By: Bruce Dierbeck – Social Media Manager
Thanks to the new “Elvis” biopic, the world has caught Elvis Presley fever all over again (not to be confused with his cover of “Fever” from the 1973 Aloha From Hawaii special).
Elvis’ music career can really be broken down by 3 distinct eras. There’s the early music, which launched Elvis — if not all of rock and roll — into the stratosphere. There’s his movie music that first kept, but then hurt, his relevance throughout the 60s. And lastly, there are the live performances that kept arenas packed until Elvis left the building one final time in August of 1977.
These are a few of my favorites from each of the Elvis eras, from the biggest hits to the deepest cuts. And while Elvis never performed encores, as a “thank you, thank you very much” I have a bonus for those who read to the end.
EARLY ELVIS
Best spun on a 45, preferably with your dog of choice nearby.
One of our favorites from Elvis’ early years, but we thought we’d shake it up here with a fast-paced rendition from the Comeback Special.
Such a sad, beautiful song. But have you ever heard the “Laughing Version” where Elvis falls into a laughing fit while performing this song live?
ELVIS MOVIES
From Elvis’ first motion picture, a tender love song we still can’t get over.
It would be a crime not to include this one.
“Mine”
A deep cut off the “Speedway” soundtrack, which is one of the seemingly five thousand movies in which Elvis played a race car driver. This was a soundtrack song that was never actually featured in the movie. Could it have been as big as “Love Me Tender” had it come out a decade earlier and featured in the film as opposed to being used as filler? We’ll never know. But it’s a favorite of, well, mine.
ELVIS LIVE!
You can see why this was a perennial concert favorite in this sprawling 6-minute live rendition from the summer of 1970. Elvis puts his everything into this performance, leaving both the king and the crowd spent.
A beautiful melancholic number that’s a little bit country, a little bit R&B, and therefore a whole lotta bit the kind of song Elvis loved to deliver during this era.
One of the most iconic moments from the “Aloha From Hawaii” special, it also features a jaw-dropping flute-solo one doesn’t see much in rock concerts not featuring Jethro Tull.
BONUS: ELVIS COVERS
Just as Elvis inspired so many artists over the past half-century, Elvis was heavily inspired by his contemporaries and loved covering their music. Here are 3 Elvis covers that TCB in our eyes.
ELVIS x THE BEATLES: “Get Back / Little Sister“
Did you know that not only did Elvis and the Beatles spend an evening jamming in his Hollywood living room one night in the late 60s, but that Elvis also covered a few Beatles tracks during his summer of 1970 Vegas shows? His covers of “Yesterday” and “Something” are beautiful, but it’s his mashup of “Get Back” with his own “Little Sister” that was ahead of its time.
ELVIS x THE BEE GEES: “Words“
Yes. You read that right. Elvis covered the Bee Gees. And words can’t truly describe how amazing that is.
ELVIS x NEIL DIAMOND: “Sweet Caroline”
The entire planet knows every word to “Sweet Caroline” but very few know that Elvis covered this would-be Neil Diamond classic during the summer of 1970 in Las Vegas. Our thoughts? So good, so good!
Discover Elvis’ legendary catalog of music at sheetmusicplus.com
Bruce is part of the social media team at Sheet Music Plus and lives in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and two golden retrievers. He’s a lover of all kinds of music from old school rap and classic country to yacht rock and power pop, as long as it has a catchy beat or can turn a creative lyric. He has an unhealthy knowledge of 1970s Elvis and can tell anything from the year a particular jumpsuit was worn to what night a live performance was from.
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