In August 1971 RCA Victor presented the successor of "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1". It was another boxed set of four longplayers, this time called "The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2". In its initial sales period RCA was able to retail 50,000 units, which lead to a chart run of seven weeks and a peak at number 120. In 1999 the RIAA honored the domestic sales with a Gold Award. Because Elvis sold approximately 40% of his records abroad, one can assume worldwide retails of a million copies. Translated to the present this amount equals 150 million paid streams of the complete boxed set or 6 billion paid streams of individual tracks (because this is a set of four albums). Even though the second volume not even sold 30% of the first one, RCA earned a lot of money, because this release was the second, third and sometimes even fourth exploitation of the tracks.

The packaging was similar to the first volume, but this time RCA also added a reproduction of a current promo poster and a piece of Elvis' wardrobe. Mostly it was taken from clothes, the king had worn in movies throughout the 1960s.

The boxed set is not available on the streaming platforms, because all the tracks can be found on the regular albums. However, BMG (the legal successor of RCA) issued a cd-version in the 1990s.

While the first volume featured (at least in most cases) the a-sides of Elvis' most successful singles in chronological order, the second volume didn't present the accordant b-sides in the same way. "The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2" was a wild mix of actual b-sides and songs, Billboard had selected as "leading tracks" to list extended players on their singles chart "Hot 100". Besides that RCA added random stuff, they thought the fans would like to hear. The label not even bothered to sequence the tracks chronologically. The mess had a running time of 118:08 minutes.

"The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2" was a cash cow for all parties. Because all the tracks had been released several times before, they had earned their costs back a long time ago and RCA basically just had to recoup the costs for the production and distribution of the physical product. For Elvis and Colonel Parker the boxed set also meant income, without having to do all that much. Presley supplied the clothes and Parker the concept and the poster. RCA produced 150,000 units of the elaborate package and paid royalties of $3.50 for each sold copy. Further the label agreed to provide a non-refundable pre-payment for 100,000 units. All these monies went to All Star Shows. After the deduction of the costs, the earnings were split between the king and his manager. The guaranteed payment was $350,000, the sales of the other units made them another $175,000. In total All Star Shows received $525,000. It's safe to say, that after the deduction of their costs Presley and Parker received at least $250,000 each. Using our rough factor of 15, this amount would be 3.8 million USD today.

The ballad was written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennet and recorded by Elvis on June 10, 1964 within 11 takes. The narrator is in love and completely under the spell of his beloved one. It's a good song, without doubt the best one on the "Girl Happy" soundtrack. In October 1965 RCA re-released "Puppet On A String" on a single, which charted at number 14 and sold a million copies. In contrast to the title of this boxed set, the track was the a-side of the single.

Elvis taped "Witchcraft" on May 23, 1963 for a new album, which finally was canceled due to the release of the greatest hits compilation "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" and the "Fun In Acapulco" soundtrack. In late 1963 it appeard on the flipside of "Bossa Nova Baby", five years later the song was re-released on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4".

Elvis sounds angry and dangerous and delivers the best version possible of Jerry Leiber's and Mike Stoller's "Trouble". In 1968 the king opened his tv special "SINGER presents Elvis" with this song and also performed it during the "Elvis Summer Festival 1973" at the Las Vegas Hilton. But he never surpassed his original studio recording, taped on January 15, 1958 within 5 takes. "Trouble" first appeared on the ep "King Creole - Volume 2" (1958), later it was re-issued on the accordant longplayer. The alternate version can be found on the album "Elvis" (1968).

The lyrics could be summarized by "I don't need money as long as I have you". The groundwork of the master was take 3, as recorded on August 24, 1956. On September 4th a "partial verse track" was produced to which vocals were added the following day. The final version is a splice of the takes 3 and 6. To fit to the basic recording the tape ran 0.45% slower. In 1956 "Poor Boy" was included on the "Love Me Tender" soundtrack ep, in 1959 it was also released on the album "For LP Fans Only".

"I Want To Be Free" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and taped by Elvis on May 3, 1957. First he recorded 11 takes, after that two additional pick up-takes of the songs' finale were produced. Further the king recorded five pick up-takes of an alternate finale. For the master take Jeffrey Alexander (the producer of the sessions) used take 11 and pickup-take 5 (alternate finale). It first appeared on the extended player "Jailhouse Rock" (1957), later it was also included on the album "A Date With Elvis" (1959).

