Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

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mike edwards66
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Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386961

Post by mike edwards66 »

Shorn of his vitality and strength, relying heavily on guile and savvy, Elvis Presley rescued the attempted straight-recitation that had just ran away from him.

Standing centre stage, metaphorically for the last time, before his adoring public. In one micro-moment, and with a telling slip of the tongue, the King confides in us........."We did a song called ah, Are You Lonesome Tonight.....I am, and I was."

Straining for breath, but never for effect, as his friend and employee Joe Esposito said, "To the end, Elvis' greatest gift, his incredible voice, never failed him."

He was right. The magical element of that incredible and unique voice, the ability to move the listener, never deserted him.


..
Last edited by mike edwards66 on Sun May 10, 2015 3:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.


>>>


some people say i done all right for a girl . . . oh yeah yeah


Hard Rocker

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386962

Post by Hard Rocker »

At this stage, the man should've been nowhere near a stage. A hospital would've been a more apt location. Disgraceful that it was allowed to continue.



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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386964

Post by Moonchild »

I do like how in 76/77 he went back to playing the guitar




Hard Rocker

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386966

Post by Hard Rocker »

I wonder how much of that was to hide the expanded mid-riff though? Mind you, if concealing weight-gain was what was on his mind, white clothing was definitely the wrong choice. Just sayin'!




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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386967

Post by fn2drive »

I assume youre joking. Stoned out of his mind, his brain ravaged with from the effects of abuse and we witness him free floating through space. The absolute lowest moment of his life recorded on tape. His voice desserted him long before doubled by Sherill Neilsen on stage and overdubbed to death by Jarvis. Joe Esposito is a hack and bs artist. Joe ' good show, good show' Esposito. For Joe if Elvis was able to climb the steps to the stage it was a good show.


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Hard Rocker

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386971

Post by Hard Rocker »

A bit harsh. To be fair, his singing voice is decent here. OK, he messes up the monologue but he's lucid enough to bluff it off as a joke. Mind you, that's no justification for the fact that he was on stage.




Juan Luis

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386972

Post by Juan Luis »

fn2drive wrote:I assume youre joking. Stoned out of his mind, his brain ravaged with from the effects of abuse and we witness him free floating through space. The absolute lowest moment of his life recorded on tape. His voice desserted him long before doubled by Sherill Neilsen on stage and overdubbed to death by Jarvis. Joe Esposito is a hack and bs artist. Joe ' good show, good show' Esposito. For Joe if Elvis was able to climb the steps to the stage it was a good show.
You are repeating "good show" from 1972's EOT. He wasn't lying! ::rocks




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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386973

Post by stevelecher »

The Elvis, being carried by Sherrill and his other background singers legend, is quite overstated, even at the end. Yeah, he has him sustain the last note of Unchained Melody at every show and it's no secret. He had JD hit the low note on Funny How Time Slips Away in 1972 too but still, you can hear the Elvis voice clearly hitting his notes right up through 6/26/77.



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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386974

Post by SteamrollerBlues »

I actually like this performance -- it's not bad, except for the dialogue part, but I do think Elvis was just joking with the song. Heck, I even like the Rapid City show. There's some good performances in there, like That's All Right, Hurt, If You Love Me, My Way, It's Now Or Never, Early Morning Rain, and I Really Don't Want To Know. Of course Unchained Melody, too.




Hard Rocker

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386975

Post by Hard Rocker »

There were always good performances here and there. That was part of the problem!




Juan Luis

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386977

Post by Juan Luis »

mike edwards66 wrote:Shorn of his vitality and strength, relying heavily on guile and savvy, Elvis Presley rescued the attempted straight-recitation, that had just ran away from him.

Standing centre stage, metaphorically for the last time, before his adoring public. In one micro-moment, and with a telling slip of the tongue, the King confides in us........."We did a song called ah, Are You Lonesome Tonight.....I am, and I was."

Straining for breath, but never for effect, as his friend and employee Joe Esposito said, "To the end, Elvis' greatest gift, his incredible voice, never failed him."

He was right. The magical element of that incredible and unique voice, the ability to move the listner, never deserted him.

"The ability to move the listener never deserted him". That's true!




