That's When Your Heartaches Begin - Updated

[MikeFromHolland]

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We all know that Elvis' very first private record in 1953 consisted of My Happiness and That's When Your Heartaches Begin.


That's When Your Heartaches was written by Fred Fisher, George Brown and William Raskin.


Fred Fisher

Real Name: Albert von Breitenbach
German-American songwriter (born September 30, 1875 in Cologne, Germany - died January 14, 1942 in New York City, New York).
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. For the remarkable 'Peg O' My Heart' and some more, Alfred Bryan wrote the lyrics.


George Brown

Real Name: William Joseph Hill
Pseudonym of Billy Hill, allegedly used because he didn't want his name reversed to 'Hill Billy'.


William Raskin
American lyricist, born November 3, 1896 in New York City, New York; died April 8, 1942 in New York City, New York.




The original version of That's When Your Heartaches Begin (1937) was recorded by Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra with the vocals of Bob Goday:


Shep Fields (Sep. 12, 1910 - Feb. 26, 1981)
In 1936, he signed with Bluebird Records as the Fields' Band and with his group's distinctive sound known as "Rippling Rhythm", his recordings soon became a hit on the Billboard charts. His band was featured in the film "The Big Broadcast of 1938" and he conducted his orchestra at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles in 1939. In 1941, his group billed as "Shep Fields and His New Music", continued to record for Bluebird and made a USO tour to Europe towards the end of World War II.

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The Ink Spots recorded the song on December 23, 1940 in New York. The spoken interlude was by Orville (Hoppy) Jones and the single was re-issued in May 1952, when it became a hit for this group.

The Complete Entertainment Dicography from the Mid-1890s to 1942 - page 366 Ink Spots.png

The Ink Spots

The Ink Spots were a popular African-American vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Best known for their recordings of Pop ballads, The Ink Spots were frequent chart toppers totaling over 50 hits in their 17 year recording career. Their best selling record "If I Didn't Care" sold over 19 million copies and is currently the 7th best selling single of all time. Bill Kenny (leader) disbanded The Ink Spots in 1954 however many spin-off or imposter groups have been performing and recording ever since. In 1948 the group was awarded with a plaque from the Negro Actors Guild for the efforts in "breaking down the walls of racial prejudice".

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It's common knowledge that this version by The Ink Spots was the version which inspired Elvis to record that one day on July 18, 1953:

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Elvis sang it again on December 4, 1956 - while jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins:

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Elvis liked the song, that is clear. He recorded it officially some six weeks later at Radio Recorders Studio 1 - Hollywood, California on January 13, 1957:

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And he rehearsed it for his 1968 TV Special on June 24, 1968, as can be heard here:

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Other versions of the song


Billy Bunn & His Buddies - 1952
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David Whitfield - 1958
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The Beatles - 1960 rehearsal at Paul's house
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LONE STAR - (Spanish version) - 1968
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Mina, from her album "Baby Gate" - 1974
(Clip: Starchy & Husky episode 87 - May 8, 1979)
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SOURCES
http://davidneale.eu/elvis/originals/list8.html#S1488
https://www.discogs.com/Elvis-Presley-All-Shook-Up-Thats-When-Your-Heartaches-Begin/release/6020216
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=6844852&PIpi=15772679
https://www.discogs.com/artist/322272-The-Ink-Spots?anv=Ink+Spots
https://books.google.nl/books?id=ezXaAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA366&lpg=PA366&dq=that's+when+your+heartaches+begin+1942&source=bl&ots=PmFHgpANt-&sig=lOONgasoZEOpCXktHDNfsonfw0k&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiClO_43dfOAhUHJMAKHeCnDKcQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=that's%20when%20your%20heartaches%20begin%201942&f=false
http://www.keithflynn.com/recording-sessions/570113.html
https://www.muziekweb.nl/Muziekweb/Cat/SingleSearch/Search?q=that%27s+when+your+heartaches+begin&catalogue=

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[Steve Morse]

"But was it really? At the start of this December 4, 1956 clip, while jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, we hear Elvis say something like:

"This song by Tony Bytas (?) is called "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"".

Have a listen. Is that really what he is saying here?"

"This song I was telling you about."

[MikeFromHolland]

"But was it really? At the start of this December 4, 1956 clip, while jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, we hear Elvis say something like:

"This song by Tony Bytas (?) is called "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"".