Elvis worked hard on the tune by Clyde Otis and Willie Dixon, but couldn't come up with a satisfactory take. So the master was a splice of the takes 47, 40 and 48. It first was issued on the flipside of "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck". For the album  "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" RCA Victor created an alternate master, using the takes 40 and 39. I like the song very much, today it's unfortunately somewhat forgotten.

The popsong with a touch of blues was written by Martin Kalmanoff and Aaron Schroeder. The king recorded it on January 23, 1958 and selected the 8th take for release. This happened on the extended player "King Creole - Volume 2" and on the accordant album (both 1958).

 It's a nice popsong, somewhat on the easy listening side and taylor made for airplay. Elvis recorded the song by Paul Evans and Paul Parnes on June 7, 1970 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. He needed 11 attempts to reach a satisfactory result. In post-production further instruments (June 9th), backup voices (June 22nd) and strings and brass (June 30th) were added. The arrangements of the horns mirrored The Beatles' "Penny Lane". RCA Victor released the recording on the album "That's The Way It Is" (1970) as well as on the flipside of the single "I've Lost You" (1970).

In 1966 Dusty Springfiled scored a top 5 hit with this song, which later was covered countless times. The original is called "Io Che Non Vivo (Senza Te)" and was written by Vito Pallavicini, Jody Miller and Pono Donaggio. The latter one was the first to record it and enjoyed a number 1 on the Italian charts with the song. Elvis wasn't as successful, his cover version stagnated at number 11 on the "Hot 100". The king recorded "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" on June 6, 1970 at the RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee and needed just three takes to get it right. On July 30th Felton Jarvis added strings and horns.

Elvis tryed to record "Paralized" on September 1, 1956, but finally gave up and taped 12 further takes the next day. Because he still wasn't able to reach a satisfactory result, he also recorded five instert-takes. The master is a splice of take 12 and insert-take 5. The result was released on the ep "Elvis - Volume 1" and the longplayer "Elvis" (both 1956). The song was written by Otis Blackwell and is reminiscent of "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up". But even without being too unique, the melody stays with you and the performance is flawless. For the king "Paralized" was a very lucrative song, because Colonel Parker made sure that his client was credited as a writer, too. Therefore Elvis also got half of the royalties.

This one is a different matter altogether. The composition by Ivory Joe Hunter is nothing but a mediocre ballad, the arrangement oft the harmony voices is quite kitschy. But Elvis obviously liked the song a lot, because on September 6, 1957 he recorded 28 takes of it. Because he still wasn't convinced of the result, he tryed again on January 23 and on February 1st, 1958. Once again no satisfactory master could be archived, so he finally chose the final take of the September session. RCA Victor released it on the b-side of "A Big Hunk O' Love" and on the album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (both 1959).

Elvis recorded the country pop on September 2, 1956. Take 10 became the master. The original was released in 1941 by Wiley Walker & Gene Sullivan, three years later Cindy Walker (no connection to Wiley) scored a top 5 hit with "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again". I like the tune very much, textually it can be summed up by "If you return to me, my life will be great again". The king included the song in his tv special "SINGER presents Elvis" (1968), RCA Victor also released the studio recording on the extended player "Elvis - Volume 1" and the longplayer "Elvis" (both 1956).

This song first appeard on the album "Loving You" and the extended player "Loving You - Volume 2" (both 1957). "Lonesome Cowboy" was written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, who would also become regular suppliers of movie tunes. I don't like this song too much and Elvis seems to be a bit overstrained with the tune. On January 15, 1957 he recorded 25 takes of the dramatic ballad, but didn't archive a releasable performance. Finally the master was spliced of the takes 25 and 20.

RCA Victor released "My Baby Left Me" on the b-side of the single "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", the ep "The Real Elvis" (both 1956) and the album "For LP Fans Only" (1959). A live version can be found on "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" (1974). The song was written by Arthur Crudup and is basically a copy of his own "That's All Right". To me "My Baby Left Me" is better, because D.J. Fontana's drums provide a lot of drive and Elvis sings with more energy. The studio version was recorded on January 30, 1956 at the RCA Studio in New York.

The ballad was written by Joy Byers and Charles E. Daniels and was recorded for the first time by Jerry Jackson. But because his version stayed in the vaults since 1990 Elvis can be considered the original artist. He recorded the song on January 12, 1964 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee within five takes. Without doubt "It Hurts Me" also would have made a great a-side, but Colonel Parker wanted to promote the movie "Kissin' Cousins" and his client consented. And so the track became the b-side of the title song and later also appeared on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4".

