"U.S. Male"!

[Juan Luis]

Another Jerry Reed Hubbard composition Elvis Presley brilliantly covered. The song came from Jerry Reed's 1967 debut album that also included "Guitar Man".
"U.S. Male" was pitched or suggested to Elvis by Chip Young according to Ernst Jorgensen's "A Life In Music". A talking blues with a twist of country-rock, and even a hint of southern rock in the rhythm breaks I would call it, with excellent lead guitar picking by Jerry Reed himself with very good picking support provided by Chip Young. This performance took twelve takes to nail a master, with a lot of fooling around, with Elvis even stating to being a "F*cked up U.S. Male!
As Peter Guralnick describes in his book "Careless Love", this performance by Elvis came from another place...

The lyrics (by Elvis?) were changed from Reed's birthplace of South Georgia, to a Mississippi town, of course meaning Elvis' Tupelo. Very neat!
"U.S. Male" came from a double session. A soundtrack ("Stay Away Joe") and studio session for RCA.

Recorded way after after 3:00 AM on January 17, 1968 with Felton Jarvis producing with Bill Vandevord behind the console. This song marked the end of the Nashville studio sessions for the 1960's. A top forty hit for Elvis reaching number 28 on Billboard, and 15 in the UK. Enjoy the very funny "U.S. Male"!

..
..

[poormadpeter2]

1966 to 1968 was a strange, but fascinating, period in Elvis's career. On the one hand he was in Speedway doing high kicks in a parody of an MGM female chorus line, and on the other he was reasserting his masculinity with U.S. Male, Big Boss Man and Hi-Heel Sneakers among others. U.S. Male certainly isn't my favourite song from the period, but it was Elvis climbing yet another rung of the ladder out of the pit that he had made for himself by 1966, and a quality cover (if very similar to the original) with Elvis showing yet another facet of his phenomenal range of material in a song that predates the better known Boy Named Sue by a couple of years but which is certainly in much the same vein.

[Hard Rocker]

An Elvis classic. Superb track. The Comeback was well under way.

yet another facet of his phenomenal range of material in a song that predates the better known Boy Named Sue by a couple of years but which is certainly in much the same vein.

Nice observation. Never considered that before but I agree.

[norrie]

Love it.Elvis really nails it.Humour with a straight face !


norrie

[fn2drive]

Elvis is outstanding on this track. The musicianship is also top notch. Always great to listen to this track. The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer. JerrynReed had a gift with words.

As noted above this was a period where Elvis was trying cast off the Hollywood shackles and there are some great tracks. My personal favorite is High Heel Sneakers where he attacks the song as if he is attacking the straightjacketed world he is trapped in trying to escape. While JErry Lee's live version with his lyrical change to sharpen up your razor instead of wear some boxing gloves is for me definitive, Elvis' more than holds it own particularly in the unedited version. Pure euphoria.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

This is a cool country style song, love Elvis phrasing , although with the Jordainares backing it sounds a little bit outdated in 1968....

This said, FTD has served us almost the complete recording session for this song, save for takes; 1,3,8 & and the unedited version of "The Prisoner´s Song" on the great FTD Stay Away, Joe cd.


FTD Stay Away, Joe cd. Released in 2013.

The complete recording session is available on the bootleg market but not in the best sound! .


Elvis Presley-GUITAR MAN SESSIONS cd. Released in 2004. Front cover.


Elvis Presley-GUITAR MAN SESSIONS cd. Released in 2004. Back cover.

Thanks Juan Luis for another interesting topic . Bye for now .

Source: http://www.keithflynn.com/recording-sessions/680116.html#04

[poormadpeter2]

The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer.

I think you miss the point that the lyrics are clearly intended as a satirical swipe at the All-American male image.

[skatterbrane]

It was the first Elvis song I heard on hit AM radio since Devil In Disguise. I was sure it was going to be a hit!

[Hard Rocker]

Elvis' deadpan delivery of the tongue-in-cheek lyrics sees The King enthused and on top of the game. The Jordanaires add to the fun as does the double-bass alongside Jerry Reed's outstanding playing. It's a well-crafted chestnut that deserves to be much better known.

[fn2drive]

The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer.

I think you miss the point that the lyrics are clearly intended as a satirical swipe at the All-American male image.

I don't think any woman in 2016 wants to be considered the property of this or any other US male. It was barely acceptable in 1967; it isn't today. Really no place for misogyny any longer. Just another example of the comments you make I referenced in another post that you claim to never make. Little wonder why you don't understand why they are mean spirited, hostile etc if you cant see why the lyrics are offensive. Satire. Tell that to a battered woman who's husband thought she was his property. Appalling. I guess cave men still roam the earth.

