Category: Rock and Roll
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Elvis Presley – It’s Now Or Never
About The Song When Elvis Presley recorded “It’s Now or Never” in 1960, he answered a challenge Frank Sinatra had issued three years earlier. In June 1957, a Hollywood reporter asked Sinatra his opinion of Elvis Presley’s singing ability. “Presley has no training at all,” Frank responded. “When he goes into something serious, a…
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Elvis Presley’s Greatest Performance – Unchained Melody
In July 1977, Elvis Presley took the stage for what would be one of his final concert performances, drawing thousands of fans to an arena in Rapid City, South Dakota. Though clearly past his prime, Elvis poured his heart and soul into singing “Unchained Melody.” While he would make a few more concert appearances…
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Elvis Presley – In The Ghetto
– The original title of the song was “In The Ghetto (The Vicious Circle)”, but RCA Records shortened it before handing it out to Elvis Presley. The end of the song describes the same picture as in the first verse, about a child born in the ghetto, whose father has just died, being born…
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Carpenters – Only Yesterday
About The Song – Richard Carpenter wrote this with lyricist John Bettis. They were sure the song wouldn’t be a hit, and lost a $1,000 bet to their recording engineer Roger Young when they were proven wrong. – “Only Yesterday” is a song recorded by the Carpenters. Released on March 14, 1975, the song…
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Elvis Presley – If I Can Dream (’68 Comeback Special)
About The Song For a couple of years in the 1960s, many thought that Elvis Presley’s music career was going down as his recording were mainly soundtracks to the movies he was appearing in. However, the creation of the song, “If I Can Dream,” marked the rebirth of his career. It became a hit…
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Elvis Presley – Burning Love (Live in Honolulu, 1973)
About The Song Released in 1972, “Burning Love” became Elvis Presley’s final hit record, the last of his 38 top ten singles on Billboard’s pop music chart. As Ernst Jorgensen noted, at the time Elvis was not enthusiastic about recording the song, or any rock ’n’ roll song, for that matter. His marriage had fallen apart,…
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Elvis Presley – Don’t Be Cruel (1956)
You know I can be found, Sitting home all alone, If you can’t come around, At least please telephone. Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true.Baby, if I made you mad For something I might have said, Please, let’s forget my past, The future looks bright ahead, Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s…
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The Doors – Riders On The Storm
About The Song We’re taking you back to 1971 and the iconic hit from The Doors, ‘Riders on the Storm’, as we continue our weekly feature The Story Behind The Song. A beautifully dark jazz-rock anthem, which would go on to soundtrack the lives of a generation. The song remains a crucible of deeply…
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The Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
According to BMI music publishing, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” was played on American radio and television more times than any other song in the 20th century. It got over 8 million plays from the time it was released until 2000. Note that this includes all versions of the song, not just The Righteous Brothers’.…