The rocker was written by Sid Wayne and Bix Reichner and recorded by Elvis on June 10, 1958 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. The king needed 18 attempts to produce a releasable performance. The song itself is a typical piece of teenage music with simple lyrics, but lots of drive. The kids were supposed to dance, not to think. In 1958 it was released on the single "I Need Your Love Tonight" / "A Fool Such As I" and became a number 4 hit. A year after the release on this single the track was included on the album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2".

The ballad was penned by Titus Turner, the first release was in 1956 by Marie Knight. Elvis recorded "Tell Me Why" on January 12, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California, but producer Steve Sholes thought it was a tad too close to "Just A Closer Walk To Thee" and feared legal issues. And so the master (take 5) was put in the vaults. By 1965 RCA Victor was desperately looking for unreleased material and so they decided to ignore the fear and put "Tell Me Why" out. The performance itself is ok, I am pretty sure Elvis would have done it better in at a later stage of his career. RCA finally released the track in late 1965 on the single "Tell Me Why" / "Blue River". It peaked at number 33 and sold a million copies.

The singer is desperate, because his loved one keeps him dangling on a string. But while this story would have been presented by the Elvis of the 1970s in form of a mournful ballad, his younger self wraps it in an uptempo popsong. "Please Don't Drag That String Around" was written by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, Elvis recorded it on May 26, 1963 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee within six takes. In 1963 it became the flipside of "(You're The) Devil In Disguise", five years later the track was released on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4".

This one was known from the movie "Jailhouse Rock" and had also been released on the accordant soundtrack ep. In 1959 it also appeared on the compilation album "A Date With Elvis". The ballad was written by Abner Silver and Aaron Schroeder and was recorded by Elvis on April 30, 1957. It wasn't an easy task for him, because he needed 22 attempts to get it right. I like "Young And Beautiful", but I am pretty sure, that the king would have sung it better in his later years.

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller had written "Hot Dog" for Young Jessie, who also recorded it. But because the track was never released, Elvis' version can be regarded to be the original one. He taped the song on January 18, 1957 within 17 takes. It's a nice enough song, but certainly not a hit. "Hot Dog" can be found on the ep "Loving You - Volume 2" and the longplayer "Loving You" (both 1957).

Elvis performs this bluesy song very well. On January 15, 1958 he needed five attempts to do so. "New Orleans" was written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, who also would provide many of the average movie tunes of the 1960s. The fans knew the track from the extended player "King Creole - Volume 2" and the album "King Creole". (both 1958).

This track is based on the traditional "There's A Leak In This Old Building", the master is a splice of the takes 4 and 9, as recorded on August 24, 1956. On the same day harmony vocals, hand clapping and finger snapping were taped. Here the takes 2 and 1 were used. In the end it was decided to do without the harmony vocals. In 1956 "We're Gonna Move" was released on the ep "Love Me Tender", in 1959 it re-appeared on the album "For LP Fans Only".

Elvis recorded "Crawfish" on January 15, 1958 and needed 7 takes to produce a satisfactory result. The female voice belongs to the singer Kitty White. Before its release the recording was shortened of a minute. Besides that the voice of Mrs. White was enhanced with an echo effect and put a little in the background. In the movie "King Creole" the female voice belongs to a lady, who promotes the crawfish she is selling with the song. Superficially the lyrics are about the catching and cooking of the animal, but of course the crawfish is a metaphor for the primary male sexual characteristic. Fred Wise and Ben Weisman wrote this (for the 50s of the previous century) bold song, which was known from the extended player "King Creole - Volume 2" and the album "King Creole" (both 1958).

The title song of the movie was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. To fit the location of the movie it was enhanced with brass, which sets it apart from other tunes of this kind. On January 15, 1958 Elvis recorded 18 takes of "King Creole", but because he didn't like the results he recorded 13 more on January 23rd. The final one became the master. It was first released on "King Creole - Volume 1" and of course also on the accordant longplayer (both 1958).

"I Believe In The Man In The Sky" was a gospel from The Statesmen's repertoire. Elvis performed the song a bit faster, but otherwise he copied their arrangement. Take 4 became the master. The song was written by Richard Howard. The fans knew "I Believe In The Man In The Sky" from the album "His Hand In Mine" (1960).

