"It Feels So Right"!

[Juan Luis]

"STEP IN THESE ARMS!" introduces Elvis Presley's powerful rendition of "It Feels So Right" blues, r&B, rocker number. Recorded on March 21, 1960, at the RCA Studio B. In Nashville, Tennessee.
From "Elvis Is Back" album, included and mimed in the 1965 film "Tickle Me". Was also released as a single that same year with hardly any notice. Not very commercial as many blues numbers went, nevertheless a great record in all aspects, including the writing by Fred Wise and Ben Wiseman. Elvis belts it out and the band cooks with The Jordanaires accenting the bass and drums!

Produced by Steve Sholes with hands on production by Chet Atkins and Elvis Presley himself. Superb sound courtesy of Bill Porter.

"This isn't only for tonight
We're gonna love our whole life long
'Cause baby, if it feels so right
How can it be wrong?!""

I love it!

..

[Davelee]

An all round classic!

[jeanno]

Such a tough position in the album as it was right after the enormous Such A Night, but IFSR is so good (with that good old 50s voice) that it really pulls it off. The bluesy rhythm is also hypnotic.

Great track from a fabulous record.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

Great song!. The movie version not so much as it has too much echo on Elvis voice, it sounds artificial to me . That said, I love the alternate guitar introduction at the beginning of the song! . Bye for now .

..

[r&b]

Great song, one of his best of 1960, but being in the very silly Tickle Me belittled it to some degree. By that time Elvis movies & their songs were being used to getting harsh criticism by many long time fans, and this song didnt deserve to be lumped into the soundtrack movie category. Better just to let it be on Side 2 of Elvis Is Back where it rightfully belonged.

[Davelee]

Great song, one of his best of 1960, but being in the very silly Tickle Me belittled it to some degree. By that time Elvis movies & their songs were being used to getting harsh criticism by many long time fans, and this song didnt deserve to be lumped into the soundtrack movie category. Better just to let it be on Side 2 of Elvis Is Back where it rightfully belonged.

I know a fan who disliked the song for years after seeing it in the movie, it put him right off and didn't want to hear it again. But he now sees it has one of the classics on the album, but the flashback of the movie scene where Elvis sings it still haunts him.

[r&b]

Great song, one of his best of 1960, but being in the very silly Tickle Me belittled it to some degree. By that time Elvis movies & their songs were being used to getting harsh criticism by many long time fans, and this song didnt deserve to be lumped into the soundtrack movie category. Better just to let it be on Side 2 of Elvis Is Back where it rightfully belonged.

I know a fan who disliked the song for years after seeing it in the movie, it put him right off and didn't want to hear it again. But he now sees it has one of the classics on the album, but the flashback of the movie scene where Elvis sings it still haunts him.

Knowing and loving the song as I did from EIB, it certainly upset me how it was used in that very silly scene from that very silly movie. Same goes for Dirty Dirty Feeling, a great little rocking number used while Elvis was pitching hay. Good use right? Didnt Elvis see how these movies (this one in particular) was really ridiculing some of the great 60's studio work he had done? Us fans sure did!

[drjohncarpenter]

Lots to discuss here. If I may ...

Great song, one of his best of 1960, but being in the very silly Tickle Me belittled it to some degree. By that time Elvis movies & their songs were being used to getting harsh criticism by many long time fans, and this song didnt deserve to be lumped into the soundtrack movie category. Better just to let it be on Side 2 of Elvis Is Back where it rightfully belonged.

Given how truly awful Elvis' fresh soundtrack material was by 1964-1965, using previously-issued studio album tracks for the "Tickle Me" project was actually kind of a joy for the dedicated fan. But it's sad it had come to that.

One of the things noticeable in the film is how the 29 year-old Presley seems just a bit uncomfortable performing the Elvis Is Back! album cut. He's not 25, singing at his first Nashville session in nearly two years, and ready to destroy the world anymore.


..

Elvis Presley "It Feels So Right" (Allied Artists "Tickle Me" - June 30, 1965)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tickle_Me#Soundtrack
Note: Paramount Studios was used for this independent production


Friend Bobby "Red" West is seen in the sequence, and they will engage in fisticuffs mere seconds after the song is completed. Notice also the film version of "It Feels So Right" includes additional instrumentation, such as the lead guitar riffs that kick off the song. Session pro Tommy Tedesco is the guitarist on the overdubs, according to IMDb:

Tickle Me: Full Credits
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056585/fullcredits

All of these were most likely done on the Paramount scoring stage, when Walter Scharf conducted the score.

