Elvis Presley made the top 40 of the song, however, he could still be very unconventional at times. For example, he recorded one of his most beloved songs in total darkness. Here’s a look at the history of the song – and the unusual reason why he recorded it in the first place.
This famous businessman’s wife made Elvis Presley cover his favorite song
While Elvis gave the world numerous original and excellent songs, he also performed many covers. Some of his most famous songs, like “Hound Dog”, “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Always on My Mind” were originally played by other artists. Once, Elvis decided to cover a classic song because of Marie Parker, the wife of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
According to the book Psychobiography Handbook, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” is a 1926 song that was inspired by the writings of William Shakespeare. Tom asked Elvis to record “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” because it was your wife’s favorite song. Elvis may have decided to cover the song because he liked Marie – not because Tom wanted him to cover it.
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Why did Elvis Presley dim the lights while recording ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’
Goldmine Magazine reports that when Elvis recorded the song, he dimmed the light while recording the track. “He liked the lights to be kept to a minimum,” recalls Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires, a band that used to work with Elvis. “In fact, the lights were dimmed so many times that we couldn’t see our pieces.”
Why the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s version of ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ almost never launched
John Rumble, a music historian, told an interesting anecdote about the ending of the song. Bill Porter, a studio engineer, told Steve Sholes, RCA representative, that Elvis almost abandoned his recording of the track because it messed up the end of the shot. Shole wanted Elvis to redo the end of the song so that it could be amended with another recording of the track.
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“So they made the final and it was good,” said Rumble. “Then Sholes said to Porter, ‘Bill, I want you to pass this tape as far as you can before joining the ending.’ Porter took his word for it and added the syllables of the word “tonight”. So, ‘to’ is in the take that they would keep, and then ‘night’ is the short short piece in which they recorded only the ending. “Rumble added:” ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight ?,’ one of [Elvis’] dearest songs, almost didn’t happen because they hindered the ending. “
How the world reacted to music
So, how did the audience react to “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” The track reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It is one of the saddest moments of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and is often included in compilations of his best works. The studio where he recorded is now a tourist attraction in Nashville, Tennessee. Elvis may not have been the first to record “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” but thanks to Marie, he made it his own.