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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1386988

Post by jonesELfan »

While there is no denying the clear evidence of Elvis' bad health during this time period, I have always found the "drug induced floating" through this performance to be a bit hyperbolic. If you take away his appearance this performance is not too far off many other renditions of this song. Even in the lead up he delivers some of his regular line (If you think I'm nervous....Don't throw the lights and cameras...) with wonderful comic timing and clarity. It has always seemed evident to me that he is aping his own shtick in this performance. It gives the illusion of spontaneity that he relied on throughout his career. I believe it is a calculated move on his part.

I remember when this clip made the rounds on the media a few years after he died, not too long after the 20/20 Geraldo exposes and it was played as evidence of how strung out Elvis was before he died. While that is true, it always seemed like the people using the footage didn't have the context of all the other times he "floated" in his 70's shows.

Elvis shouldn't have been on stage at this point and the tragedy of his ending is brought into such a clear focus when viewing footage from this time period but this performance isn't really the best evidence for making that case.




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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387002

Post by fn2drive »

jonesELfan wrote:While there is no denying the clear evidence of Elvis' bad health during this time period, I have always found the "drug induced floating" through this performance to be a bit hyperbolic. If you take away his appearance this performance is not too far off many other renditions of this song. Even in the lead up he delivers some of his regular line (If you think I'm nervous....Don't throw the lights and cameras...) with wonderful comic timing and clarity. It has always seemed evident to me that he is aping his own shtick in this performance. It gives the illusion of spontaneity that he relied on throughout his career. I believe it is a calculated move on his part.

I remember when this clip made the rounds on the media a few years after he died, not too long after the 20/20 Geraldo exposes and it was played as evidence of how strung out Elvis was before he died. While that is true, it always seemed like the people using the footage didn't have the context of all the other times he "floated" in his 70's shows.

Elvis shouldn't have been on stage at this point and the tragedy of his ending is brought into such a clear focus when viewing footage from this time period but this performance isn't really the best evidence for making that case.
That's what makes life a horserace. I remained as stunned today as when i first saw this clip. If you want to believe this is Elvis revealing his sharpest wit, feel free. For me, this shows a drug addled star barely able to hold it together floating in and out of space from opiates. This is no laughing version of AYLT- it is a tragedy and travesty. I'll tell you for sure.


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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387003

Post by TJ »

Yes, this was not Elvis simply mocking the lyric, as he had done in the past. This was Elvis starting the spoken section seriously, losing the ability to articulate the words and then trying to rescue it by falling back on the familiar jokes. He seemed to get away with it while singing, but there were a few times during the CBS footage that his mouth wouldn't do what his brain intended when trying to speak.


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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387010

Post by mrbthebarber »

For me it's a mixed emotion clip - yeah he's unwell, yeah he's out of it but at times the voice is still great ... he makes mistakes and at other times he's playing the fool just like he did back at the beginning in 54 and most all gigs at times. I often wonder if that was a nervousness in him, after all not many artists fool with their material and in some degrees it is part of his charisma and why he was so loved, i.e not taking himself too seriously. Other times I wonder if many in his audience resented him for not taking a gig seriously? On this clip you hear the audience laugh at the jokes and you hear them rouse at the end when he gets more serious ... they seemed happy, little did they know at the time, I guess, just how bad things were.


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r&b

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387013

Post by r&b »

jonesELfan wrote:While there is no denying the clear evidence of Elvis' bad health during this time period, I have always found the "drug induced floating" through this performance to be a bit hyperbolic. If you take away his appearance this performance is not too far off many other renditions of this song. Even in the lead up he delivers some of his regular line (If you think I'm nervous....Don't throw the lights and cameras...) with wonderful comic timing and clarity. It has always seemed evident to me that he is aping his own shtick in this performance. It gives the illusion of spontaneity that he relied on throughout his career. I believe it is a calculated move on his part.

I remember when this clip made the rounds on the media a few years after he died, not too long after the 20/20 Geraldo exposes and it was played as evidence of how strung out Elvis was before he died. While that is true, it always seemed like the people using the footage didn't have the context of all the other times he "floated" in his 70's shows.

Elvis shouldn't have been on stage at this point and the tragedy of his ending is brought into such a clear focus when viewing footage from this time period but this performance isn't really the best evidence for making that case.

