In August 1970 RCA Victor released a boxed set of four longplayers called "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1". Billboard started to list the set on their "Top LPs Chart" on August 22nd. With sales of 150,000 units it stayed on the hitparade for 22 weeks and peaked at number 45. On August 29th "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" also entered the "Hot Country LPs Chart". Here it had a run of 17 weeks and peaked at number 25. Elvis' death resulted in an increasing turnover, so the box charted again on September 17, 1977. This time it stayed on the "Top LPs Chart" for 14 weeks and peaked at number 83. The RIAA honored the US sales with Gold (1973) and Platinum (1992). Worldwide 3.5 million units were retailed, which equals 525 million paid streams of the complete set or 5.25 billion paid streams of individual tracks. "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" was a major success, especially because RCA charged the fourfold price of a regular album and all the recordings had been exploited at least twice before.

The expensive boxed set was packaged in an elaborate way and included a booklet of 20 pages.

Today "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" is not distributed through the streaming platforms, because all the material is available on the regular albums of the king. However, BMG (the legal successor of RCA) released a cd edition in the 1990s.

The set presented all the king's hits from 1956 to early 1970 in chronological order. RCA didn't include just the a-sides of the singles, but also some popular b-sides. They also didn't wait for the RIAA to certify the releases with an official Gold Award. Nevertheless all the singles had sold more than a million copies within the US and therefore fullfilled the requirements.

RCA Victor also released the track on the single "Heartbreak Hotel" / "I Was The One", on ep "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956) and on the albums "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 1" (1958) and "A Legendary Performer - Volume 1" (1974). Live performances can be found on the albums "Elvis" (1968) and "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972). The song was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden. Because Axton wanted to do the young singer a favor, she credited him as a writer and therefore gave him a third of the royalties. In the song the narrator was left by his girl and lives at Heartbreak Hotel, just down the end of Lonely Street. Elvis' vocals mirror the somewhat morbid mood of the tune, the echo also adds a special note. Elvis recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" on January 10, 1956 and chose take number 7 as the master. Producer Steve Sholes wasn't too happy about the track, because up to that point the young singer had been most successful with hyped-up versions of well known country songs. Besides that nobody at RCA Victor seemed to like "Heartbreak Hotel". It's not known weather Sholes trusted the instinct of the Hillbilly Cat or if he thought the first 45 would bomb anyway and he had better control of his artist if he could be made responsible for the flop. Whatever his thoughts might have been, after "Heartbreak Hotel" turned out to be a massive hit discussions of that kind were a thing of the past.

The ballad in mid-tempo was written by Aaron Schroeder, Claude DeMetrius, Hal Blair and Bill Peppers. Elvis recorded it on January 11, 1956 within ten takes. Because Steve Sholes mixed up the numbering and announced the takes 2, 3 and 7 twice, the master take was labled as "take 7b". The singer was left by his girl and now approaches her new partner. Obviously he once had found the girl completely untouched and taught her how to kiss, to caress and to get the tears flowing if necessary. And now, after his magnum opus is finished, it's gone. Shit happens! RCA Victor released the song on the ep "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956) and on the album "For LP Fans Only" (1959).

This schmaltz was recorded on April 14, 1956 at the RCA Studios in Nashville/Tennessee. Because no satisfactory take could be archived, Steve Sholes created a master by splicing takes 14 and 17. The song was written by Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff, RCA Victor released it on the single "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" / "My Baby Left Me", on the ep "The Real Elvis" (both 1956) and on the album "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958). Take 15 was released on the album "A Legendary Performer - Volume 2" (1976).

On July 2, 1956 Elvis recorded "Don't Be Cruel" at RCA Studio 1 in New York City/New York. He worked hard on the track and needed 28 takes before he reached a satisfactory result. The song was written by Otis Blackwell, but Colonel Parker was able to deal out a 50% share of the royalties for his client. Therefore Elvis was also listed as composer. Mr. Blackwell obviously wanted to write a hit and so he took many bits and pieces of other popular songs. But regardless the authenticity "Don't Be Cruel" is one of the best recordings of the "early" Elvis and a highlight of his catalogue. RCA Victor released the track on the single "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog", on the extended player "The Real Elvis" (1956) and the albums "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958), "A Legendary Performer" (1974) and Pure Gold (1975). Live performances can be found on "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977).