This track was also known from the ep "King Creole - Volume 2" and the accordant album (both 1958). As the title suggests, it's a rock'n'roll song with elements of dixiland music. It was supposingly written by Aaron Schroeder and Rachel Frank, but Claude DeMetrius and Fred Wise are also mentioned at times. Elvis taped "Dixiland Rock" on January 16, 1958 and needed 14 takes to do so.

"The Wonder Of You" was written by Baker Knight, the first artist to sing the power ballad was Ray Peterson. Elvis' version was taped during the midnight show on February 18, 1970 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the second time the king performed the song live, because originally it had not been on the set list. When Felton Jarvis realized that the show didn't include enough new songs for the planned album, additional rehearsal sessions were held and further material was added. On March 31st and April 3rd "The Wonder Of You" was touched up with additional harmony vocals and the re-recording of some instruments. I like the song very much, because Elvis performs it at the peak of his powers. RCA released the song on the flipside of "Mama Liked The Roses", but finally the supposed a-side was ignored and "The Wonder Of You" charted at number 9. The single sold 3.75 million copies. Later the track re-appeared on the album "On Stage - February 1970".

Elvis recorded this beautiful ballad on September 22, 1963, take nine was chosen to be the master. Later RCA Victor released it on the b-side of "One Broken Heart For Sale", the album "It Happened At The World's Fair" (both 1963) and via their own budget label CAMDEN on "Elvis Sings Hits From His Movies - Volume 1" (1972). For Don Robertson, the writer of "They Remind Me Too Much Of You", it turned out to be a stroke of luck to have been booked as a pianist for these sessions. Because suddenly someone realized that the song was that similar to "Chapel In The Moonlight", that there might have been a copyright issue. Robertson could save his song from being skipped by making some adjustments. However, now it sounded very much like "Anything That's Part Of You". But because this one had also been written by Don, there was no danger of being sued. To me this is a great song which certainly wouldn't have been out of place on a regular studio album of the king.

Elvis recorded Claude Demetrius' song on January 13, 1957 at Radio Recorders and needed 14 attempts to do so. Jerry Lee Lewis covered "Mean Woman Blues" the same year, in 1963 Roy Orbison followed with another version. The combination of the ironic lyrics and the king's snotty performance is nothing but great and turns the 12 bar blues into a true highlight. The song was released on the extended player "Loving You - Volume 2" and the album "Loving You" (both 1957).

Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus wrote this beautiful ballad for the movie "Wild In The Country", Elvis taped the song on November 7, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee within 13 takes. He sounds so sad and vulnerable, that one believes him every word. "Lonely Man" was the b-side of the mega hit "Surrender" (1961) and was also released on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4" (1968).

The basic track of "Any Day Now" was recorded on February 20, 1969 within six takes. On February 22nd Elvis produced a vocal repair, horns and strings were added on March 18th, harmony voices followed on March 25th. The singer fears to be left by his loved one any time and begs her to stay. To me "Any Day Now" is a true highlight. Chuck Jackson was the first to record the tune in 1962 and his single peaked at number 23 of the "Hot 100". The writers of "Any Day Now" are Bob Hilliard and Burt Bacharach. Elvis' version was released in 1969 on the b-side of the single "In The Ghetto" as well as on the album "From Elvis In Memphis" (both 1969).

RCA Victor first released this ballad on the b-side of "Hard Headed Woman" (1958), later it also appeard on the album "King Creole" (1958) and the ep "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 3" (1960). It was recorded on January 16, 1958 within 12 takes. "Don't Ask Me Why" was written by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman.

On June 25, 1961 Elvis recorded 12 takes at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. Finally he selected the 8th attempt for release. A friend tells the narrator of his latest flame, a girl named Marie. Suddenly he realizes, that the lady is his own girlfriend and obviously isn't as faithful as expected. Even though the story is quite sad, the melody is happy and also Elvis' performance doesn't display even the slightest bit of anger or hurt. But that's the charme of "His Latest Flame". In the summer of 1961 the song was released on the single "His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister", peaked at number 4 on the "Hot 100" and sold 3.25 million copies. In 1963 RCA Victor also included the song on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3". By the way: The song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Elvis recorded "I Really Don't Want To Know" on June 7, 1970 within four takes. Strings were added on June 30th, harmony vocals followed on October 1st. The song was written by Don Robertson and Howard Barnes and recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1953. The narrator dosn't want to know anything about the past of his loved one, knowing, that she had many affairs. The king's performance is very emotional. He's obviously in love, but also hurt and angry. On May 30, 1977 Elvis included "I Really Don't Want To Know" in his stage show, albeit just in a shortened form. A live recording can be heared on the double album "Elvis In Concert" (1977). The studio performance appeared in December 1970 on the b-side of "There Goes My Everything" in in early 1971 on the album "Elvis Country - I'm 10,000 Years Old".