Have a listen. Is that really what he is saying here?"

"This song I was telling you about."

Yes, now I know it thanks to you, I hear it too: "This song I was telling you about". Thank you Steve!



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[Domino]

"But was it really? At the start of this December 4, 1956 clip, while jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, we hear Elvis say something like:

"This song by Tony Bytas (?) is called "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"".

Have a listen. Is that really what he is saying here?"

"This song I was telling you about."

That's right .That's what he's saying.Doesn't sound anything like Tony Bytas.

Love the song.Like Elvis's 57 recording the best.

[MikeFromHolland]

"But was it really? At the start of this December 4, 1956 clip, while jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, we hear Elvis say something like:

"This song by Tony Bytas (?) is called "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"".

Have a listen. Is that really what he is saying here?"

"This song I was telling you about."

That's right .That's what he's saying.Doesn't sound anything like Tony Bytas.

Love the song.Like Elvis's 57 recording the best.

Okay guys if there's more attention for something I heard wrong with my Dutch ears, I'd better delete the whole thread. Must be heaven to have to speak in your own language only.

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[stevelecher]

"You know, if a guy with a real deep voice was to record this, I think it could be a hit..."

[Domino]

I wouldn't have removed it.I just thought as many times as I've heard the MDQ recording ,I never thought he was saying anything but what he said.It's a great song and a great performance by Elvis .
Obviously the song really meant something to him for it to be one of 2 songs chosen for his debut recording.

Might as well not waste the space.
Hears the recordings from 53 & 57.

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[MikeFromHolland]

I wouldn't have removed it.I just thought as many times as I've heard the MDQ recording ,I never thought he was saying anything but what he said.It's a great song and a great performance by Elvis .
Obviously the song really meant something to him for it to be one of 2 songs chosen for his debut recording.

Might as well not waste the space.
Hears the recordings from 53 & 57.

Thanks. I kept the draft and updated it

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[Mike in New Jersey]

"But was it really? At the start of this December 4, 1956 clip, while jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, we hear Elvis say something like:

"This song by Tony Bytas (?) is called "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"".

Have a listen. Is that really what he is saying here?"

"This song I was telling you about."

That's right .That's what he's saying.Doesn't sound anything like Tony Bytas.

Love the song.Like Elvis's 57 recording the best.

Okay guys if there's more attention for something I heard wrong with my Dutch ears, I'd better delete the whole thread. Must be heaven to have to speak in your own language only.

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Hi Mike.
Don't sweat it. English is my first language and sometimes making out what someone else is saying in english can be difficult, especially if they have a strong regional accent and I'm speaking to them on the phone. I can imagine it would be even more difficult for someone where english is a second language
Great topic, I love this song!

[poormadpeter2]

It's a nice song, but I don't think Elvis ever quite nailed it. The 1957 version is the best, of course, but there's just that niggling feeling that there was something that Elvis was trying to extract from the song that he doesn't manage to do - or that he heard something in the song that he couldn't quite convey. And I think there's evidence of that in the MDQ dialogue, when he's talking about the song being a hit for the right singer.

[Steve Morse]

It's a nice song, but I don't think Elvis ever quite nailed it. The 1957 version is the best, of course, but there's just that niggling feeling that there was something that Elvis was trying to extract from the song that he doesn't manage to do - or that he heard something in the song that he couldn't quite convey. And I think there's evidence of that in the MDQ dialogue, when he's talking about the song being a hit for the right singer.

Many, including me, would heartily disagree. There's a magnificence about the 1957 master . . . an incredible atmosphere created by the 22-year-old Elvis.

[colonel snow]

Other versions from the early 50's:

00-03-51 - Bob Lamm (Dot 1050);
00-10-51 - Alan Holmes & his Orchestra (King 15166).


colonel snow

[MikeFromHolland]

Other versions from the early 50's:

00-03-51 - Bob Lamm (Dot 1050);
00-10-51 - Alan Holmes & his Orchestra (King 15166).


colonel snow

Thank you!


The Goodtimes (1966):
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[Fish]

It's a nice song, but I don't think Elvis ever quite nailed it. The 1957 version is the best, of course, but there's just that niggling feeling that there was something that Elvis was trying to extract from the song that he doesn't manage to do - or that he heard something in the song that he couldn't quite convey. And I think there's evidence of that in the MDQ dialogue, when he's talking about the song being a hit for the right singer.

