"WAY DOWN"!

[Juan Luis]

I first heard this single on the "Moody Blue" album way back in September 1977. I was away from the USA on Summer holiday and missed out on this release before Elvis passed away that August. I remember getting teary eyed after flipping the album over and listening to "Way Down" for the first time. Joy and sadness of Elvis doing a rockin' up-tempo and catchy number! Loved it ever since.

Composer (and Elvis fan) Layng Martine, Jr. had been sending Felton Jarvis songs for years, and had been rejected time and time again. Martine ran into Bob Beckman (Combine Music "Burning Love" etc.) during the fall of 1976 and was asked by Bob if he had anything for Elvis since Felton Jarvis was picking up some material from him. Martine had four songs but were on cassette. Allegedly Elvis disliked listening to demos on cassette. He had to decide quickly what two songs he would place on a demo record cause he did not have enough money for all four songs on two separate demo disks. Martine thought of asking his gifted publisher Ray Stevens for input about what songs would suit Elvis to pitch. It so happened Ray was out of his office and he played the four songs to Ray's secretary Shirley Welch. Right away she picked "Rub It In" and "Way Down". Ray liked "Way Down" and had sung the bass line for the demo. Martine dropped off the demo at Beckman's office and it was sent to Jarvis. Felton called Ray and told him Elvis would really like "Way Down". That was in the fall.
By January 1977 Martine had given up hope for "Way Down". Ray Stevens checked up on Felton Jarvis and shocked the writer by reporting that not only Elvis liked the song, but had recorded it in October! Great story as told by author Ace Collins from the book titled "Untold Gold".

"Way Down" would turn out to be Elvis' last great recording. First hit single to win Gold status award after 1972. It is quite unlike anything Elvis ever recorded... From Shane Brown's "A Listener's Guide".

U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles #1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #18
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks #14
Canadian RPM Country Tracks #1
Canadian RPM Top Singles #15
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks #23
Irish Singles Chart #1
UK Singles Chart #1




Layng Martine, Jr.'s "Way Down" was recorded at Graceland on October 29, 1976 with Mike Moran behind the console and Felton Jarvis producing. The whole touring band plus the background vocalists and Randy Cullers on percussion, were overdubbed at Nashville's Creative Workshop on January 22, 1977 with Brent Maher engineering. The single was released on June 6, 1977. The B-side was "Pledging My Love".
The only other time Elvis shared the glory with a prominent bass vocal and solo was twenty-two years earlier with Ray Walker on "A Fool Such As I". This time the honors were bestowed upon Elvis' mentor and friend J.D. Sumner. Some trivia, this single has held the record (Guinness) for of the lowest notes recorded by a human voice. The previous record was in 1966 "Blessed Assurance" held also by J.D. Sumner!

Enjoy "Way Down" by Elvis Presley!




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[midnightx]

Hooray for Fel-Tone Jarvis!

[Juan Luis]

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[minkahed]

Played this awesome track today.

IMO, probably the best song to come out of the Graceland sessions.

[memphisound]

Amazing song, always loved this. The song always sounded raw to me , in a good way.

[drjohncarpenter]

"Way Down" is a song most remarkable for being the single on the radio when Elvis died in August 1977. It was doing better on country stations no doubt because it was primarily a country shuffle. I can recall hearing it that summer, while at camp, on the local country station. It was almost like a novelty song, with the bass voice "hook" on the chorus, but there was still a little rock 'n' roll fire in there as well.

The single was not a country #1 until after he died, and not certified Gold until 9-12-1977 by the RIAA. His unexpected passing undeniably affected the charts, providing a bump, especially his performance on the pop rankings.

https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database




Elvis Presley "Way Down" (RCA PB-10998, June 4, 1977)
Billboard "Hot 100" #18 on September 24, 1977, "Hot Country Singles" #1 on August 20, 1977.
"Way Down" entered the "Hot 100" at #70 and "Hot Country Singles" at #66 on June 25, 1977.
The single peaked on the "Hot 100" at #31 on August 13, falling to #53 the following week, then climbed back up to #18 by September 24.