Here we have another song from "Jailhouse Rock". Because Bill Black couldn't get his bass-part right, he stormed out of the studio and left the baffled crew behind. To everyone's surprise Elvis took the bass and played the part himself. It worked well, but his vocals were unsatisfactory. So the recording from May 3, 1957 was just used as a rhythm track. Five days later Elvis sang to the pre-recorded music, the master was a combination of the takes 16 (music) and 6 (vocals). "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and was released on the extended player "Jailhouse Rock" (1957) as well as on the album "A Date With Elvis" (1959).

The ballad was first released in 1969 by Ian Matthews & Southern Comfort, the writers are Ken Howard and Alan Blaikly. Elvis put his cover version on tape on June 4, 1970 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. The seventh take became the basis for the master, further enhancements were produced on June 9th (additional instruments), June 22nd (harmony vocals) and June 30th (strings and horns). Finally the recording was shortened of half a minute. In tender words the singer describes his slowly dying relationship. In some ways the song mirrored Elvis' private life. In the summer of 1970 "I've Lost You" was released on a single, coupled with "The Next Step Is Love". It peaked at number 32 on the "Hot 100" and sold 1.25 million copies.

The singer asks a lady to dance with him once more and does so with a lively, up-tempo country song. The music was recorded on September 4, 1956 within two takes, the following day Elvis added his vocals. The master is a mix of the takes 3 (music) and 4 (vocals). It premiered in 1956 on the soundtrack ep of "Love Me Tender", in 1959 "Let Me" was also released on the album "For LP Fans Only".

The original recording was released in 1954 by Willie & Ruth, Elvis taped his cover on September 1, 1956 and approved the 9th attempt for release. It is said that Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the writers of "Love Me", didn't like the king's interpretation, because he ignored the irony and sang it seriously and schmaltzy instead. But especially the female fans loved to hear him beg "Treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel, but love me". RCA Victor released the track on the extended player "Elvis - Volume 1" and the album "Elvis" (both 1956). Because of its popularity the song was also included on the lp "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958). "Love Me" quickly became a fixed item in the king's concerts. And so the song is included on "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). A performance taped in 1968 for the television special "SINGER presents Elvis" was released in 1974 on the album "Elvis - A Legendary Performer". Unfortunately Elvis rarely met the level of the studio recording on stage.

In the future Ben Weisman would be responsible for a lot of meager movie tunes, but this one, written with the help of Aron Schroeder, is a masterpiece. On January 12, 1957 Elvis also put his best foot forward and delivered a perfect performance. In total he needed nine takes to get it right. RCA released the track on the ep "Loving You - Volume 2" and the longplayer "Loving You" (both 1957).

The ballad was also recorded on March 20, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee, but the master had to be spliced of the takes number 14 and 15. It was written by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman, who later also would write a lot of movie songs for Elvis. "Fame And Fortune" displayed the king's growth as a singer even to a larger degree than "Stuck On You". In the 1950s Elvis' performances of ballads were often mediocre. You always know what he wants to do, but he simply lacked the technique to get it right. In 1960 he finally had learned how to use his voice properly and all of a sudden he seemed to know every trick in the book. "Fame And Fortune" is a great song and it's performed very well. RCA Victor released it on the b-side of "Stuck On You (1960) and on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963).

The rock'n'roll song was written by Robert Blackwell and John Marscalco and first released in the summer of 1956 by Little Richard. Elvis recorded his version on September 3, 1956 within 19 takes. The narrator got his pay cheque (there were no digital transfers these days) and is ready to party. It's a great performance and one of the highlights amongst the early recordings of the king. RCA Victor also released it on the extended player "Elvis - Volume 1" and the lp "Elvis" (both 1956).