"Hound Dog" was also recorded on July 2nd, but this time the rock'n'roll king needed 31 attempts to get it right. At first the song was credited to Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Johnny Otis, but after a legal dispute it became just Leiber/Stoller. Originally "Hound Dog" was recorded and released in 1952 by Willie Mea "Big Mama" Thornton, later Jack Turner and Eddie Hazelwood also recorded the song. Elvis performed it much faster and harder than his predecessors and turned it into an iconic rock'n'roll song. RCA Victor also released it on the ep "The Real Elvis" (1956) and on the album "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958). Live versions can be found on "Elvis" (1968),  "From Vegas To Memphis / From Memphis To Vegas" (1969), "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972), "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973). "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" (1974) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977). However, the king never even came close to the greatness of his original recording.

The ballad was written by Ken Darby, who based it on the classic "Aura Lee" from 1861. Because Darby didn't want to be associated with the movie project he credited the song to Vera Matson, his wife. Elvis was also credited as writer, because his manager had dealt out a share in the royalties of 50%. The rock'n'roll king didn't spent much time on "Love Me Tender". He recorded it on August 24, 1956 at the soundstage of 20th Century Fox within two takes. RCA Victor released the track on the single "Love Me Tender" / "Any Way You Want Me", on soundtrack ep "Love Me Tender" (1956) as well as on the albums "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958), A Legenary Performer (1974) and "Pure Gold" (1975). Live versions can be found on "Elvis" (1968) and "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972). The many lackluster performances prove, that Elvis himself didn't like the song too much. I cannot help to agree.

Just a week prior to the release of this single "Any Way You Want Me" had been the title track of an extended player. I guess RCA Victor speculated on a cross-promotion effect, but because the ep didn't sell more than 200,000 copies the plan didn't take off at all. However, the song later was also issued on "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958). Elvis recorded "Any Way You Want Me" on July 2, 1956 at RCA Studio 1 in New York City/New York. He needed 12 attempts to archive a satisfactory master. I don't like this ballad either, because Elvis performs it with a tad too much power and the song itself isn't very good, too. It was written by Aaron Schroeder and Cliff Owens.

Here the singer is knowingly taken advantage of by his girlfriend, but he cannot leave her because he loves her so much. Somehow he doesn't seem to be affected by this issue at all, because the melody is peppy and there is not even a suggestion of sadness in Elvis' voice. "Too Much" was recorded on September 2, 1956 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California within 12 takes. To iron out the last few mistakes the king also produced two insert-takes. In the end the master was created of take 12 and insert-take 2. "Too Much" was not an original song, but a cover version. It had been written by Lee Rosenberg and Leonard Weinman and recorded by Bernie Hardison in 1954. Elvis' performance was released on the single "Playing For Keeps" / "Too Much", on the album "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and on the extended player "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 3" (1960).

The ballad was recorded on September 1, 1956 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Because Elvis was not able to produce a satisfactory take, the master was spliced of takes 7 and 18. "Playing For Keeps" was written by Stanley A. Kesler. In the song, the singer swears everlasting faithfulness to his loved one. I neither like the song nor Elvis' performance of it. RCA Victor re-released the track on "For LP Fans Only" (1959). 

When Presley's "All Shook Up" / "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" hit the stores, some fans might have known the a-side as "I'm All Shook Up", released in early 1957 by David Hill (a pseudonym of the actor David Hess). He had taped the song in November 1956 while Elvis recorded his version on January 12, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California within ten takes. The second voice belongs to Hoyt Hawkins, a member of The Jordanaires. When the rock'n'roll king released his version, not only the name had changed, but also the writing credits. Suddenly the tune was not just originated by Otis Blackwell, but also by Elvis Presley. The reason was simple: If Mr. Blackwell hadn't credited Presley and therefore given him half of the writer's royalties, he wouldn't have recorded the song. And at the time Elvis' sales were so high, that it was better to get 50% of a Presley release than 100% of a release by anyone else. I fell in love with "All Shook Up" when I was eight years old. Now four decades have passed and the song still is one of my favorites. It's just a piano, a rhythm tapped on the back of a guitar and two voices. Very simple, but the essence of a popsong! RCA Victor re-released the track on the albums "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and "Pure Gold" (1975) as well as on the extended player "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 3" (1960). Live recordings can be found on "From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis" (1969) and "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972). "All Shook Up" is also part of a medley released on "Elvis" (1968).