Some additional thoughts:

It should be noted that Ray Stevens was not just a "gifted publisher," but a long-established singer-songwriter-A&R man-producer who had recently scored a #1 hit with "The Streak," had a million-seller with "Everything Is Beautiful" in 1970, and made the top 5 in 1962 with "Ahab The Arab." He was a part of the pop session Elvis did in May 1966, and helped record the 1976 demo for "Way Down," and sang the bass part.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Stevens

Further, Elvis shared bass vocals on record with the Jordanaires' Ray Walker not only on 1958's "(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I" but also on 1967's "Who Needs Money."

Oddly, unlike the story in the OP, Layng Martine Jr. remembers quite differently how "Way Down" got to Elvis, in a Nashville interview published about a month ago. In addition, the song "Rub It In" was actually written in 1971, and a #1 country hit for Billy "Crash" Craddock in the summer of 1974. It later took on life when it was used as a commercial jingle. It would not have been pitched to Elvis in 1977.

Unfortunately, it seems the source used for the OP is not entirely accurate. Below are the articles in the Nashville Tennessean which make this clear.

Songwriter Layng Martine recalls writing Elvis' last hit
Dave Paulson, Nashville Tennessean
Saturday, May 7, 2016

Layng Martine Jr. remembers being in seventh grade and hearing one of Elvis Presley's earliest singles on the radio. "It changed my entire life," he says. Two decades later, the Nashville songwriter wrote a hit for Elvis — which ended up being the final single released before his death in 1977. He remembered writing the song, and learning of Elvis' death, in a conversation with Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Do you remember the day you wrote "Way Down?" Did you think it was special?

I did. I thought lots of songs were special. But that particular day, I went in and played it for Ray Stevens, which I did with every new song. He said, "Layng, I love that song! There's nothing going on right now, let's call the band and make a demo of that." We went in and made a terrific demo of it, and the bass part that J.D. Sumner sang on the Elvis record was sung by Ray Stevens, who is a phenomenal bass singer. I played the darn thing for everybody I could think of. I couldn't believe that nobody even held it overnight. Then one day, I was sitting in an office waiting to play songs for some producer, and Bob Beckham, a very famous publisher, said, "Layng, you work your ass off ... do you have anything for Elvis?"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just the question, "Do you have anything for Elvis?" Even if you didn't, I would have lied.

Well, everyone knew that Bob Beckham had a direct line to Elvis, because Felton Jarvis, the producer, came by every couple of days and picked up (songs). ... I brought "Way Down" (to his office), and about a week later, Ray Stevens gets a call from Felton Jarvis. He says, "Elvis is gonna go bonkers for this song."

... So then, nothing happens for months. I don't hear anything at all. No phone calls, nothing. I hear he's recording there again, so I bring the song back. It's like four months later. Beckham's secretary calls me, and I was at Decca Records promoting a record called "Wiggle Wiggle," calling stations like crazy. She says, "Layng, I think Elvis has already recorded this song." I said, "That's impossible, I would know." ... So she checks and calls me back and says, "Yeah, on Oct. 30," — or whatever — "in the Jungle Room at Graceland, he recorded 'Way Down.' " I said, "Oh, God, that's incredible." In this fury, I go racing home in my tragic little Volkswagen. I told my wife, "Elvis recorded my song!"

That summer, it comes out ... we go to Rhode Island, and I'm playing tennis, and I get this call from a promoter at the time named Frank Mull. He says, "Layng, I just got the advance numbers from Billboard, and your song goes to No. 1 next week." I go, "God, that's unbelievable." Three days later, literally, I'm on the same tennis court, and this same woman comes out of this little shack and says "Layng, I have a phone call." I pick up the phone, and it's Rose Palermo, my attorney in Nashville. She says "Layng, are you near a TV? Elvis just died."

... All I could think of was my seventh-grade girlfriend and me in the back of the station wagon. My mom's driving, and the first Elvis record came on (the radio) and it changed my entire life.

Do you remember the first time you heard Elvis' version? You had to be freaking out.