In December 1970 RCA released the single "There Goes My Everything" / "I Really Don't Want To Know", which peaked at number 21 and sold 1.6 million units. Later it could also be found on the album "Elvis Country - I'm 10,000 Years Old". "There Goes My Everything" was written by Dallas Frazier and was first recorded in 1965 by Ferlin Husky. The following year Jack Green scorded a number one hit with the song, in 1967 Engelbert Humperdinck's version peaked at number 2 of the UK Charts. Elvis taped "There Goes My Everything" on June 8, 1970 and needed three takes to archive a satisfactory performance. The king recorded his harmony vocals on June 23rd, horns and strings followed seven days later. The background singers were recorded on September 21st and October 1st. The singer has to watch his wife leaving him. The melody is saccharine, the lyrics are on the kitschy side. Nevertheless Elvis performs the song in a believable way. In 1970/71 "There Goes My Everything" appeared in some of the king's stage shows, for his gospel album "He Touched Me" he recorded a religious version called "He Is My Everything".

Sid Wayne and Abner Silver wrote this nice popsong, which was taped by Elvis on January 16, 1958. Take number 7 had already been released on the extended player "King Creole - Volume 1" (1958), but the version on the longplayer included harmony vocals by The Jordanaires. They had been recorded in a separate session on July 19, 1958.

On January 18, 1957 Elvis recorded "One Night Of Sin" at the Paramount Soundstage in Hollywood/California. The decision makers at RCA thought, the song by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King was way too raunchy and so the lyrics were changed. The rock'n'roll king taped the new version on February 23, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Even though he already knew the song, he needed ten takes to get it right. While the narrator was blaming himself for a night of excesses in the original version, he now simply wants to spend a night with his loved one. Back in the 50s of the previous century even this was a risky statement, but at least more acceptable than a report of sexual escapades. It took RCA until the early 1980s to finally release "One Night Of Sin" on the album "A Legendary Performer - Volume 4". "One Night" can be found on a single, coupled with "I Got Stung", on the album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (1959) and on the ep "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 2" (1959).  A live recording can be heared on the longplayer "Elvis" (1968).

When the narrator spots his former girlfriend, he feels the urge to confess that he still loves her, but decides to have greetings conveyed to her instead. The song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Elvis recorded it on March 19, 1962 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee and needed 6 takes to get it right. It is said that he regarded "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" to be the stronger track, but finally was convinced that "She's Not You" had the greater appeal for the radio stations. It took RCA Victor until 1968 to release the song on an album. Because Elvis didn't produce hits anymore, the label allocated a million units to the b-side of the single and put it on "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4".

The original version was an Italian ballad named "Io". It was written by Domenico Modugno, who was also the first one to record and release it in 1958. Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye wrote English lyrics and turned it into "Ask Me". The quiet, organ-carried ballad demonstrated a more mature side of the singer and meets my taste, too. RCA Victor also released "Ask Me" on the flipside of the single "Ain't That Loving You Baby" (1965) and on the longplayer "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4" (1968).

On June 8, 1970 Elvis recorded nine takes of "Patch It Up" at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee and selected the 8th attempt for release. The post production was done on June 22nd (harmony vocals), July 20th (horns) and July 22nd (organ). Besides that the recording was shortened of half a minute. RCA Victor also released the track in 1970 on the b-side of "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me".

This ballad was known from the extended player "King Creole - Volume 1" and the album "King Creole" (both 1958). "As Long As I Have You" was written by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman, who would become a main source for movie tunes in the following decade. In contrast to many of their later compositions, this one has quality and is performed very well by Elvis. It was done within ten takes on January 16, 1958.

In the early 1960s Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus had delivered a few outstanding songs, now Elvis was recording one of Shuman's compositions again. The narrator tells his lady, that he won't be faithful and will certainly leave her someday. The king manages the trick to deliver the cynical asshole-lyrics in a warm-hearted and sensitive way. The contrast of the lyrics and the music and vocal performance is just great. I like "You'll Think Of Me" very much. Elvis recorded it on January 14, 1969 at American Sound Studio within 23 takes. The track also features a sitar, which is very unusual for the king. On January 21st Elvis re-recorded his vocals, three days later harmony vocals were added. On May 5th and 6th the track was further enhanced with strings and horns. In 1969 RCA released "You'll Think Of Me" on the b-side of "Suspicious Minds" and on the album "From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis".

The ballad was the title song of Elvis' third movie for 20th Century Fox and was written by Hogo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and Geoge Weiss. Elvis recorded it on November 7, 1960 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California within 19 takes. I like this slow ballad very much, for me it's one of the king's best movie tunes. It premiered in May 1961 on the flipside of "I Feel So Bad".