Presumably to get Sam Phillips' attention Elvis had recorded a self-financed single at the Memphis Recording Service in 1953. One of the songs was the ballad "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". On January 13, 1957 he taped the song at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California within 14 attempts. It has to be mentioned that just four of them were complete performances and the master had to be spliced of the takes number 7 and 14. "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" was written by Fred Fisher, William Raskin and Billy Hill. It was recorded for the first time in 1937 by Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra, three years later it was covered by The Ink Spots. RCA Victor later re-released the king's version on "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958). The ballad itself is ok, the same can be said about Elvis' performace.

The track was released on the single "Teddy Bear" / "Loving You", on extended player "Loving You - Volume 1" and on the albums "Loving You" (all 1957), "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and "Pure Gold" (1975). Elvis recorded the song on January 17, 1957 within three takes. Even though the last one was selected for release, the king re-recorded the ballad on February 24th and ordered RCA to release the 4th attempt. "Loving You" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Elvis had previously recorded Leiber/Stoller songs, but this was the first one, the duo wrote exclusively for him.

The singer begs his loved one to be her Teddy Bear. Tigers are too rough and lions are not kind enough. For a performer, who was sold as a rebel and even the king of the wicked rock'n'roll music, lyrics like that were embarrassing. But the girls loved it and "Teddy Bear" became an evergreen. In the 1970s Elvis mostly performed it in a medley with "Don't Be Cruel". Live recordings can be found on "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977). RCA Victor released the studio recording on the single, on the album "Loving You" and "Elvis' Golden Records" as well as on the extended player "Loving You - Volume 1".

The legendary rock'n'roll song was taped on April 30, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Elvis recorded eight takes, of which only the numbers 4 and 5 are complete performances. Afterwards two pick up-takes were recorded, which started in the middle of the song. The final version was a splice of take 6 (a long false start) and pick up-take 2. When the song was released in September 1957, it reached the number one of the "Top 100", the "Country Best Seller Chart" and the "R&B Best Seller Chart". RCA also released it on the albums "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958), "Pure Gold" (1975) and "A Legendary Performer - Volume 2" (1976). Live versions can be found on the albums "Elvis" (1968) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977). "Jailhouse Rock" is also featured in the "Rock'n'Roll Medley". For me "Jailhouse Rock" is a masterpiece. A great melody, a driving rhythm and subversive lyrics (it's actually about a party of homosexuals, which was considered to be abnormal in the 50s of the last century). Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller had surpassed themselves with this song. Elvis' performance is unbeatable. Nobody ever came even close to his original recording, including Mr. Presley himself.

The b-side of "Jailhouse Rock" also charted and peaked at number 27 (Hot 100), 11 (Country) and 7 (R&B). The macho tune was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Elvis recorded it on May 3, 1957 within 13 takes. The master was spliced of the takes 10 and 13. Finally the king rejected this version and recorded "Treat Me Nice" again on September 5, 1957. The 15th and final attempt replaced the previously selected master. RCA Vicor also released "Treat Me Nice" on the album "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and on the extended player "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 2" (1959).

The b-side of the single "Don't" (1958) was re-released on on the extended player "A Touch Of Gold" (1959) and on the long player "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (1959) . Before RCA Victor issued it on this single, it had been in the vaults for quite some time. Elvis had recorded this nice, uptempo popsong on January 13, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Even though he had chosen the 12th and final attempt as master, he didn't like the result too well. So he tried again on February 23rd and recorded another 22 takes. Producer Steve Sholes simply continued the numberation and labeled the new recordings as takes 13 to 34. Finally Elvis revoked his first choice and selected take 34 as master.

The ballad was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Elvis recorded it on September 7, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California, take 7 was selected as master. From today's point of view the lyrics are somewhat creepy, but back then "Don't" was supposed to be a serious love song. The track was released again on the same records as "I Beg Of You".

Once again Elvis proved to be the one and only king of rock'n'roll. The song was written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody and recorded by Elvis on February 1, 1958 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Take 22 was selected for release, on February 26th a guitar, a piano and percussion were overdubbed. RCA Victor released "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" on the album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" and on the ep "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 2" (both 1959).

