Simultaneously, I remembered reading a fan comment on ElvisNews.com some time ago, suggesting an album with all
the songs Elvis ended this way. Finding it, I noticed that just a
couple of songs were mentioned, so I went ahead and made up a playlist
with all the tracks I could think of with this typical “Presley
Signature Ending Style.” This is what I came up with:
“I Got A Woman”
Master, take 8–1/10/1956
A song Elvis used in his live act at
the time, and had already tried to record at Sun, “I Got A Woman”
became his first RCA master. It's a fast and bouncy number, right up
to the slow ending that is timed perfectly. Released on Elvis
Presley in March 1956.
“Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do”
(finale)
Take 13–1/18/1957
Used to great effect towards the end of
the movie Loving You, this
must count as the ultimate slow ending version, at least movie wise.
Has Elvis ever ended a song in a cooler way in any of his feature
films? This version was finally released on the first
Essential Elvis volume in 1986.
“Steppin' Out Of Line”
(record version)
Master, take 9–3/22/1961
One of my favorite cuts from the Blue Hawaii soundtrack
recordings, “Steppin' Out Of Line” sadly
didn't make it into the movie or even onto the original album as a
bonus song. Instead, it ended up on Pot
Luck in 1962. I actually prefer the record
version (with Boot Randolph's saxophone) over the movie version.
Also, the record version has a much better ending, guess what kind it
is?
“Rock-A-Hula Baby”
Master, take 5–3/23/1961
Apparently Elvis
favoured the slow ending style while recording the Blue
Hawaii soundtrack. “Rock-A-Hula Baby”
ends in almost exactly the same way as “Steppin' Out Of Line,”
and just like the latter it's a fun song, wild and cooking. One of
the musical highlights from the movie as well as the soundtrack
album.
“I Don't Wanna Be
Tied”
Master, take 8–3/28/1962
Performed in the movie
Girls! Girls! Girls!
at a local nightclub, “I Don't Wanna Be Tied” isn't a bad number.
But compared to “Got
A Lot O' Livin' To Do” (finale), it falls far behind. This is
especially true for the slow ending, where the movements made by
Elvis dressed in a jacket and tie are miles from the ones made in
Loving
You
five years earlier.
“C'mon Everybody”
Take
3–7/9/1963
Not featured on the master (take 5), the alternate take 3 includes a
slow ending, just as the movie version did (having Elvis dancing
together with Ann-Margret). But it's clearly done on the spur of the
moment, as it starts five seconds after the take ends, sounding very
improvised and unpolished. But great to listen to, nevertheless.
First released on FTD's Silver Screen Stereo in 2001.
“Frankie and Johnny”
Master,
take 6–5/14/1965
Though not containing a strictly slow ending, the title track from
Elvis' twentieth movie offers something along the same lines. That's
why I decided to include it on my list.
“Baby, If You'll Give
Me All Of Your Love”
Master,
take 5–6/29/1966
Definitely
featuring a Presley signature ending style, “Baby, If You'll Give
Me All Of Your Love” is a fast rocker, maybe not of the best
quality but sung well by Elvis in the movie Double
Trouble.
Watching it on the big screen is another matter, with Elvis slapping
an uppright bass and singing to some kind of doll's head placed at
the top of it.
“Jailhouse Rock”
Live Master–6/29/1968
8PM Show
Recorded to the day two years
after “Baby, If You'll Give Me All Of Your Love,” “Jailhouse
Rock” from Elvis' ´68 Comeback Special is a different ball
game altogether. Singing with a rough voice, he has never sounded
more driven or wild, and the slow ending is sensational. It's Elvis
returning to his roots.
“Winter Wonderland”
Master, take 10–5/16-1971
Why Elvis favoured a slow
ending on his version of the seasonal standard “Winter Wonderland”
is anybodies guess. Clearly, he was tired of the song, and the
performance is spiritless, to say the least. Maybe he thought a slow
ending would help save it somehow (I think it did), or maybe he just
did it for laughs.
“I Can Help”
Master, take 2–3/10-1975
Elvis version of Billy Swan's
“I Can Help” was to be his last fast tempo studio recording to
feature a slow ending. He nailed the song in one single take.
“I Got A Woman”
Live version
When Elvis returned to the
stage in 1969, one of the songs he brought with him was “I Got A
Woman,” complete with the slow ending he originally used in the
50's. A couple of years later he would add the “Amen”-routine to
this song, but the slow ending remained right up until the last concert
in 1977.
“Jailhouse Rock”
Live version
Elvis also sang “Jailhouse
Rock” in 1969, but without a slow ending as the song was coupled
with “Don't Be Cruel.” Later on, though, he re-used the ending
from the '68 Comeback Special. One example of this can be
found on the album Elvis In Concert from 1977.
“Johnny B. Goode”
Incomplete studio
jam–5/18-1971
This snippet only lasts for about a minute and was originally released on
FTD's I Sing All Kinds in 2007. As the jam ends Elvis starts
to sing what sounds like a slow ending, adding, “I said Johnny.”
But when the musicians start to follow he laughingly says, “No, no,
no, no,” aborting the idea.
Finishing the above list, one
question that still remains, is if it was Elvis that originally came
up with the idea to end songs this way. But maybe the answer isn't
all that important. That type of ending will always be a “Presley
Signature Ending Style” in my book.
Posts
9 comments:
Great job on this playlist! I thought for sure you'd forget a couple of them (particularly the Johnny B. jam), but looks like you got 'em all.
I said you really . . . really got . . . 'em allllllllll.
I said thank you ... yeah, I said thank you ... thank you, Troy!
Thought of one more... "Saved." I forget which CD off the top of my head, maybe Memories.
Great post!
Greetings from Rome
Hey Troy, can't find that "Saved" version. Help me out!
Hey Thomas, "Saved" in the signature ending style is at the very end of the Gospel Medley on Memories: The '68 Comeback Special. Disc 1, Track 12.
Thanks, Troy, there it was!
Thank you for this excellent blog. The notion of what constitutes a Presley signature style, though, is a very intriguing one. That's a very general point, but in terms of the ending style, I have never listened to these tracks and thought that it was an ending style that was unique to Elvis. Of course, as I'm sure you know, this ending style was more or less associated with the blues, and there are many examples of blues (and rock) tracks which end in this way. Still, it is an ending of which Elvis was fond, and perhaps used it in a light-hearted, good humoured way.
All the best for a great blog,
Best wishes,
Stephen Butler
Hi Stephen, and thanks for commenting! You're right, it isn't really a signature ending style for Elvis, and frankly, in reality he only ended about 15 songs that way. So I guess I should have called it something else. Still, I always think of Elvis when I hear that kind of ending.
Also thank you for your praise, it means a lot!
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