I wholeheartedly agree. In Are You Lonesome Tonight (a simillar song in its feel and arrangement) he beautifully manages to convey an understated desperation, something that is missing in this song. It is hard to pinpoint exactly why this is so but It is for this reason that That's When Your Heartaches Begin is one I tend to skip.

[jurasic1968]

Are You Lonesome Tonight was the best ballad with a spoken part of Elvis. None was at the same level, including I Love You Because, That's When Your Heartaches Begin, or later Hurt.

[drjohncarpenter]

Some things not yet mentioned on this topic include the fact that Elvis came to love this song not from the original 1941 Ink Spots release, but Decca's May 1952 reissue of the ballad. And one listen to the Billy Bunn and his Buddies recording, which appeared during Elvis' junior year at Humes High, tells us that both were VERY influential, even though neither was a hit on the pop or r&b charts of the time. In fact, the Ink Spots reissue may have even been Decca's response to the Bunn recording.



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Billy Bunn and his Buddies, "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (RCA 4657, April 26, 1952)



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Ink Spots "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Decca 25505, May 1952)
Originally issued in May 1941 as Decca 3720.



As I've written before, it's clear "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," ultimately chosen as the B-side to 1957's "All Shook Up," meant a great deal to Presley, enough so that he tried to impress with it almost four years earlier, at the Memphis Recording Service, when he walked in to cut a personal acetate (but really hoped the owner would notice him). As it turned out, Sam Phillips was not there that day, but his assistant Marion Keisker did indeed notice him, and made sure to tape his performance for Phillips to hear upon return.

As for Elvis, this is his first major release of a song with narration and he easily pulls it off. Engineered by Thorne Nogar and assisted by Bones Howe, it sounds so atmospheric, from the plaintive piano opening to when the Jordanaires make their entrance, and Presley capturing exactly the right feel from the first moment he sings.

Interestingly, the splicing technique which so fascinated Elvis during his first sessions at Radio Recorders in September 1956 came to fore again here, with the master of "That"s When Your Heartaches Begin" an edit of takes 7 and 14. It is very well done, and he likely included it every live show that year. We even have a snippet of one such performance, and it's glorious.



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Elvis Presley "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada - Saturday, August 31, 1957)
Released in 1976 on Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do! (Pirate 101) ... https://www.elvisrecords.com/pr-101-got-a-lot-o-livin-to-do/



It's worth remembering the B-side charted to #58 and got quite a bit of radio play. Perhaps this gave Presley the confidence to tackle similar ballads with a recitation. His stunning rendition of "Are You Lonesome To-night?" would hit the top of the charts in 1960, and the beautiful take of "Are You Sincere?" was a highlight from his 1973 recordings.

[MikeFromHolland]

Some things not yet mentioned on this topic include the fact that Elvis came to love this song not from the original 1941 Ink Spots release, but Decca's May 1952 reissue of the ballad. And one listen to the Billy Bunn and his Buddies recording, which appeared during Elvis' junior year at Humes High, tells us that both were VERY influential, even though neither was a hit on the pop or r&b charts of the time. In fact, the Ink Spots reissue may have even been Decca's response to the Bunn recording.



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Billy Bunn and his Buddies, "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (RCA 4657, April 26, 1952)



..

Ink Spots "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Decca 25505, May 1952)
Originally issued in May 1941 as Decca 3720.



As I've written before, it's clear "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," ultimately chosen as the B-side to 1957's "All Shook Up," meant a great deal to Presley, enough so that he tried to impress with it almost four years earlier, at the Memphis Recording Service, when he walked in to cut a personal acetate (but really hoped the owner would notice him). As it turned out, Sam Phillips was not there that day, but his assistant Marion Keisker did indeed notice him, and made sure to tape his performance for Phillips to hear upon return.

As for Elvis, this is his first major release of a song with narration and he easily pulls it off. Engineered by Thorne Nogar and assisted by Bones Howe, it sounds so atmospheric, from the plaintive piano opening to when the Jordanaires make their entrance, and Presley capturing exactly the right feel from the first moment he sings.

Interestingly, the splicing technique which so fascinated Elvis during his first sessions at Radio Recorders in September 1956 came to fore again here, with the master of "That"s When Your Heartaches Begin" an edit of takes 7 and 14. It is very well done, and he likely included it every live show that year. We even have a snippet of one such performance, and it's glorious.



..