[SteamrollerBlues]

The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer.

I think you miss the point that the lyrics are clearly intended as a satirical swipe at the All-American male image.

I don't think any woman in 2016 wants to be considered the property of this or any other US male. It was barely acceptable in 1967; it isn't today. Really no place for misogyny any longer. Just another example of the comments you make I referenced in another post that you claim to never make. Little wonder why you don't understand why they are mean spirited, hostile etc if you cant see why the lyrics are offensive. Satire. Tell that to a battered woman who's husband thought she was his property. Appalling. I guess cave men still roam the earth.

I think you misinterpreted PMP's post. He's not saying the lyrics aren't offensive, he's saying they're a parody, which would definitely explain that line. It's making fun of the people who think that way.

Apologies if I don't know what I'm talking about ahead of time.

[Juan Luis]

.

[Domino]

Looks like another track from this COOL album.
Elvis was just so cool singing " I'm gonna leave your head 'bout the shape of a stamp".
Great song.Thanks for another mighty fine "Almost In Love" flashback.

220px-Almost_in_Love.jpg

[Juan Luis]

I first heard this tune and many others on the very cheap Pickwick compilation and double album, "Double Dynamite"! Loved the back cover photo. The front was same as MSG!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dynamite_album

[fn2drive]

The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer.

I think you miss the point that the lyrics are clearly intended as a satirical swipe at the All-American male image.

I don't think any woman in 2016 wants to be considered the property of this or any other US male. It was barely acceptable in 1967; it isn't today. Really no place for misogyny any longer. Just another example of the comments you make I referenced in another post that you claim to never make. Little wonder why you don't understand why they are mean spirited, hostile etc if you cant see why the lyrics are offensive. Satire. Tell that to a battered woman who's husband thought she was his property. Appalling. I guess cave men still roam the earth.

I think you misinterpreted PMP's post. He's not saying the lyrics aren't offensive, he's saying they're a parody, which would definitely explain that line. It's making fun of the people who think that way.

Apologies if I don't know what I'm talking about ahead of time.

The line is hardly parody as it is being told to the potential suitor and the whole point of the song is to stay away from his woman which is his property. Sorry women arent chattel any more. Perhaps you forgot that women once were property. And of course Peter and the usual crew making excuses by saying it's only satire to justify what is clearly inappropriate in 2016 becuse of course Elvis recorded it and Elvis can do no wrong. Like, no officer, i didnt punch my wife in the face- that was just a tune up to her attitude-she"s running s lot better now. I'll check out of this thread and leave the cave men to it. Hard to believe that even a small comment pointing out the obvious misogyny of a track written 40 years ago finds fans defending it. And by the way the parody was the play on Male and Mail- not treating a woman as property.

[stevelecher]

I don't know if it's a parody but I feel bad for any man or woman who takes this song seriously and gets offended and even thinks the word misogyny. No reason to take its "message" any more seriously than intended.

[Juan Luis]

It was tongue-in-cheek and Jerry Reed was known for this.

[SteamrollerBlues]

The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer.

I think you miss the point that the lyrics are clearly intended as a satirical swipe at the All-American male image.

I don't think any woman in 2016 wants to be considered the property of this or any other US male. It was barely acceptable in 1967; it isn't today. Really no place for misogyny any longer. Just another example of the comments you make I referenced in another post that you claim to never make. Little wonder why you don't understand why they are mean spirited, hostile etc if you cant see why the lyrics are offensive. Satire. Tell that to a battered woman who's husband thought she was his property. Appalling. I guess cave men still roam the earth.

I think you misinterpreted PMP's post. He's not saying the lyrics aren't offensive, he's saying they're a parody, which would definitely explain that line. It's making fun of the people who think that way.

Apologies if I don't know what I'm talking about ahead of time.

The line is hardly parody as it is being told to the potential suitor and the whole point of the song is to stay away from his woman which is his property. Sorry women arent chattel any more. Perhaps you forgot that women once were property. And of course Peter and the usual crew making excuses by saying it's only satire to justify what is clearly inappropriate in 2016 becuse of course Elvis recorded it and Elvis can do no wrong. Like, no officer, i didnt punch my wife in the face- that was just a tune up to her attitude-she"s running s lot better now. I'll check out of this thread and leave the cave men to it. Hard to believe that even a small comment pointing out the obvious misogyny of a track written 40 years ago finds fans defending it. And by the way the parody was the play on Male and Mail- not treating a woman as property.