The guy called me to come over while they were mixing it. And I walked in the door of Creative Workshop and I heard this pulsating, throbbing thing, and I thought, "That's the beginning of my damn song." All of a sudden, Elvis started singing, and I (thought), "That's impossible!"


http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/05/07/songwriter-layng-martine-recalls-writing-elvis-last-hit/83975104/

Suntan lotion turned into hit song
Dave Paulson, Nashville Tennessean
Thursday, March 3, 2016

A hit song can have second lives — unexpected ones, at that. Songwriting great Layng Martine Jr. wrote the suntan lotion-inspired "Rub It In" in 1971, and had decent success with it before summer turned to fall. Three years later, Billy "Crash" Craddock turned it into a chart-topping country hit. But if you hummed Martine's melody to younger listeners, they'd likely be reminded of a TV commercial for "Glade Plug-Ins," which used an adaption of the song in a long-running campaign. Here's what else we learned from Martine when he spoke with Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International.

His flew to Nashville from Connecticut and went straight to the offices of (singer and music publisher) Ray Stevens.

"I came one day to see Ray Stevens just on a whim," Martine recalls. "Not on a whim, actually. My heart was breaking. I took a taxi from the airport, and I knocked on his door. I asked if I could see him. He was on one of the little houses on 16th. His secretary, by some miracle, said, 'Um, maybe so.' And there was a guy promoting Ray's records to the left (of me). He was a real New Yorker, and he said, 'Hey, you from up there? My brother's up there. Everybody's nuts up there. I don't blame you for coming down here.' He said, 'I'm gonna see if Ray will see ya.' So a couple minutes later, he comes back and says, 'Yeah, stick around a couple minutes. Ray's gonna see ya.' So I went in and played Ray a few songs, and he liked one. He said, 'If you write me a song that I like as much as this song, I'll record you.'

I went home to Connecticut and wrote songs like a fiend. Every week or so, I would send him a cassette. He would comment on it. 'Yeah, it'd be a good b-side, almost, that's one of the best ones you've sent in a while.'"

Inspiration struck in a backyard in Connecticut

"People were putting on suntan lotion and someone said 'Hey, would you rub it in?'...I had my guitar, sort of strummed 'rub it in, rub it in'...my wife Linda lifted her head up and said, 'Is that already a song? It sounds like a hit.' I said, 'Yeah, it kinda does.' I wrote the song and sent it the next day.

After about a year, I was in this little fish and chips restaurant that I owned, where I had 25 employees that hated my guts because I had no idea what I was doing. The phone rings, and I pick it up. 'Layng, this is Ray Stevens. That 'Rub It In' you sent me, that's a smash! How long will it take you to get down here? We'll record.' I said, 'Tomorrow. I'm there.' So we recorded it.


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The beach song was a modest success, but then summer turned to fall

"Then, nobody would add it (to radio rotation). It was a big hit in Houston and some other pretty big cities. But by the time it came to spread, it was fall....when (my restaurant business) crashed, we had to decide if I would go back into advertising, which I really didn't love, or if we would go for it in Nashville. 'Rub It In' had done well enough that it encouraged me.

After Craddock's hit version, the song found new life as a commercial jingle

Glade Plug-Ins used Layng's melody for their popular TV commercial jingle, "Plug It In, Plug It In." The campaign ran for 18 years. Martine says the brand's account manager had been a teenager when the song was a hit and when charged with breaking the new product, she thought the song would be a perfect fit.


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http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/03/03/suntan-lotion-turned-into-hit-song/81216628/

[jeanno]

WAY DOWN is not Elvis' best rock song but it still rocks. The pairing with PLEDGING MY LOVE also helped to create a nice single.
Doc, I don't hear that "Country shuffle"; to me it's more boogie-woogie rock with a touch of Gospel.
But, still, fact is his last releases were doing better in the Country Charts.

[drjohncarpenter]

WAY DOWN is not Elvis' best rock song but it still rocks. The pairing with PLEDGING MY LOVE also helped to create a nice single.
Doc, I don't hear that "Country shuffle"; to me it's more boogie-woogie rock with a touch of Gospel.
But, still, fact is his last releases were doing better in the Country Charts.

The feel on both sides was more country than rock, so it's not surprising the single did better on country radio and charts. I never heard either on a pop radio station.

