Especially for Valentine’s Day Joe Tunzi listed his top 10 Elvis Love songs on The Comet website.
Don’t have a date this Valentine’s Day? Then spend it with the King! For a hunk of burning love, Elvis historian and author Joseph Tunzi lists his top ten favorite Elvis love songs to mark the holiday.
10. “Love Letters” (Victor Young, Edward Heyman) Recorded May 26, 1966 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Elvis sings this song with smoothness and ease. He would record another version in June,1970.
9. “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (Vicki Wickham, Simon Napier-Bell, Pino Donaggio, Vito Pallavicini) Recorded June 6, 1970 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Elvis covers the Dusty Springfield hit with an arrangement that is without a doubt one of his best. Elvis gives a strong vocal performance on this version that hit #11 on the Billboard Hot 100/b> and peaked at #10 on Cashbox magazine’s Hot 100 chart.
8. “I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)” (Tommy Dilback, Hal Horton, Eddy Arnold) Elvis sang this masterful track in just one take January 22,1969 at American Sound in Memphis.
7. “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (Roy Turk, Lou Handman) Notably recorded by jazz singer Al Jolson, Colonel Parker and his wife thought this song would be ideal for Elvis. Following their advice, Elvis recorded “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” on April 4, 1960, with a perfect vocal performance. It stayed six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
6. “Young and Beautiful” (Abner Silver, Aaron Schroeder) Recorded April 30, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood for the movie “Jailhouse Rock,” this is a tender love song with beautiful words and music by Silver and Schroeder.
5. “It’s Now or Never”(Aaron Schroeder, Wally Gold) Adapted from the Enrico Caruso operatic “O Sole Mio,” Elvis put his own spin on the song and it became one of his biggest hits ever. He delivers a tender but powerful vocal performance. “It’s Now or Never,” recorded April 3, 1960 at RCA Studio B, stayed five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. “Blue Moon” (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) Recorded in 1954 at Sun Studio in Memphis, Elvis sings this track with a darkness and loneliness that echoes throughout—a must-listen for every music fan.
3. “Always On My Mind” (Wayne Carson, Mark James, Johnny Christopher) Recorded March 29, 1972 in Hollywood, this is the B side of the single, “Separate Ways.” A top 25 hit on the Billboard singles chart, this song would become a classic. It features a great arrangement by pianist Glen D. Hardin, and Elvis truly feels the emotional content of the song.
2. “My Happiness” (Betty Peterson, Borney Bergantine) Recorded in 1953 at Memphis Recording Service (Sun Studio), “My Happiness” is the first song Elvis ever recorded. The story goes that an 18-year-old Elvis stepped into Sun Studio to record a two-sided acetate as a gift to his mother on her birthday. No one knows for sure but no one can deny the pure and natural sound that the world would come to know and love. Side two of the acetate is “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin,” another gem.
1. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (Hugo Peretti,, Luigi Creatore, George Weiss) Recorded March 23, 1961 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood for the film “Blue Hawaii,” Elvis did many takes to perfect this number. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is not just a notable “Elvis love song” but belongs on a list of the world’s greatest love songs. Elvis would use this song to close out most of his live shows from 1969 to 1977.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
JAT
(Source: The Comet)