...methinks you're looking too far into a song line from a tongue in cheek song, but yeah, I'm not getting into this any further.

[mrbthebarber]

This was always a fave of mine, on the first album I ever bought, I then found out many years later it was being recorded as I was being born

[MikeFromHolland]

The sad part is that the lyrics didnt age well and so it really cant for public consumption any longer.

I think you miss the point that the lyrics are clearly intended as a satirical swipe at the All-American male image.

I don't think any woman in 2016 wants to be considered the property of this or any other US male. It was barely acceptable in 1967; it isn't today. Really no place for misogyny any longer. Just another example of the comments you make I referenced in another post that you claim to never make. Little wonder why you don't understand why they are mean spirited, hostile etc if you cant see why the lyrics are offensive. Satire. Tell that to a battered woman who's husband thought she was his property. Appalling. I guess cave men still roam the earth.

I think you misinterpreted PMP's post. He's not saying the lyrics aren't offensive, he's saying they're a parody, which would definitely explain that line. It's making fun of the people who think that way.

Apologies if I don't know what I'm talking about ahead of time.

The line is hardly parody as it is being told to the potential suitor and the whole point of the song is to stay away from his woman which is his property. Sorry women arent chattel any more. Perhaps you forgot that women once were property. And of course Peter and the usual crew making excuses by saying it's only satire to justify what is clearly inappropriate in 2016 becuse of course Elvis recorded it and Elvis can do no wrong. Like, no officer, i didnt punch my wife in the face- that was just a tune up to her attitude-she"s running s lot better now. I'll check out of this thread and leave the cave men to it. Hard to believe that even a small comment pointing out the obvious misogyny of a track written 40 years ago finds fans defending it. And by the way the parody was the play on Male and Mail- not treating a woman as property.

Is your wife wearing a ring? If so, do you mind if I date her sometime and spend some cosy little time in a hotel room with her?

If you dare to answer you wouldn't mind, even if she had a fine time with me, you're holier than the pope.

.

[skatterbrane]

It is inescapable this overly analytical, hypersensitive, politically correct bullsh!t. It is a song making fun of machismo. And it is FUNNY. AND I LIKE IT.

[MikeFromHolland]

It is inescapable this overly analytical, hypersensitive, politically correct bullsh!t. It is a song making fun of machismo. And it is FUNNY. AND I LIKE IT.

Right!



.

[TINML]

It is inescapable this overly analytical, hypersensitive, politically correct bullsh!t. It is a song making fun of machismo. And it is FUNNY. AND I LIKE IT.

Yes but please please don't feed the butthurt troll.

Good song and a unique one in the Elvis catalog

[MikeFromHolland]

It is inescapable this overly analytical, hypersensitive, politically correct bullsh!t. It is a song making fun of machismo. And it is FUNNY. AND I LIKE IT.

Yes but please please don't feed the butthurt troll.

I'd say: do feed them. He and Daveleerideson make fools of themselves with each and every post. By now they're the clowns of FECC. No one is taking them serious. Not feeding them would take the fun away

By the way, I wonder how many men say "my" wife. To me that implies some form of 'property'. That's so good about the lyrics. It's not only about machoism. It's about us men in general as well. The US Male of the song isn't violent towards 'his' wife. He's violent (with words) towards the sob who tries something with her.

.

[drjohncarpenter]

I think you misinterpreted PMP's post. He's not saying the lyrics aren't offensive, he's saying they're a parody, which would definitely explain that line. It's making fun of the people who think that way.

Apologies if I don't know what I'm talking about ahead of time.

The line is hardly parody as it is being told to the potential suitor and the whole point of the song is to stay away from his woman which is his property. Sorry women arent chattel any more. Perhaps you forgot that women once were property. And of course Peter and the usual crew making excuses by saying it's only satire to justify what is clearly inappropriate in 2016 becuse of course Elvis recorded it and Elvis can do no wrong. Like, no officer, i didnt punch my wife in the face- that was just a tune up to her attitude-she"s running s lot better now. I'll check out of this thread and leave the cave men to it. Hard to believe that even a small comment pointing out the obvious misogyny of a track written 40 years ago finds fans defending it. And by the way the parody was the play on Male and Mail- not treating a woman as property.

Reed may've meant no harm, but the lyrics some heard as satire other embraced as ... social commentary.

This is one reason the track was included on the infamous 1982 bootleg LP, Elvis' Greatest Sh'it.

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39702