Heartbreak Hotel

[jetblack]

Elvis first national Number 1 hit - Is it ballad, blues, rock - This haunting song based on a one-line suicide note 'I walk a lonely street' of a man who killed himself in 1955 is unlike anything Elvis would cover again. It certainly was nothing like his Sun sides even though they tried to add an echo effect or his future rock hits, 'Hound' Dog' or 'Jailhouse Rock'.

RCA initially disliked the song. Would it make the country or pop playlists?
Come April 1956 when the song went to Number 1 for eight straight weeks on Billboard's pop charts and even more amazing an incredible seventeen weeks atop of the Country charts everyone got interested - RCA wanted Elvis back in the studio, 'The Dorsey Bros.' were backing Elvis on their TV show and a screen test was waiting when Hollywood came knocking.

Over in the UK a young man named Harry Webb was walking past a car when this song came on the radio - it would effect him so much that it would change his life - getting together with a few friends Cliff Richard and The Drifters was born.

Elvis had arrived and a worldwide phenomenon was born!

Andy

[thefunkyangel]

What the ?

[Spellbinder]

Elvis first national Number 1 hit

Are you sure?

[jetblack]

I may have forgot to remember to forget.
Andy

[samses]

???

[Spellbinder]

Jetblack - you'd better explain to samses.

[jeanno]

I forgot to remmmember... to foooorget heeeer...

[minkahed]

Great song and vocal by ELvis ...

It took alot of heart, dedication and nerve for ELvis to even attempt a tune like this so long ago.

If anyone goes back and studies the music from that era, you can obviously hear that Heartbreak Hotel was, and still is, in a league of it's own.

It absolutely sounded nothing like what was being recorded and released at that time.

This song, IMHO, was revolutionary.

I also believe that this song has aged better than most of Elvis' recordings from the 50's. It still sounds fresh to these almost old ears


I am especially fond of the alternate Takes made available from the main label (SOny/BMG/RCA) and FTD

[Joe Car]

Great song and vocal by ELvis ...

It took alot of heart, dedication and nerve for ELvis to even attempt a tune like this so long ago.

If anyone goes back and studies the music from that era, you can obviously hear that Heartbreak Hotel was, and still is, in a league of it's own.

It absolutely sounded nothing like what was being recorded and released at that time.

This song, IMHO, was revolutionary.

I also believe that this song has aged better than most of Elvis' recordings from the 50's. It still sounds fresh to these almost old ears


I am especially fond of the alternate Takes made available from the main label (SOny/BMG/RCA) and FTD

I still can't for the life of me figure which category of music this incredible song fits, or how it still till this day, sounds so out of this world. How many legends heard this song when it first came out and immediately wanted to become rock & rollers! What an exciting time it must have been to have been a teenager as the explosion of not just EP's music, but also that of his contempories, were about too begin.

[KiwiAlan]

I would tend to feel that Heartbreak Hotel did not inspire many rock and rollers. It probably encouraged a lot of Johhny Ray wannbees.

It was the TV songs that appeared at the same time as HH on the Dorsey shows which cemented the rock and roll tryhards. Sons like Money Honey, Shake Rattle And Roll, Tutti Frutti and Blue Suede Shoes.

Not only did RCA have mis-givings about HH..it was not on the first two Dorsey shows. It was outed on February 11 even though RCA had rush released HH to coincide with the first Dorsey show on January 28.


All that said, Heartbreak Hotel has really stood the test of time whatever genre you want to call it. I would not call it rock and roll though. More of a jazz/blues fusion.

[Guest]

Elvis first national Number 1 hit

Are you sure?

Heartbreak Hotel WAS Elvis's first national No.1 in the US.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget was Elvis's first COUNTRY No.1 but NOT his first NATIONAL No.1

[TONY]

It's one of those songs that just can't be done by ANYONE else.

[Spellbinder]

Elvis first national Number 1 hit

Are you sure?

