"I Need Somebody To Lean On"

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Juan Luis

"I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Juan Luis »

The Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman penned number was recorded on July 10, 1963, at Radio Recorders Studio B-Hollywood with David Wiechman behind the console, and assisting Elvis Presley in the production.

I first heard this Jazz-Blues-lounge type ballad, on the 1985 Tom Parker-esque titled release "A Valentine Gift You". I have appreciated and loved it ever since. Elvis's singing is extra fine on this number, showing growth, and maturity as a vocalist. The arrangement is good with prominent acoustic guitar and piano. The musician that saves the day in my opinion, is Bob Moore and his exquisite bass playing. It starts off the record and continuous throughout in an understated fashion. Perfect! Depending on my mood, I find the guitar a bit busy at times. Nevertheless, I find this record made for the "Viva Las Vegas" soundtrack excellent!

..


More here....http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76784
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76784
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=75644



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moffringa
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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by moffringa »

Just a question:

Are you gonna rewrite/copy paste this text for every upcomming Elvis song you "feel something about." :|
Cause this feel much like a "song without a end" if you know what i mean.




Topic author
Juan Luis

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Juan Luis »

moffringa wrote:Just a question:

Are you gonna rewrite/copy paste this text for every upcomming Elvis song you "feel something about." :|
Cause this feel much like a "song without a end" if you know what i mean.
By copy-paste do you mean they are all the same? Because if it is that. I do not agree with you.



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Tony C »

I discovered this song on the "I Got Lucky" budget album, which is where I also first heard "Home Is Where The Heart is" that you featured on an earlier thread. I never tire of "I Need Somebody To Lean On", a good song and a great performance.

Ignore the negativity, Juan, I enjoy your song postings.




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TCBell

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by TCBell »

Tony C wrote:I discovered this song on the "I Got Lucky" budget album, which is where I also first heard "Home Is Where The Heart is" that you featured on an earlier thread. I never tire of "I Need Somebody To Lean On", a good song and a great performance.

Ignore the negativity, Juan, I enjoy your song postings.
Me too, I Got Lucky was the first album I bought with my saved-up pocket money. I like this collection of movie songs to this day (including Yoga Is As Yoga Does).

I Need Somebody To Lean On is a great track, a laid-back performance speaking to lonely hearts everywhere.




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Cheiro

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Cheiro »

Another great song. Juan Luis, you have great taste in Elvis songs.



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Johnny2523 »

Lovely song very pleasant on the ears. I also really like take 8 of the song. I wonder if ftd is in possesion of anymore of the takes of this song


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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by colonel snow »

Recently a demo-version was released on 5 CD Silver screen treasures 1962/1965.

colonel snow



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Ciscoking »

Cheiro wrote:Another great song. Juan Luis, you have great taste in Elvis songs.
Absolutely. .always a pleasure for me...keep on Juan Luis...TOP


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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Chucky99 »

It's an incredibile subtle song and beautiful.Elvis voice is haunting




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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Pete Dube »

One of Elvis' finest 60's ballads. It's a performance that deserves to be better known.




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r&b

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by r&b »

This just missed out on my top 10 movies songs of the 60's It would sit at #11. I think Viva Las Vegas was the last good to great movie soundtrack. I dont care about Roustabout hitting #1. It wasnt a great soundtrack, far from it. Probably hit #1 because of the popularity held over from Viva Las Vegas and the fact that the movie itself was not another typical travelogue. But man did they get bad after that in those crucial mid-60's years.



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by drjohncarpenter »

..

Here you get a glimpse not of the life he led but of the things he felt and the movies he might have made.

There is nothing like it in any of his other films – certainly not in anything since “King Creole.” There is a moment of interiority, however stylized, a moody dreamscape to which Elvis lends himself as if he had somehow found his way into a Gene Kelly musical. But it is only when he actually begins to sing (after a minute-and-a-half of voice-over mood shots), that we sense the quiet, earnest sincerity that belies the stagy showiness of the rest of the film. Just listen to what Elvis brings to this beautiful Doc Pomus-Mort Shuman composition if you want to experience the core of vulnerability that lies at the heart of his music.

http://www.peterguralnick.com/post/40009387172/i-need-somebody-to-lean-on-elvisviva-las

640509_RCA EPA 4382.JPG

See additional interesting comments here:

i need somebody to lean on
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76784

I Need Someone to Lean on
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74405
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Topic author
r&b

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by r&b »

Was this the last song Pomus/Shuman wrote for Elvis before the stellar Double Trouble? Man what a drop-off. Still one of the best songwriting teams in the annuls of pop music. Wish there were more of their songs than Tepper/Bennett



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by Mike Windgren »

Hi there!! :D :D :D.