Elvis did too much shtick IMO. I like to hear songs sung straight! So many of the concerts I listen to have laughing, silly changed lyrics. etc. After a while it was annoying.



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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387035

Post by Christopher Brown »

You have to remember that Charlie was ALMOST always out there with Elvis when he performed ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT in 1977. They would do their shtick, and Elvis, on a very intimate song, would receive comfort from Charlie. Looking at the video, there's Elvis out there, alone, playing his guitar -- even the back-up singers are sitting and watching.

Perhaps Elvis was out of it because of drugs, but he was still very nervous every time he went on stage -- and perhaps he didn't know sometimes that he was on stage in 1977 (I never suspected / thought drugs).

I also VERY much enjoyed watching Elvis have up on stage -- that was the part that was different each show -- whether interacting with the audience or changing a lyric because of what was happening on or near the stage. It was such a delight to see Elvis in person.

And I still enjoyed / enjoy Elvis' vocals to the end!


Christopher Brown


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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387046

Post by Hard Rocker »

I wouldn't say he was "out of it". He was clearly unwell and struggling, but "out of it" suggests a zombiefied semi-comatose state. He's nowhere near that.




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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387090

Post by fn2drive »

Hard Rocker wrote:I wouldn't say he was "out of it". He was clearly unwell and struggling, but "out of it" suggests a zombiefied semi-comatose state. He's nowhere near that.
His brain was ravaged by the effects of long term drug abuse. He was out of it and in a full throttle free fall. Sadly what most of his life had become was captured in this short moment which we surely could have done without. Intimate and public at the same time. A star struggling to push through what he knew he was -a physical, emotional and mental disaster. There was no save to be had hence it was cut from the original special.


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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387091

Post by JRtherealJR »

In E: Reflections on the Birth of the Elvis Faith, author John Strausbaugh devotes a couple of pages to this line (I am and I was). He comes up with a few theories as to what Elvis really meant and/or what he actually said.

He wonders if Elvis was giving a hidden message parallel to Revelation's I Am the Alpha and the Omega. Or he speculates that Elvis knew he would die soon and was giving his fans some sort of coded message.

Finally, he wonders if Elvis was actually saying I Am and Aiwass and warning of a spiritual battle between the White Brotherhood and the Dark Lodge (Aiwass).


Ad hominem fallacy (or ad hominem) is an attempt to discredit someone’s argument by personally attacking them. Instead of discussing the argument itself, criticism is directed toward the opponent’s character, which is irrelevant to the discussion.
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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387092

Post by promiseland »

JRtherealJR wrote:In E: Reflections on the Birth of the Elvis Faith, author John Strausbaugh devotes a couple of pages to this line (I am and I was). He comes up with a few theories as to what Elvis really meant and/or what he actually said.

He wonders if Elvis was giving a hidden message parallel to Revelation's I Am the Alpha and the Omega. Or he speculates that Elvis knew he would die soon and was giving his fans some sort of coded message.

Finally, he wonders if Elvis was actually saying I Am and Aiwass and warning of a spiritual battle between the White Brotherhood and the Dark Lodge (Aiwass).
How do they dream up this crap?




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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387098

Post by fn2drive »

promiseland wrote:
JRtherealJR wrote:In E: Reflections on the Birth of the Elvis Faith, author John Strausbaugh devotes a couple of pages to this line (I am and I was). He comes up with a few theories as to what Elvis really meant and/or what he actually said.

He wonders if Elvis was giving a hidden message parallel to Revelation's I Am the Alpha and the Omega. Or he speculates that Elvis knew he would die soon and was giving his fans some sort of coded message.

Finally, he wonders if Elvis was actually saying I Am and Aiwass and warning of a spiritual battle between the White Brotherhood and the Dark Lodge (Aiwass).
How do they dream up this crap?
Vs the most logical explanation-the star was over 'medicated'. Occam's Razor.


