Elvis and The British Invasion

[Frankie Teardrop]

I sure love Elvis' version as a Back! track, but I always think of Little Willie John when I think of the tune.

[drjohncarpenter]

I sure love Elvis' version as a Back! track, but I always think of Little Willie John when I think of the tune.

Peggy Lee springs to mind when I think of "Fever."

[Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man]

I sure love Elvis' version as a Back! track, but I always think of Little Willie John when I think of the tune.

Peggy Lee springs to mind when I think of "Fever."

It sprang to Elvis' mind too, clearly.

[Revelator]

IIRC, Lee's version was substantially rewritten from John's original. I prefer Little Willie's, which is more bluesy, has less pretentious lyrics, and really does convey a sexual fever, rather than Lee's jazzy self-possession. Elvis' cover of Lee's version has a beautiful sort of controlled cool, though at heart I don't really like it. His 70s live versions are notable for their goofiness and how often he drops entire verses of Lee's---by then he couldn't really take the song seriously, but unlike the flaccid "Little Darlin'" he seems more engaged by the opportunity for outright self-parody, screaming his name in as high a pitch as he can after spoofing his own bass tones.

[drjohncarpenter]

His 70s live versions are notable for their goofiness and how often he drops entire verses of Lee's---by then he couldn't really take the song seriously ...

The crucial change in Presley's live performance of "Fever" is how he drops the bridge:

Everybody's got the Fever
That is something we all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago

This section elevates the classic, removing it turns it into something ordinary. It's unclear how this arrangement came to be -- he seems to have started doing the song this way during its genesis in the summer of 1972.

Ironically, if one revisits the January 12, 1973 "Aloha" rehearsal, there it is! A little over a day later, it is gone again -- poof!


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Elvis Presley - "Fever" (w/bridge) - January 12, 1973, Honolulu, HI


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Elvis Presley - "Fever" (no bridge) - January 14, 1973, Honolulu, HI

[Frankie Teardrop]

I sure love Elvis' version as a Back! track, but I always think of Little Willie John when I think of the tune.

Peggy Lee springs to mind when I think of "Fever."

That's cool, great version, but I tend to lean to the R&B thing.
Hey, how about the Fever rip in World's Fair, Relax?