The singer tries to prove his theory, that hard headed women are the root of all evil with several episodes from the Bible. The lyrics are funny, the melody and rhythm are straight rock'n'roll. The brass-element adds something unique to the song. Elvis performs it with a lot of power, almost aggression. It's a very good track and certainly one of the king's best movie tunes. It was written by Claude DeMetrius and recorded by Elvis on January 15, 1958. The king needed ten takes to archive a satisfactory master. RCA Victor released "Hard Headed Woman" on a single couppled with "Don't Ask Me Why", on the album "King Creole" (both 1958) and on the extended player "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 1" (1959).

This one is a straight rock'n'roll song, written by Aaron Schroeder and David Hill. The singer is in love and declares to have been stung by a sweet honey bee. Elvis recorded "I Got Stung" on June 11, 1958 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee within 24 takes. A year after the release on the single "One Night" / "I Got Stung" (1958) the track was included on the album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (1959).

The singer asseverates his love to a lady, who unforortunately just left him. The composition by Bill Trader was originally recorded by Hank Snow in 1952, Elvis followed him on June 10, 1958 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. Take 9 was finally approved for release. "A Fool Such As I" is much more conservative than the a-side "I Need Your Love Tonight" and so it was also played by radio stations, that igored rock'n'roll music and became more popular. Elvis himself also seemed to like the song, because he used it live on stage in 1961 and also rehearsed it for his "Summer Festival" in 1970. But as far as I know he never performed it live at the time. The studio recording was re-released by RCA on the albums "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (1959) and "A Legendary Performer - Volume 1" (1974).

The rock'n'roll song was written by Aaron Schroeder and Sid Wyche and was recorded on June 10, 1958 in Nashville/Tennessee. Because no satisfactory take could be archived, the master was a splice of the attempts number four and three. RCA Victor released the track on the single "A Big Hunk O' Love" / "My Wish Came True" and on album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (both 1959). A live performance can be found on the double-album "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973). I like "A Big Hunk O' Love" very much. It's an agressive rock'n'roll song performed by Elvis at his very best.

The song was written by Aaron Schroeder and Leslie McFarland and was recorded by Elvis on March 20, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee within just three takes. RCA Victor released the track on the single "Stuck On You" / "Fame And Fortune" (1960) and on longplayer "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963). Compared to his previous recordings the king sounded much different. His voice was softer, had matured and his technique obviously had improved. The brand new Stereo sound only added to these qualities. Elvis himself is said to have disliked "Stuck On You" and calling it "Stuck IN You". I don't know if this is true or not, his performance is nothing but great.

The uptempo song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and was the b-side of the mega seller "It's Now Or never". Elvis taped it within five takes on March 20, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. RCA Victor later also released "A Mess Of Blues" on the longplayer "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4 (1968).

In 1898 the Neapolitan singer and musician Eduardo Di Capua wrote "O Sole Mio" ("My Sun") and used the lyrics of the poet Giovanni Capurro. Even though the song became very popular, both parties died without any assets. At the time there were no royalties for writers and so the men sold the song for 25 lira to the publishing company of Ferdinando Bideri. Many years later the heirs of Emanuele Alfredo Mazzucci sued the publisher for royalties, because he had written down the notes of "O Sole Mio". Since they won the lawsuit they receive a whopping 250,000 USD per year. The first known recording of "O Sole Mio" was made in 1901 by Francisco Daddi. Eleven years later Elisabeth Spencer released an English version named "Your Own Dear Kiss". Elvis got to know the song in form of another English edition called "There's No Tomorrow". He wanted to record it, but because the melody by now was in public domain, Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold wrote new lyrics and legally created a new song, that could be published on its own. Elvis recorded it on April 3, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. The master is a splice of the takes 4 and 2, on April 5th piano and percussion was added. RCA re-released "It's Now Or Never" on the extended player "Elvis By Request" (1961), on the albums "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963) and "A Legendary Performer - Volume 2" (1976). A live version can be found on "Elvis In Concert" (1977).

The uptempo popsong is a cover version, the original was released in 1959 by Cliff Richard. "I Gotta Know" was also recorded on April 3, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee, but this time within two takes. It's a classy song, I especially like the interaction between the king and The Jordanaires. Originally it was the b-side of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" (1960), later it also appeared on the compilation album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963).