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poormadpeter

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387102

Post by poormadpeter »

fn2drive wrote:
Hard Rocker wrote:I wouldn't say he was "out of it". He was clearly unwell and struggling, but "out of it" suggests a zombiefied semi-comatose state. He's nowhere near that.
His brain was ravaged by the effects of long term drug abuse. He was out of it and in a full throttle free fall. Sadly what most of his life had become was captured in this short moment which we surely could have done without. Intimate and public at the same time. A star struggling to push through what he knew he was -a physical, emotional and mental disaster. There was no save to be had hence it was cut from the original special.
Sadly, much of the song remained in the original special, but I agree with your comments. Elvis could barely talk during this show, let alone sing - and, as you say, while he may well have been "medicated" at the time (and most likely was), it's the long-term effects that we are witnessing here, not just the latest dose. He's trying hard, of course, I'll give him that, but his voice is thin and has a huge amount of vibrato, with him unable to even keep in tune during the long notes at the end of some lines - listen how he's unable to hit notes as he comes back in after the recitation, although he gets it together for the final line. It's one of the saddest, most pitiful moments of the final special.



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Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387111

Post by drjohncarpenter »

poormadpeter wrote:
fn2drive wrote:
Hard Rocker wrote:I wouldn't say he was "out of it". He was clearly unwell and struggling, but "out of it" suggests a zombiefied semi-comatose state. He's nowhere near that.
His brain was ravaged by the effects of long term drug abuse. He was out of it and in a full throttle free fall. Sadly what most of his life had become was captured in this short moment which we surely could have done without. Intimate and public at the same time. A star struggling to push through what he knew he was -a physical, emotional and mental disaster. There was no save to be had hence it was cut from the original special.
Sadly, much of the song remained in the original special ...
Actually, almost none of "Are You Lonesome To-night?" is in the original 1977 network special. You must have never seen it.

Director Dwight Hemion makes the decision to cut away right after the first verse to a female fan from Omaha, returns with a bit of another verse, then leaves the performance entirely to share more of that female fan's adoration, including her keen observation that "he's the greatest person that has ever walked." Viewers are then given a look at the song's finale. Obviously the director found little of that "magical element of that incredible and unique voice" in the version he captured in Rapid City.


..
Elvis Presley "Are You Lonesome To-night?" (CBS-TV "Elvis In Concert" - Monday, October 3, 1977)


The full performance was not seen until 1981's "This Is Elvis," used to forward the narrative of how bad off Presley was at this point, and it immediately followed Sonny West's comments on 8-17-1977 about how drug abuse had taken away everything. It was very tough to watch then, and no better 34 years later. Sadly, the VHS extended edition of "This Is Elvis" which came out in 1984 completely deleted both Sonny's statement and the performance, substituting a weak rendition of "Love Me" in Omaha on that final tour. One wonders who made that call.


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poormadpeter

Re: Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

#1387120

Post by poormadpeter »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
poormadpeter wrote:
fn2drive wrote:
Hard Rocker wrote:I wouldn't say he was "out of it". He was clearly unwell and struggling, but "out of it" suggests a zombiefied semi-comatose state. He's nowhere near that.
His brain was ravaged by the effects of long term drug abuse. He was out of it and in a full throttle free fall. Sadly what most of his life had become was captured in this short moment which we surely could have done without. Intimate and public at the same time. A star struggling to push through what he knew he was -a physical, emotional and mental disaster. There was no save to be had hence it was cut from the original special.
Sadly, much of the song remained in the original special ...
Actually, almost none of "Are You Lonesome To-night?" is in the original 1977 network special. You must have never seen it.

Director Dwight Hemion makes the decision to cut away right after the first verse to a female fan from Omaha, returns with a bit of another verse, then leaves the performance entirely to share more of that female fan's adoration, including her keen observation that "he's the greatest person that has ever walked." Viewers are then given a look at the song's finale. Obviously the director found little of that "magical element of that incredible and unique voice" in the version he captured in Rapid City.


..
Elvis Presley "Are You Lonesome To-night?" (CBS-TV "Elvis In Concert" - Monday, October 3, 1977)


The full performance was not seen until 1981's "This Is Elvis," used to forward the narrative of how bad off Presley was at this point, and it immediately followed Sonny West's comments on 8-17-1977 about how drug abuse had taken away everything. It was very tough to watch then, and no better 34 years later. Sadly, the VHS extended edition of "This Is Elvis" which came out in 1984 completely deleted both Sonny's statement and the performance, substituting a weak rendition of "Love Me" in Omaha on that final tour. One wonders who made that call.
Yes, you are correct. I forgot it cut away twice and not once - I try not to watch it very often!


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