Great lovely ballad song, Elvis voice is outstanding like he had in all those early 60´s songs! :smt020.

I prefer the movie song, specially almost at the end when he sings it "a capella", just Elvis voice, fantastic! 8). Bye for now :smt006.


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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by drjohncarpenter »

r&b wrote:Was this the last song Pomus/Shuman wrote for Elvis before the stellar Double Trouble? Man what a drop-off. Still one of the best songwriting teams in the annuls of pop music. Wish there were more of their songs than Tepper/Bennett
After this one, Elvis cut these related tunes:

"Girl Happy" (Doc Pomus and Norman Meade)
"What Every Woman Lives For"
"Never Say Yes"
"Double Trouble"
"You'll Think Of Me" (Mort Shuman)

The team moved to the U.K. circa 1964, and mostly stopped working together not long after. But it's odd that Presley publishing apparently avoided them after so many wonderful recordings. Heck, even their backlog of material would have been better than most of the crap that went down after 1965.


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Topic author
r&b

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by r&b »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
r&b wrote:Was this the last song Pomus/Shuman wrote for Elvis before the stellar Double Trouble? Man what a drop-off. Still one of the best songwriting teams in the annuls of pop music. Wish there were more of their songs than Tepper/Bennett
After this one, Elvis cut these related tunes:

"Girl Happy" (Doc Pomus and Norman Meade)
"What Every Woman Lives For"
"Never Say Yes"
"Double Trouble"
"You'll Think Of Me" (Mort Shuman)

The team moved to the U.K. circa 1964, and mostly stopped working together not long after. But it's odd that Presley publishing apparently avoided them after so many wonderful recordings. Heck, even their backlog of material would have been better than most of the crap that went down after 1965.
Thanks, knew about Mort, but forgot about those other movie songs. Not at their best after 1964 were they.




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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by vbgt »

Greystoke wrote:I Need Somebody to Lean On is a lovely, poignant, torch song that Elvis sung beautifully. I think it's one of his best recordings and vocal performances of the decade. He really got inside the song and managed to communicate the lyrics in ways that show just how much he had grown, developed and matured as a balladeer since the 1950s. Not just in a romantic sense. But his phrasing, shading of a lyric and increasing ability to articulate beautiful words with meaning.

And here was Elvis with a good song that he elevates by expressing emotional damage elegantly and eloquently. Bringing real humanity to the words and creating a mood that's almost cathartic because of the way he sings. Those little hesitations and pauses, for example. Which add just enough silence between phrases to evoke the notion that he's overcome with emotion. It's marvellous singing. Technically perfect. Emotionally rich and intimately involving.

The song is nicely arranged, too. And thrives in the simplicity of tender piano playing with little flourishes of guitar to add colour. Whilst the scene from the film also works because it's staged in a minimalist, straightforward way. Emphasising Lucky`s mood with a sense of isolation in the staging and cinematography. The latter, courtesy of Joseph F. Biroc, who bathes Elvis in darkness whilst keeping soft lightning around the rest of the set and the young lovers envied by his character. Whilst a roulette wheel flashes like a beacon of chance. Suggesting that Lucky`s luck will change if he takes a chance.

The camera movement and George Sidney`s decision to shoot this scene in one, uninterrupted take, allowed Elvis to the opportunity give one of his more understated performances. Which he does in a way that's wholly in synch with how economical but effective this entire sequence is. With Sidney keeping Lucky near the edge of the frame to show how marginalised he feels before making his plea to be heard. And look how expressive Elvis`s face is and how he's able to keep his hands where they should be. Without fidgeting or looking uncertain. He was well directed here and attentive in his own performance. And this shows in the film as whole.
I was going to post that this was one of Elvis' better acting scenes, even though it's a musical interlude because of the facts you mention. He shows the emotion very well in an understated way. Very well done by our man.



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by drjohncarpenter »

r&b wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:After this one, Elvis cut these related tunes:

"Girl Happy" (Doc Pomus and Norman Meade)
"What Every Woman Lives For"
"Never Say Yes"
"Double Trouble"
"You'll Think Of Me" (Mort Shuman)

The team moved to the U.K. circa 1964, and mostly stopped working together not long after. But it's odd that Presley publishing apparently avoided them after so many wonderful recordings. Heck, even their backlog of material would have been better than most of the crap that went down after 1965.
Thanks, knew about Mort, but forgot about those other movie songs. Not at their best after 1964 were they.
Actually, I feel those three songs they gave Presley were either leftovers or done with little regard, as they knew the projects they were being submitted for were garbage. Plus, the team was in essence kaput after Pomus had some kind of injury during the period.