[MikeFromHolland]

From the quote:

A hit song can have second lives — unexpected ones, at that. Songwriting great Layng Martine Jr. wrote the suntan lotion-inspired "Rub It In" in 1971, and had decent success with it before summer turned to fall. Three years later, Billy "Crash" Craddock turned it into a chart-topping country hit. But if you hummed Martine's melody to younger listeners, they'd likely be reminded of a TV commercial for "Glade Plug-Ins," which used an adaption of the song in a long-running campaign.

We had this In The Netherlands in 1975:

"Jack's "I Wonder" album, the american recordings, was recorded in the U.S. with the original Jordanaires doing the backing vocals. The great uptempo countryrock jewel "Rub It In" was the first hitsingle from the album, peaked at #14 on the dutch hitchart. Year 1975."

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[DayVee Bee]

...Further, Elvis shared bass vocals on record with the Jordanaires' Ray Walker not only on 1958's "(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I" but also on 1967's "Who Needs Money."

Might need editing out??

Fascinating research as usual, thanks Doc

[MikeFromHolland]

Fascinating research as usual, thanks Doc

And from you as well Juan Luis! Thank you for this thread. I like Way Down!


This is the way it was presented at Top Of The Pops in the UK in '77.

Top of the pops dance group Legs & Co dancing to 'Way Down' by Elvis Presley just after his death in 1977, the song stayed at the #1 spot for five weeks. Legs & Co are Gill, Lulu, Patti, Rosemary, Pauline and Sue

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[drjohncarpenter]

...Further, Elvis shared bass vocals on record with the Jordanaires' Ray Walker not only on 1958's "(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I" but also on 1967's "Who Needs Money."

Might need editing out??

Fascinating research as usual, thanks Doc

Thanks. It's important to get all the facts right when retelling historical events. It's very odd how different the story of "Way Down" is remembered by the songwriter, but if I am going to choose, I side with the first-person interview from May 2016.

Not sure what you mean about "editing out." Walker is the bass voice on both of those recordings.

[DayVee Bee]

Not sure what you mean about "editing out." Walker is the bass voice on both of those recordings.

True but what does Ray Walker have to to do with "Way Down?"

[Davelee]

I quite like this song, it's quite catchy - though personally, I feel it could have been done a lot better without Felton there, and of course, Presley wasn't in the best of shape when he recorded this track, but did the best he could. Here in the UK it hit the number 1 spot on the pop charts because of his death.

[StefanKock1]

I always liked 'Way Down' from the first time I heard it in 1989/90. The October '76 session was confirmation of Elvis getting in , relatively, better health, mood and voice.

Nice topic Jean Louis, and Doc, thanks for extra information and research

[Juan Luis]

...Further, Elvis shared bass vocals on record with the Jordanaires' Ray Walker not only on 1958's "(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I" but also on 1967's "Who Needs Money."

Might need editing out??

Fascinating research as usual, thanks Doc

No. Because the song "Who Needs Money" wasn't sung with low bass as in the example of "A Fool Such As I". Was not about a bass singer. But bass singing. The only example that can compare to "Way Down" . And as for "Rub It In". The OP was aware of the the song already released. But the songwriter nevertheless might have thought it could be chosen. Obviously it wasn't.


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[r&b]

I think its the best song he cut in 1976, and one of his best songs of the later 70's period. A few things that bugged me about it though. I am not a fan of JD's booming bass voice, never was. It was annoying to me. Elvis wasnt in the best of shape vocally here, and its obvious. Wish he had gotten hold of this in 1972, when he was in better shape. It would have made a great follow-up to Burning Love, and possibly another top 10. Now the thing that perplexes me the most. Elvis dies soon after this song is released. His records start selling out in all stores all over the US, and yet this doesnt make the top 10 on the pop singles chart? I didnt even hear it on top 40 radio. Country yes. And for that matter, the Moody Blue LP doesnt hit #1? That I will never understand. Ok maybe I understand the LP chart. Rumours by F Mac was unbeatable that year, and deservedly so. But if his records were selling out all over, why didnt Way Down find its way into the top 10 here? I actually thought it was going to hit #1. But not even top 10. I will never understand that.