The song was written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman, the first recording was by Ned Jakobs in 1927. Elvis recorded his version on April 3, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee, the master is a splice of the takes 5 and 2. I like this ballad very much, the king performs it very well and his voice sounds nothing but marvellous. RCA later also released the track on the extended player "Elvis By Request" (1961) and on the long player "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963). Live performances can be heared on "From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis" (1969), "A Legendary Performer" (1974) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977).

After "It's Now Or Never" turned out to be a sales monster, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman used the same principle and turned "Torna A Surriento" into "Surrender". Elvis recorded it on October 30, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. First he taped nine takes of the song, then he produced eight workpart-takes. The master was spliced of take 4 and workpart-take 8. With mediterranean music and dramatic vocals the singer tries to convince a lady to succumb to him. "Surrender" / "Lonely Man" turned out to be extremely successful, too and sold six million units. RCA Victor later re-released "Surrender" on the longplayer "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963).

The song was written by Chuck Willis, who also released it in 1954. On March 12, 1961 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee the king needed just two takes for his cover version, mainly because he copied Willis' performance almost note for note. It was issued on the single "I Feel So Bad" / "Wild In The Country" (1961) as well as on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963). Even though the king delivers a great performance of this fast blues song, it doesn't meet my taste.

On June 25, 1961 Elvis taped 11 takes and approved the 4th one for release. The song is dominated by a (for the time) hard played electric guitar, but I still regard "Little Sister" to be a popsong rather than rock'n'roll or r&b. The studio recording later appeared on the single "His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" (1961) and on the longplayer "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963). A live version can be found on "Elvis In Concert" (1977).

"Can't Help Falling In Love" is based on the French "Plaisir d'amour", which was written in 1785 by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian and Johann Paul Aegidius Martini Schwarzendorf. It was adapted by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss. On March 23, 1961 Elvis needed 29 takes to come up with a satisfactory performance. It surely wasn't an easy task, but the result is one of the greatest love songs ever. It's just achingly beautiful! The song was  used on the albums "Blue Hawaii" (1961) and "A Legendary Performer - Volume 1" (1974) as well as on the single "Can't Help Falling In Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby" (1961). Live versions can be found on the albums "Elvis" (1968), "From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis" (1969), "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972), "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973), "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" (1974) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977). But the king never even came close to the perfection and beauty of his studio recording.

This is an original song, written by Fred Wise, Ben Weisman and Dolores Fuller. The latter one said in an interview, that she was inspired by "The Twist". In my view "Rock-A-Hula Baby" is a solid movie tune. On March 23, 1961 Elvis recorded the song within five takes. It was released on the soundtrack album "Blue Hawaii" and on the aforementioned single.

The ballad was recorded on October 15, 1961, Elvis needed ten takes to get it right. The singer was just left by his loved one and now each and everyting reminds him of her. The king performs this song (written by the great Don Robertson) with so much sadness, that this feeling instantly transfers to the listener. I regard "Anything That's Part Of You" as one of the greatest tracks in the Presley catalogue. RCA Victor released the song on the flipside of "Good Luck Charm" (1962) and on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963).

Elvis begs his loved one to be his talisman and I am pretty sure no ardent aficionado would have refused his plea. Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold created this great piece of radio pop, which stays with you from the first second. I especially like the harmonies of Elvis and The Jordanaires. It's quite astonishing that they just needed four takes to record the song. They did so on October 15, 1961 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. RCA Victor re-released the track on "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963).

Elvis recorded "She's Not You" on March 19, 1962 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. The master is a splice of the takes number 3 and 5 (workpart). Even though his new girlfriend formally equals the woman of his dreams, he always has to think about his ex. That's why the king performs the song with a tad of melancholy, which thwarts the happy melody. "She's Not You" was written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Doc Pomus and released on a single couppled with "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" (1962). RCA Victor re-released the track on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963).

Without doubt this is one of the best movie tunes. After an argument with his girlfriend the narrator apologizes twice, but the letter is returned every time. So he plannes to give it to her himself. If she returns it to him, he knows that it's over. While the Elvis of the 1970s would have presented a story like this in form of a sad ballad, his younger self comes up with an uptempo popsong. On March 27th the king needed just two takes to record the song by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott. It can be found on the single "Return To Sender" / "Where Do You Come From" and on the soundtrack album "Girls! Girls! Girls! (both 1962).