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poormadpeter2

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by poormadpeter2 »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
r&b wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:After this one, Elvis cut these related tunes:

"Girl Happy" (Doc Pomus and Norman Meade)
"What Every Woman Lives For"
"Never Say Yes"
"Double Trouble"
"You'll Think Of Me" (Mort Shuman)

The team moved to the U.K. circa 1964, and mostly stopped working together not long after. But it's odd that Presley publishing apparently avoided them after so many wonderful recordings. Heck, even their backlog of material would have been better than most of the crap that went down after 1965.
Thanks, knew about Mort, but forgot about those other movie songs. Not at their best after 1964 were they.
Actually, I feel those three songs they gave Presley were either leftovers or done with little regard, as they knew the projects they were being submitted for were garbage. Plus, the team was in essence kaput after Pomus had some kind of injury during the period.
You have said this before about an injury during the period leading to the break-up of the team, and yet I have never come across any talk of one.



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drjohncarpenter
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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by drjohncarpenter »

poormadpeter2 wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:Actually, I feel those three songs they gave Presley were either leftovers or done with little regard, as they knew the projects they were being submitted for were garbage. Plus, the team was in essence kaput after Pomus had some kind of injury during the period.
You have said this before about an injury during the period leading to the break-up of the team, and yet I have never come across any talk of one.
That's because I am far better than you at gathering information.

Further, I include sources when I am able, often without being prompted:

Ken Emerson, Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era
https://books.google.com/books?id=H7N3tPSny6AC&pg=PT187

Enjoy.


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Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!


Topic author
poormadpeter2

Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by poormadpeter2 »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
poormadpeter2 wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:Actually, I feel those three songs they gave Presley were either leftovers or done with little regard, as they knew the projects they were being submitted for were garbage. Plus, the team was in essence kaput after Pomus had some kind of injury during the period.
You have said this before about an injury during the period leading to the break-up of the team, and yet I have never come across any talk of one.
That's because I am far better than you at gathering information.

Further, I include sources when I am able, often without being prompted:

Ken Emerson, Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era
https://books.google.com/books?id=H7N3tPSny6AC&pg=PT187

Enjoy.
I see nothing there to tell me you got the information from that book. Just a brief synopsis of the book. No online biographies of Pomus have any mention of an injury from around that time - and you seem rather vague about it ("some kind of injury") during the period, despite your apparent source. Indeed, the songwriter's hall of fame website biography simply says the partnership dissolved.
Credible sources always elevate an internet discussion topic.
https://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95705#p1546521



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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by drjohncarpenter »

poormadpeter2 wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:
poormadpeter2 wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:Actually, I feel those three songs they gave Presley were either leftovers or done with little regard, as they knew the projects they were being submitted for were garbage. Plus, the team was in essence kaput after Pomus had some kind of injury during the period.
You have said this before about an injury during the period leading to the break-up of the team, and yet I have never come across any talk of one.
That's because I am far better than you at gathering information.

Further, I include sources when I am able, often without being prompted:

Ken Emerson, Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era
https://books.google.com/books?id=H7N3tPSny6AC&pg=PT187

Enjoy.
I see nothing there ...
The link goes to page 187 of the book, which details Pomus' injury, and the impending songwriter split. Hint: it's the fifth paragraph on the page.

My goodness, everything about you on this forum is a chore. And never a courteous thank you for any piece of information provided.

Since you aren't seeing the page which is just a mouse-click away, I suggest you hire an IT person to assist you with using your computer.


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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by TJ »

Doc, he's not being obtuse. If the link is accessed from the UK, it goes to a general summary of the book and no preview. If accessed from the US, it takes you to the page. No idea why they've blocked the preview, but they have.


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Re: "I Need Somebody To Lean On"

Post by drjohncarpenter »

TJ wrote:Doc, he's not being obtuse. If the link is accessed from the UK, it goes to a general summary of the book and no preview. If accessed from the US, it takes you to the page. No idea why they've blocked the preview, but they have.
Funny, he fails to mention the disparity, instead, he just complains. That's nothing new. Please confirm for him the information is there.


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Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!