 |
| Remembering Elvis Presley: January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977 |
"When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic
books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was
the hero in the movie. So every dream that I ever dreamed, has come true
a hundred times. I learned very early in life
that:
Without a song, the day would never end;
Without a song, a man
ain’t got a friend;
Without a song, the road would never bend;
Without a song...
So I
keep singing a song.”
Posts
4 comments:
I just heard a song recorded by James Ray from 1962 and the song sings these words Elvis quoted. I wonder if he knew the song or if he heard it from someone else and liked the sentiment.
I always assumed these words were written by Elvis. I also heard on a documentary from Elvis himself that he had nothing planned and riffed this quote.
Really conflicting stories but the sentiment stands never the less.
Hi Joe, that's a good question. According to an article about the US Jaycees 'Ten Outstanding Young Men' for 1970 published on the Elvis Australia website (https://www.elvispresleyphotos.com/1971-january-16-jaycees-award.html), Elvis is quoting a favorite Roy Hamilton R&B tune, 'Without A Song'. Elvis was a great admirer of Roy Hamilton, so it seems likely he knew his version of the song and thought it would be a good idea to end his speech with it.
Hi Thomas,
Ah yeah I've been meaning to listen to some Roy Hamilton as i understand he was hanging around american Sound studio when Elvis was recording the 69/70 albums.
Any songs you recommend?
Elvis gave Roy the song "Angelica" when they met at American Studios. Classic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3gKJw7RbA
Post a Comment