Scharf was the musical director on "Tickle Me" -- he was assigned the same role for Paramount's "Loving You" and "King Creole" -- and also has an "Original Music" credit. So the extra bits must have been his idea. There are some heard on other songs in the film, but not all. IIRC, "Long, Lonely Highway" and "Slowly But Surely," which bookend the 1965 movie, do not include any 1964 enhancements. Scharf may even be the reason Elvis apparently re-cut " I Feel That I've Known You Forever" on the Paramount scoring stage at the time.

Dialing back, the original March 1960 recording is significant not only for the sheer lust in Elvis' lead vocal, but also the tremendous double-drum work of Murrey "Buddy" Harman and D.J. Fontana. The former does the fills, the latter anchors the backbeat. Together they propel the Fred Wise and Ben Weisman bluesy rocker with great skill and precision. "It Feels So Right" finished off a stellar evening of five completed masters, including both sides of his first single of the decade.

Although released on 45 at the time of the film's release, "It Feels So Right" was consigned to the B-side, which may have been a reason why it did not have much chart appeal. It made #57 in Cash Box's July 10, 1965 "Top 100" and #55 in the Billboard "Hot 100" for July 17, 1965.

All five studio takes (master take was 5) may be found isn superb fidelity on FTD's "classic album" release of Elvis Is Back!

It's significant that no one thought to record a cover version in Elvis' lifetime. Maybe it's because there was no point. As the late, great Scotty Moore once said about the singer's recording work, when Presley was finished with a song you could "stick a fork in it," because it was done.

Miss ya, Winfield.

[Stvimpe]

Great song and nice informative posts. Thank you all.

[drjohncarpenter]

Great song and nice informative posts. Thank you all.

Nice someone noticed!

[midnightx]

One of Elvis' greatest vocals.

[r&b]

Great song and nice informative posts. Thank you all.

Nice someone noticed!

Thanks for that info. The late Tommy Tedesco was truly of the worlds great guitarists and along with drummer Hal Blaine probably played on more hit records than just about any other session men. The Wrecking is a great documentary, highly recommended (its on Netflix) and Tommy and Hal both remember Elvis in it.

[poormadpeter2]

Lots to discuss here. If I may ...

Great song, one of his best of 1960, but being in the very silly Tickle Me belittled it to some degree. By that time Elvis movies & their songs were being used to getting harsh criticism by many long time fans, and this song didnt deserve to be lumped into the soundtrack movie category. Better just to let it be on Side 2 of Elvis Is Back where it rightfully belonged.

Given how truly awful Elvis' fresh soundtrack material was by 1964-1965, using previously-issued studio album tracks for the "Tickle Me" project was actually kind of a joy for the dedicated fan. But it's sad it had come to that.

One of the things noticeable in the film is how the 29 year-old Presley seems just a bit uncomfortable performing the Elvis Is Back! album cut. He's not 25, singing at his first Nashville session in nearly two years, and ready to destroy the world anymore.


..

Elvis Presley "It Feels So Right" (Allied Artists "Tickle Me" - June 30, 1965)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tickle_Me#Soundtrack
Note: Paramount Studios was used for this independent production


Friend Bobby "Red" West is seen in the sequence, and they will engage in fisticuffs mere seconds after the song is completed. Notice also the film version of "It Feels So Right" includes additional instrumentation, such as the lead guitar riffs that kick off the song. Session pro Tommy Tedesco is the guitarist on the overdubs, according to IMDb:

Tickle Me: Full Credits
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056585/fullcredits

All of these were most likely done on the Paramount scoring stage, when Walter Scharf conducted the score.

Scharf was the musical director on "Tickle Me" -- he was assigned the same role for Paramount's "Loving You" and "King Creole" -- and also has an "Original Music" credit. So the extra bits must have been his idea. There are some heard on other songs in the film, but not all. IIRC, "Long, Lonely Highway" and "Slowly But Surely," which bookend the 1965 movie, do not include any 1964 enhancements. Scharf may even be the reason Elvis apparently re-cut " I Feel That I've Known You Forever" on the Paramount scoring stage at the time.

Dialing back, the original March 1960 recording is significant not only for the sheer lust in Elvis' lead vocal, but also the tremendous double-drum work of Murrey "Buddy" Harman and D.J. Fontana. The former does the fills, the latter anchors the backbeat. Together they propel the Fred Wise and Ben Weisman bluesy rocker with great skill and precision. "It Feels So Right" finished off a stellar evening of five completed masters, including both sides of his first single of the decade.

Although released on 45 at the time of the film's release, "It Feels So Right" was consigned to the B-side, which may have been a reason why it did not have much chart appeal. It made #57 in Cash Box's July 10, 1965 "Top 100" and #55 in the Billboard "Hot 100" for July 17, 1965.