 To the narrator his loved one is so overwhelming, that she simply must be out of this world. The lyrics are somewhat kitschy, but the melody and Elvis' performance are nothing but beautiful. On March 27, 1962 he needed 14 takes to deliver a perfect recording. It also appeared on the longplayer "Girls! Girls! Girls!" (1962).

With a running time of 1:34 minutes the song is very short, so it's somewhat strange that RCA didn't use the movie version which included another verse. "One Broken Heart For Sale" was also recorded on September 22nd, take 5 was chosen for release. In the song, written by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, the singer pours out his heart and offers it for sale. Even though the lyrics are sad, the melody is happy and stays with you. It's quite similar to "Return To Sender" (also written by Blackwell and Scott), but I like it very much. In fact, this is one of my favorite movie tunes. It was released on the single "One Broken Heart For Sale" / "They Remind Me Too Much Of You" and on the album "It Happened At The World's Fair" (both 1963).

Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye wrote a lot of mediocre movie songs for Elvis, but this one is neither a movie tune nor mediocre. In fact, it's a very good popsong. The loved one of the singer looks like an angel, but he knows that she's not faithful at all. Florance Kaye came up with the title as Giant and Baum called her daughter an angel. The trio thought it was great and created a song around the expression "devil in disguise". Elvis recorded it on May 26, 1963 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee and needed six takes to do so. RCA Records released the track on the single "(You're The) Devil In Disguise" / "Please Don't Drag That String Around" (1963) and on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4" (1968).

The king recorded "Bossa Nova Baby" on January 22, 1963 and selected take 11 for release. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded by Tippie & The Clovers in 1962. Musically the bossa nova is located in Brazil instead of Mexico, but who cares about geograpy in a Presley movie? The song was released on the soundtrack album "Fun In Acapulco" and on the single "Bossa Nova Baby" / "Witchcraft" (both 1963).

This is the finale of the movie and sung by Jodie and Josh. Therefore Elvis recorded two versions of the song. One in his normal voice (as Josh) and another one in overdone southern idiom (as Jodie). The vocals were edited of take 2 (Josh version) and take 1 (Jodie version). The musicians had recorded their part on September 30, 1963 in three takes. "Kissin' Cousins" was written by Fred Wise and Randy Starr, to me it's a good and funny movie tune. It first had appeared on the single "Kissin' Cousins" / "It Hurts Me" and on the "Kissin' Cousins" soundtrack album (both 1964).

On June 10, 1963 Elvis and his band tried to record "Viva Las Vegas", but gave up after a single take. On the next day they continued their work with a different arrangement and recorded six further takes. The final one was chosen for release. Because the producer continued the numbering the master is take number 7. The song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and can easily be regarded as one of the king's best movie tunes. Since 1964 it has been covered many times and became somewhat of the anthem of Vegas. The track first appeared on the single "Viva Las Vegas" / "What'd I Say".

Even though the single "Ain't That Loving You Baby" / "Ask Me" was released in late 1964, Elvis already had recorded the song on June 10, 1958 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. After eleven attempts without a satisfactory result the king simply decided to file "Ain't That Loving You Baby" away. When the label searched for unreleased tracks six years later, they selected take 4 as the master and released it after Elvis had given his permission. Later the song could also be found on "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4" (1968). The rocker was written by Clyde Otis and Ivory Joe Hunter and released for the first time in 1956 by Eddy Riff. "Ain't That Loving You Baby" is a great track, much better than most of the songs Elvis was recording in the mid-sixties.

In 1827 Friedrich Silcher adapted the German folk song "Muss I Denn, Muss I Denn Zum Staedtele Hinaus", 133 years later Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Kay Twomey and Bert Kaempfert turned it into "Wooden Heart". Elvis recorded it on April 28, 1960 within four takes. Strangely though the writers didn't use the original German lyrics, but created new ones. They give the impression to have been translated with a mediocre software (just like my homepage). In Europe, Asia and South Africa RCA Victor released "Wooden Heart" on a single and sold more than 2 million copies in Germany alone! However, in the US the label stuck to the release on the "G.I. Blues" album and left the number one hit to Joe Dowell. In 1964 the track was coupled (for whatever reason) with "Blue Christmas", a year later RCA used it again on the b-side of "Puppet On A String".

