I'm Leavin' 50 Years Ago

A treasure: My copy of "I'm Leavin'" signed by Michael Jarrett.

Today in 1971, exactly 50 years ago, Elvis recorded "I'm Leavin'," one of  my all time favorite songs. With its haunting quality I find it irresistible, and I know many fans share my opinion. Elvis obviously liked it too.

I am honored to know Michael Jarrett who wrote the song. Not only did he write a really nice foreword to my second book The Elvis Today Blog: Volume 2.  He also went to the trouble singing my copy of the single "I'm Leavin'," pointing out that "we'll have to send Elvis across the ocean a couple of times to do this, but I think it will work." And it did. That single is now one of the records in my collection that I value the most. 

Ten years ago, I wrote a post on my blog where I, with the help of outtakes, some studio banter, information in books and last, but not the least, some imagination, tried to describe what was going on when Elvis recorded "I'm Leavin'" on May 20, 1971, at RCA Studio B, Nashville. In a comment to that post Michael Jarrett wrote the following:

Thank you Thomas for painting us a great picture of the "I'm Leavin" recording session. It's so cool to hear these outtakes and the coming together of the song ... It's like being right there in the studio as it's happening when they were "carving it out " ... they all worked extra hard on it and it shows.

Elvis recording what was then - and probably now - a song considered in the music business to be 'esoteric'; meaning that it had personal meaning to him; like it did for me when I wrote it.

I'm still amazed each time I hear him sing it; especially knowing that it had such meaning to him ...

Additional reading:

• Special Moments With FTD 12 (the post I mentioned above describing the recording of "I'm Leavin'")
• La la la la la la la la la la la la la (another post where I write about the song "I'm Leavin'" and Michael Jarrett)