornton... who claimed falsely to have written the leiber and stoller song, hound dog.). in fact, love me was sent to elvis as a joke by lieber and stoller who didn't quite understand elvis when he started doing their songs. "treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel, but love me, break my faithful heart, tear it all apart, but love me..." it was making fun of country songs, but elvis sang it so heartfelt and seriously that it became a serious record. same with trouble--also a song that lieber and stoller didn't think was right for elvis. "are you looking for trouble, you've come to the right place, are you looking for trouble, just take a look right here in my face..." again, he took the song seriously and put a bucketload of sulty danger in it. both those songs could have been destroyed permanently if they were first recorded by a lesser voice or somebody who didn't take them seriously.
what the singer/songwriter movement did was make the songwriters like lieber and stoller irrelevant--guys who had no desire to ever put their voice to music. most of bob dylan's success was NOT in singing his own music, but in other people recording his music. writers became an endangered species and writers who were subpar singers started trashing their own writings and better singers were looked down upon for not choosing to jump on the writing bandwagon--and the ones that did wrote a lot of subpar material. do you think luciano pavarotti ever wrote a song? heck no.
elvis came from the gospel quartet singing style. those people are not frequently songwriters and have no desire to be. elvis was as comfortable singing standards like danny boy and frankie and johnny as he was singing more modern songs. crooners often sang different translations of foreign songs... so you have singers like dean martin and elvis presley both singing versions of the italian opera song, torna a sorrento (elvis' being surrender). you have elvis' most succesful record was another italian opera song--o' solo mio a.k.a. it's now or never.
do you think willie nelson was the writer or even the original singer of "always on my mind"??? nah. don't think so. it was written in 1972... FOR ELVIS. he didn't cover it until 1982. actually, brenda lee and elvis presley recorded it on the same day that it was given to them. it was written specifically with elvis' broken marriage in mind. many of his recordings in the later part of his career are very PERSONAL to him. several songs were written by one of his memphis mafia guys, red west (separate ways, that's someone you'll never forget, if you think i don't need you, you'll be gone, if you talk in your sleep, holly leaves and christmas trees, etc...). in fact, if you talk in your sleep specifically came from elvis telling stories about his sleepwalking and waking up in his underwear outside in front of lauderdale courts and seen by the girl he had a crush on when he was younger.
point is... his songs were often chosen while something specific was happening in his life. separate ways and always on my mind are his divorce songs... unchained melody became a shout that he was going home to god. it's easy for you and pieces of my life are other very autobiographical songs.
he was a very emotional singer... when i say he was an interpreter of music... i mean that he interpreted the emotions of a song. it isn't just about the sheet music of a song. it's interpreting it to portray specific emotional qualities. he had an honest emotional voice--which is why he is considered such an amazing singer and interpreter.
at least admit that ELVIS WAS A BETTER LIVE PERFORMER than the beatles! lol.
frank sinatra, jerry lee lewis, the righteous brothers, jackie wilson, the supremes, etc... never wrote a song in their lives. at least elvis came up with the title for one (that's someone you'll never forget) and the idea for the lyrics of another (if i can dream). and he changed drastically enough arrangements and lyrics that you've got to give him some credit there. but his era wasn't about singer/songwriters. that wasn't the point at the time for music. a lot of people from his era sang old standards from the 1800s. in many cases, he brought new life to songs that were pretty much forgotten and dead (are you lonesome tonight? is from the '30s). and that's all right mama? never was a hit. never was looked at twice until elvis recorded it with a country/blues/gospel mix that didn't sound at all like the original blues record by big arthur crudup. in fact, elvis' recordings made many of these writers more money than their own recordings did.
songwriters like jerry lieber and mike stoller (two white jewish guys from new york were responsible for songs like hound dog, jailhouse rock, treat me nice, love me, etc... there's an often bandied about accusation that elvis stole from big mama thornton... who claimed falsely to have written the leiber and stoller song, hound dog.). in fact, love me was sent to elvis as a joke by lieber and stoller who didn't quite understand elvis when he started doing their songs. "treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel, but love me, break my faithful heart, tear it all apart, but love me..." it was making fun of country songs, but elvis sang it so heartfelt and seriously that it became a serious record. same with trouble--also a song that lieber and stoller didn't think was right for elvis. "are you looking for trouble, you've come to the right place, are you looking for trouble, just take a look right here in my face..." again, he took the song seriously and put a bucketload of sulty danger in it. both those songs could have been destroyed permanently if they were first recorded by a lesser voice or somebody who didn't take them seriously.
what the singer/songwriter movement did was make the songwriters like lieber and stoller irrelevant--guys who had no desire to ever put their voice to music. most of bob dylan's success was NOT in singing his own music, but in other people recording his music. writers became an endangered species and writers who were subpar singers started trashing their own writings and better singers were looked down upon for not choosing to jump on the writing bandwagon--and the ones that did wrote a lot of subpar material. do you think luciano pavarotti ever wrote a song? heck no.
elvis came from the gospel quartet singing style. those people are not frequently songwriters and have no desire to be. elvis was as comfortable singing standards like danny boy and frankie and johnny as he was singing more modern songs. crooners often sang different translations of foreign songs... so you have singers like dean martin and elvis presley both singing versions of the italian opera song, torna a sorrento (elvis' being surrender). you have elvis' most succesful record was another italian opera song--o' solo mio a.k.a. it's now or never.
do you think willie nelson was the writer or even the original singer of "always on my mind"??? nah. don't think so. it was written in 1972... FOR ELVIS. he didn't cover it until 1982. actually, brenda lee and elvis presley recorded it on the same day that it was given to them. it was written specifically with elvis' broken marriage in mind. many of his recordings in the later part of his career are very PERSONAL to him. several songs were written by one of his memphis mafia guys, red west (separate ways, that's someone you'll never forget, if you think i don't need you, you'll be gone, if you talk in your sleep, holly leaves and christmas trees, etc...). in fact, if you talk in your sleep specifically came from elvis telling stories about his sleepwalking and waking up in his underwear outside in front of lauderdale courts and seen by the girl he had a crush on when he was younger.
point is... his songs were often chosen while something specific was happening in his life. separate ways and always on my mind are his divorce songs... unchained melody became a shout that he was going home to god. it's easy for you and pieces of my life are other very autobiographical songs.
he was a very emotional singer... when i say he was an interpreter of music... i mean that he interpreted the emotions of a song. it isn't just about the sheet music of a song. it's interpreting it to portray specific emotional qualities. he had an honest emotional voice--which is why he is considered such an amazing singer and interpreter.
at least admit that ELVIS WAS A BETTER LIVE PERFORMER than the beatles! lol.
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