Elvis Presley "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada - Saturday, August 31, 1957)
Released in 1976 on Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do! (Pirate 101) ... https://www.elvisrecords.com/pr-101-got-a-lot-o-livin-to-do/



It's worth remembering the B-side charted to #58 and got quite a bit of radio play. Perhaps this gave Presley the confidence to tackle similar ballads with a recitation. His stunning rendition of "Are You Lonesome To-night?" would hit the top of the charts in 1960, and the beautiful take of "Are You Sincere?" was a highlight froom his 1973 recordings.

Completely forgot about the Vancouver snippet. Thanks for adding this!

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[Davelee]

Some things not yet mentioned on this topic include the fact that Elvis came to love this song not from the original 1941 Ink Spots release, but Decca's May 1952 reissue of the ballad. And one listen to the Billy Bunn and his Buddies recording, which appeared during Elvis' junior year at Humes High, tells us that both were VERY influential, even though neither was a hit on the pop or r&b charts of the time. In fact, the Ink Spots reissue may have even been Decca's response to the Bunn recording.



..

Billy Bunn and his Buddies, "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (RCA 4657, April 26, 1952)



..

Ink Spots "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Decca 25505, May 1952)
Originally issued in May 1941 as Decca 3720.



As I've written before, it's clear "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," ultimately chosen as the B-side to 1957's "All Shook Up," meant a great deal to Presley, enough so that he tried to impress with it almost four years earlier, at the Memphis Recording Service, when he walked in to cut a personal acetate (but really hoped the owner would notice him). As it turned out, Sam Phillips was not there that day, but his assistant Marion Keisker did indeed notice him, and made sure to tape his performance for Phillips to hear upon return.

As for Elvis, this is his first major release of a song with narration and he easily pulls it off. Engineered by Thorne Nogar and assisted by Bones Howe, it sounds so atmospheric, from the plaintive piano opening to when the Jordanaires make their entrance, and Presley capturing exactly the right feel from the first moment he sings.

Interestingly, the splicing technique which so fascinated Elvis during his first sessions at Radio Recorders in September 1956 came to fore again here, with the master of "That"s When Your Heartaches Begin" an edit of takes 7 and 14. It is very well done, and he likely included it every live show that year. We even have a snippet of one such performance, and it's glorious.



..

Elvis Presley "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada - Saturday, August 31, 1957)
Released in 1976 on Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do! (Pirate 101) ... https://www.elvisrecords.com/pr-101-got-a-lot-o-livin-to-do/



It's worth remembering the B-side charted to #58 and got quite a bit of radio play. Perhaps this gave Presley the confidence to tackle similar ballads with a recitation. His stunning rendition of "Are You Lonesome To-night?" would hit the top of the charts in 1960, and the beautiful take of "Are You Sincere?" was a highlight from his 1973 recordings.

You mentioned recitation, also worth noting is Elvis' rendition of I Love You Because - the original by Leon Payne doesn't have a spoken part and his version is slightly faster then Elvis' take, so Elvis was experimenting it (recitation) back then.

[drjohncarpenter]

You mentioned recitation, also worth noting is Elvis' rendition of I Love You Because - the original by Leon Payne doesn't have a spoken part and his version is slightly faster then Elvis' take, so Elvis was experimenting it (recitation) back then.

Yup. But the narration was unheard until 1974. This is why I note that "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" is "his first major release of a song with narration."

[Stevenson]

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We all know that Elvis' very first private record in 1953 consisted of My Happiness and That's When Your Heartaches Begin.

The original version of That's When Your Heartaches Begin (1937) was recorded by Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra with the vocals of Bob Goday:

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I first heard TWYHB on the fabuluos Essential Elvis vol. 2 cassette.


At first I didn't like it at all, but it grew on me through the years and now I find it haunting beautiful. I'm glad we now can have the whole session thanks to Elvis' Golden Records FTD release



Anyway, thanks Mike for this cool (as usual) topic! It's nice to hear original version - never bothered to check it on my own. But now I see TWYHB as whole new song. Love the original arrangement. Reminds me of It's A Sin To Tell The Lie - with its very characteristic chord changes. It's a shame Elvis didn't cut it in the studio, what a great ballad!

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[MikeFromHolland]

Love the original arrangement. Reminds me of It's A Sin To Tell The Lie - with its very characteristic chord changes.

Indeed. Nice connection you're making here!



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