[Juan Luis]

I think its the best song he cut in 1976, and one of his best songs of the later 70's period. A few things that bugged me about it though. I am not a fan of JD's booming bass voice, never was. It was annoying to me. Elvis wasnt in the best of shape vocally here, and its obvious. Wish he had gotten hold of this in 1972, when he was in better shape. It would have made a great follow-up to Burning Love, and possibly another top 10. Now the thing that perplexes me the most. Elvis dies soon after this song is released. His records start selling out in all stores all over the US, and yet this doesnt make the top 10 on the pop singles chart? I didnt even hear it on top 40 radio. Country yes. And for that matter, the Moody Blue LP doesnt hit #1? That I will never understand. Ok maybe I understand the LP chart. Rumours by F Mac was unbeatable that year, and deservedly so. But if his records were selling out all over, why didnt Way Down find its way into the top 10 here? I actually thought it was going to hit #1. But not even top 10. I will never understand that.

Interesting. I read somewhere that "Way Down" was purposely knocked out of the regular airplay to allow more classic hits space in the programming after Elvis died. IIRC, it was on its way or at the top the country charts when Elvis died.

[r&b]

I think its the best song he cut in 1976, and one of his best songs of the later 70's period. A few things that bugged me about it though. I am not a fan of JD's booming bass voice, never was. It was annoying to me. Elvis wasnt in the best of shape vocally here, and its obvious. Wish he had gotten hold of this in 1972, when he was in better shape. It would have made a great follow-up to Burning Love, and possibly another top 10. Now the thing that perplexes me the most. Elvis dies soon after this song is released. His records start selling out in all stores all over the US, and yet this doesnt make the top 10 on the pop singles chart? I didnt even hear it on top 40 radio. Country yes. And for that matter, the Moody Blue LP doesnt hit #1? That I will never understand. Ok maybe I understand the LP chart. Rumours by F Mac was unbeatable that year, and deservedly so. But if his records were selling out all over, why didnt Way Down find its way into the top 10 here? I actually thought it was going to hit #1. But not even top 10. I will never understand that.

Interesting. I read somewhere that "Way Down" was purposely knocked out of the regular airplay to allow more classic hits space in the programming after Elvis died. IIRC, it was on its way or at the top the country charts when Elvis died.

That could be because those were the albums that really sold well for him after he passed. The gold record ones. Elvis was always a top compilation artist as far as LP sales go. It continues to this day

[ICanHelp]

Hooray for Fel-Tone Jarvis!

This mean spirited post serves no purpose other than to denigrate the OP and derail the excellent information offered on a really good song. As your hero might say, post on topic please.

Great information Juan. Thank you very much.

[Juan Luis]

Hooray for Fel-Tone Jarvis!

This mean spirited post serves no purpose other than to denigrate the OP and derail the excellent information offered on a really good song. As your hero might say, post on topic please.

Great information Juan. Thank you very much.

Thank you!

[ICanHelp]

[quote="drjohncarpenter"]"Way Down" is a song most remarkable for being the single on the radio when Elvis died in August 1977. It was doing better on country stations no doubt because it was primarily a country shuffle. I can recall hearing it that summer, while at camp, on the local country station. It was almost like a novelty song, with the bass voice "hook" on the chorus, but there was still a little rock 'n' roll fire in there as well.

The single was not a country #1 until after he died, and not certified Gold until 9-12-1977 by the RIAA. His unexpected passing undeniably affected the charts, providing a bump, especially his performance on the pop rankings.

That is incorrect. The single reached number one the week of his death. Elvis' death did not effect the country ranking, although it certainly moved his pop Hot 100 position.

[Juan Luis]

It should be noted that Ray Stevens was not just a "gifted publisher,"

"Gifted" describes more than adequately Ray Stevens for the opening post pertaining the specific topic and his involvement. Unless you incorrectly thought the word "gifted" was for publishing only. And you're welcome!

[Ciscoking]

Thanks Juan Luis for bringing this song up...always had asoft spot for it..really catchy and it cooks..

[Eggrert]

Fantastic track; I've loved it ever since I first heard it, on 30 #1 Hits, and I still prefer that mix above the others. At the time I thought that it was Elvis doing the bass voice.