Heartbreak Hotel WAS Elvis's first national No.1 in the US.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget was Elvis's first COUNTRY No.1 but NOT his first NATIONAL No.1

Cobblers.

[Guest]

Elvis first national Number 1 hit

Are you sure?

Heartbreak Hotel WAS Elvis's first national No.1 in the US.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget was Elvis's first COUNTRY No.1 but NOT his first NATIONAL No.1

Cobblers.

Spellbinder,

You may me hot on your spelling but not on Elvis's chart facts.

[Spellbinder]

Elvis first national Number 1 hit

Are you sure?

Heartbreak Hotel WAS Elvis's first national No.1 in the US.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget was Elvis's first COUNTRY No.1 but NOT his first NATIONAL No.1

Cobblers.

Spellbinder,

You may me hot on your spelling but not on Elvis's chart facts.

Cobblers.

[Rusty Martin*]

Cobblers.

Perhaps you should explain why you disagree Spelly

[The Purple Gang]

I would tend to feel that Heartbreak Hotel did not inspire many rock and rollers.

Are you just referring to the US? Many of the first generation of British rock 'n' rollers have specifically said that it was hearing HH that inspired them.

[Guest]

Cobblers.

Perhaps you should explain why you disagree Spelly

Exactly, why do you disagree Spelly cause you put up the word 'Cobblers' and not explained your reasons and also, i dont understand what this has got to do with shoe-making.

[ColinB]

Cobblers.

Perhaps you should explain why you disagree Spelly

Exactly, why do you disagree Spelly cause you put up the word 'Cobblers' and not explained your reasons and also, i dont understand what this has got to do with shoe-making.

Ah yes, shoemakers.......

I'm sure Spelly didn't mean them.

In North America the word 'cobbler' can also mean a fruit pie with a cake-like crust.

So perhaps that was what he was referring to.

[Rusty Martin*]

Cobblers.

Perhaps you should explain why you disagree Spelly

Exactly, why do you disagree Spelly cause you put up the word 'Cobblers' and not explained your reasons and also, i dont understand what this has got to do with shoe-making.

Ah yes, shoemakers.......

I'm sure Spelly didn't mean them.

In North America the word 'cobbler' can also mean a fruit pie with a cake-like crust.

So perhaps that was what he was referring to.

I dont know about fruit pies, but Spelly sure likes my steak pie

[JerryNodak]

I have always felt that the great thing about Elvis' music is that it doesn't
fit neatly into any one category. It hit all the charts available in his day and often all at the same time.

[minkahed]

I have always felt that the great thing about Elvis' music is that it doesn't
fit neatly into any one category. It hit all the charts available in his day and often all at the same time.

I agree all the way ...

To try and categorize Elvis and his music to any specific genre would only go to (artistically) shortchange him ...

[ekenee]

Kiwi wrote: I would tend to feel that Heartbreak Hotel did not inspire many rock and rollers.

*************************************
I think "many" would be the key word here, but there really is no way to know. Without any inside knowledge or output from anything I have read before, I just always assumed that Gene Vincent used it as the model for "Be-bop-a-lula". He really copied that sound exactly, to my ears.
But Elvis' future 1956-57 singles soon inspired a whole generation, so I guess that's not too bad.

[TJ]

I would tend to feel that Heartbreak Hotel did not inspire many rock and rollers.

Are you just referring to the US? Many of the first generation of British rock 'n' rollers have specifically said that it was hearing HH that inspired them.

True and of course they didn't get to see the TV shows.

[ColinB]

I would tend to feel that Heartbreak Hotel did not inspire many rock and rollers.

Are you just referring to the US?
Many of the first generation of British rock 'n' rollers have specifically said that it was hearing HH that inspired them.

True and of course they didn't get to see the TV shows.

No they didn't.

They heard the record.

They read about the controversy surrounding his performances.

They saw the pics in the magazines.

They thought 'Hey, I want to do that !' !

This included Sir Precipice Dick, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Terry Dene et al.