The ballad was written by Artie Glenn, the first recording was made in 1953 by his his son Darrell. Elvis had recorded three takes of "Crying In The Chapel" on October 30, 1960 for his gospel album "His Hand In Mine", but wasn't pleased with the results. Besides that there were some insecurities regarding the copyright and so it was decided to put the recordings in the vaults. By 1965 the legal problems were solved and a payment of 10,000 USD convinced the king to approve the release of take 3. "Crying In The Chapel" isn't a gospel song, it's more a kind of pop ballad that uses the scenery of a small chapel. Without doubt the song is well written and well performed. RCA Victor released it on the single "Crying In The Chapel" / "I Believe In The Man In The Sky" (1965) and as a bonus track on the album "How Great Thou Art" (1967).

W. Earl Brown's dream of a better world was the finale of the tv special "SINGER presents Elvis". The king sounds unfamiliar rough and very emotional. In a certain way he (unintentionally) copied Tony Bruno, whom he had seen several times in Vegas in the months before he made the recording. This was done on June 23, 1968 within five takes. RCA Victor released "If I Can Dream" on a single couppled with "Edge Of Reality" (1968) as well as on the albums "Elvis" (1968) and "A Legendary Performer - Volume 2" (1976).

Mac Davis describes the short life of a man in a city slum, that ends violently in consequence of a robbery. Because a baby is born at the same time and its fate will be similar, the song originally was sub-titled "The Vicious Circle". On January 20, 1969 Elvis recorded 22 takes of the ballad, but finally the track with his voice was silenced and just the music was used. Two days after the initial recording the king produced a new vocal track, on January 24th Chips Moman and Felton Jarvis added harmony voices. The production was finalized on March 18th with the overdub of horns and strings. The skilled arrangement and Elvis' emotional and believable performance turn this ordinary and simple consternation-tune into something very special. Just a few months after the release of the single "In The Ghetto" / "Any Day Now" and the album "From Elvis In Memphis" RCA Victor issued a live recording of "In The Ghetto" on the double album "From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis". The studio version was re-released on the longplayer "Pure Gold" (1975).

The song was recorded on January 22, 1969 at American Sound Studio in Memphis/Tennessee. The 8th take was selected for post-production and was enhanced with Elvis' harmony vocals (January 22nd), background singing (January 24th) and strings (May 7th). To match the arrangement of the live performances Bill Porter adjusted the song on August 7th at United Recording Studio. He added horns and faded the ending in and out several times. Because all eight tracks had been used by Chips Moman and Felton Jarvis, the mixing was done with the musicians playing live. The procedure was gone through for the mono version as well as the stereo version. It was released on the single "Suspicious Minds" / "You'll Think Of Me" (1969). Live versions can be heared on the albums "From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis" (1969), "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972) and "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973). "Suspicious Minds" was written and released for the first time by Mark James. But Elvis made the song his own so much, that the original version is almost forgotten.

This track was also recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis/Tennessee. On January 15, 1969 the band put a rhythm track on tape, Elvis added his vocals on January 21st. On March 19th producer Chips Moman added brass, on March 21st strings were overdubbed. "Don't Cry Daddy" was written by Mac Davis, who also provided "In The Ghetto". In the song an unnamed child asks the singer not to grief anymore for the loss of his wife and even promises to find a new mommy for him and his brother. Even though the lyrics are very sentimental, "Don't Cry Daddy" never crosses the boarder to the kitschy side. In late 1969 it was released on the b-side of "Rubberneckin", but soon turned out to be the more popular track by far.

The song was written by Eddy Rabbit, who waited until 1977 before he released his own version. Elvis recorded "Kentucky Rain" on February 19, 1969 at the American Sound Studio in Memphis/Tennessee. The 10th take became the groundwork of the master, further enhancements were made on March 18th (strings and horns) and March 25th (harmony vocals). The first of these post-production sessions was held at American, the second one at RCA Studio A in Nashville/Tennessee. The song is about a man, who tries to find his girlfriend, who left him at night for unknown reasons. Elvis performs it very well. In early 1970 it was released on the single "Kentucky Rain" / "My Little Friend", five years later it re-appeared on the album "Pure Gold".