All five studio takes (master take was 5) may be found isn superb fidelity on FTD's "classic album" release of Elvis Is Back!

It's significant that no one thought to record a cover version in Elvis' lifetime. Maybe it's because there was no point. As the late, great Scotty Moore once said about the singer's recording work, when Presley was finished with a song you could "stick a fork in it," because it was done.

Miss ya, Winfield.

To be fair, Elvis rarely looked comfortable in those "performance" songs during his films, no matter what the film or the song. Curtiz somehow managed to capture something that looked "natural" as did George Sidney, plus the title number of Jailhouse Rock. But when he's meant to be on a nightclub stage in other films, he doesn't look remotely natural - even when the song is a classic such as Return to Sender.

[drjohncarpenter]

Great song and nice informative posts. Thank you all.

Nice someone noticed!

Thanks for that info. The late Tommy Tedesco was truly of the worlds great guitarists and along with drummer Hal Blaine probably played on more hit records than just about any other session men. The Wrecking is a great documentary, highly recommended (its on Netflix) and Tommy and Hal both remember Elvis in it.

My pleasure.

Tommy Tedesco played on Partridge Family LPs, for criminy sake. I met Hal Blaine once. A very nice man.

[TCBell]

I remember reading years ago that Tickle Me was made principally to help out Allied Artists who were facing bankruptcy and the use of previously recorded material was, in effect, a cost-cutting measure. Don't know how true this is though...

[Davelee]

I remember reading years ago that Tickle Me was made principally to help out Allied Artists who were facing bankruptcy and the use of previously recorded material was, in effect, a cost-cutting measure. Don't know how true this is though...

From what I've read that's just about what actually happened.

[r&b]

Great song and nice informative posts. Thank you all.

Nice someone noticed!

Thanks for that info. The late Tommy Tedesco was truly of the worlds great guitarists and along with drummer Hal Blaine probably played on more hit records than just about any other session men. The Wrecking is a great documentary, highly recommended (its on Netflix) and Tommy and Hal both remember Elvis in it.

My pleasure.

Tommy Tedesco played on Partridge Family LPs, for criminy sake. I met Hal Blaine once. A very nice man.

Yes his guitar is also the lead you hear in the theme to Bonanza and Green Acres. These guys were doing it all!!

[ICanHelp]

A true masterpiece.

[Juan Luis]

Hi there!! .

Great song!. The movie version not so much as it has too much echo on Elvis voice, it sounds artificial to me . That said, I love the alternate guitar introduction at the beginning of the song! . Bye for now .

..

Thanks for bringing up that alternate guitar introduction. A few posts down from yours is further detailed.
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95568#p1543298

Thanks everyone for participating!

[stevelecher]

For someone to dismiss the song because it is in a movie is like saying Elvis is fat in TTWII. Just associating fat with the jump suit. Pigeon holing. That being said, that is one cheesy scene.

[Juan Luis]

For someone to dismiss the song because it is in a movie is like saying Elvis is fat in TTWII. Just associating fat with the jump suit. Pigeon holing. That being said, that is one cheesy scene.

And Elvis did not even try to emulate the great feeling his recorded voice shows 5 years earlier. It is almost the equivalent of the 1970's Elvis singing Hound Dog with the original 1956 track. For me, anyhow.

[drjohncarpenter]

I remember reading years ago that Tickle Me was made principally to help out Allied Artists who were facing bankruptcy and the use of previously recorded material was, in effect, a cost-cutting measure. Don't know how true this is though...

From what I've read that's just about what actually happened.

It's part of the backstory on "Tickle Me." Ironically, the breezy, humourous quality of the film, coupled with better songs (despited being recycled) and some beautiful women, led to the film doing terrific at the box office, saving Allied Artists from ruin. And it was one of the few films Elvis would remember fondly in the 1970s.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056585/business

[Steve Morse]

A true masterpiece.

Nothing more to add.

Except . . . he sings a bit flat at the beginning of the first outtake released.

[r&b]

For someone to dismiss the song because it is in a movie is like saying Elvis is fat in TTWII. Just associating fat with the jump suit. Pigeon holing. That being said, that is one cheesy scene.

I never meant to dismiss the song at all, in fact I praised it, but seeing him here, just going thru the phony motions (or non emotions) with the added guitar intro not on the original, as opposed to listening to it following Such A Night on EIB are two totally different experiences. I prefer the latter. I stand by what I said. The film demeaned a great performance.

[stevelecher]

We're in agreement r&b. I was referring to someone in davelee's post.