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The Truth Behind "Love Me Tender"
The Legend
In the Wikipedia article on "Love Me Tender" it isclaimed that because Elvis would change the songs he recorded for this film, that's why he might be credited as co-writer.
Most authors and websites still credit Elvis as co-writer of"Love Me Tender" because that's the way it was listed on the original RCA release.
But that is incorrect!
The Truth
Neither Vera Matson nor Elvis Presley wrote the words or the music for "Love Me Tender."
Ken Darby wrote the song -- both the words and the music, which was based on an old Civil War era song, "Aura Lee (or Lea)."
Naturally Elvis was involved in the "creative process" during the recording but according to Darby himself, Elvis listened to what Darby suggested about having a simple vocal delivery and followed that suggestion. Elvis was very respectful on his first film because he had high hopes for his future movie career.
It was actually Colonel (an honorary title) Tom Parker, his shrewd and often ruthless manager, who made sure that Elvis received co-writer credit on his early RCA records, including "Love Me Tender."
This was also true for the biggest Elvis hit of all, "Don't Be Cruel," written entirely by songwriter Otis Blackwell. This shameful practice denied the full royalties to the songwriters who wrote the song. To his credit, Elvis never said he had co-written any of these songs. It was Parker who insisted on songwriting credit to gain more attention and money for "his boy" and to fill Parker's pockets with cash.
The Songwriter
As stated above, the songwriter who wrote "Love Me Tender" was Ken Darby (1909-1992).
Ken Darby began his professional music career as a member of The King's Men vocal quartet. They were featured in early films including B-westerns like The Renegade Trail (1939), starring William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy.
Later on, he formed the Ken Darby Singers and they frequently performed with Bing Crosby on radio and records. These same singers are featured on Bing's multi-million-selling holiday record classic: "White Christmas."
In the early 1950s, Darby went to work at 20th Century Fox as as an arranger, songwriter and choral conductor.
While working there he received three Oscars for his adaptations of these Hollywood musicals:
The King and I (with Alfred Newman, 1956)
Porgy and Bess (with Andre Previn, 1959)
Camelot (with Alfred Newman, 1967)He also received a Grammy Award for his work on Porgy and Bess in 1959.
In 2009, Ken Darby was chosen for the
Lifetime Achievement Sammy Award.He wrote all four songs sung by Elvis in Love Me Tender. Darby based the title song on the Civil War era ballad tune,"Aura Lee (or Lea), words by W.W. Fosdick and music by George R. Poulton.
Darby arranged the 1861 tune and added his own words.
So he should be credited as the ONLY songwriter for "Love Me Tender."
Besides the title song there were three other songs written by Darby:
"Poor Boy"
"We're Gonna Move"
"Let Me"
It has been said that Elvis didn't like these songs except the title tune. Yet Elvis managed to put his stamp on all four songs, maybe because he had deep roots in country music and the simple tunes were well suited to his voice. Darby wrote songs that demonstrated a different side of Elvis, a more polished singer. Elvis wasn't pleased that his usual backup combo of Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D.J. Fontana were not used on the soundtrack. Instead, Ken Darby used studio musicians.
When Darby was asked why his wife's maiden name (Vera Matson) was on "Love Me Tender" as co-writer, he replied: "Well, she didn't write it either!"
Actually, he said he wasn't interested in being credited for such a medicore movie starring the young rock n' roll sensation. He probably thought Elvis wouldn't last as a film or recording star. How wrong he was!
Ken Darby was happy with the royalties his wife received as co-writer of "Love Me Tender."
He said the huge royalties helped to pay for their family boat!
--Roger Lee Hall, music preservationist
The Hit Record
It became one of the biggest hits for Elvis.
The song was introduced on television on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956 (see list of appearances above).
The RCA record was shipped a few weeks later on September 28, with "Love Me Tender" (the A side) and "Anyway You Want Me" (the B side).
RCA quickly released a 45 EP album with all four songs from Love Me Tender...
All four songs are available on one CD,
which also has another early Elvis soundtrack:Jailhouse Rock/ Love Me Tender
The Film
The film, Love Me Tender (formerly titledThe Reno Brothers) opened in New York at the Paramount Theater on November 15, 1956. A huge cardboard cut-out sign was hung on the front of the Paramount Theater, and over 1,000 fans lined up to attend the film's premiere. The film was released nationally on November 21 and by then the title song, "Love Me Tender," was already a million seller.
Not surprisingly, this first Elvis film also broke all movie attendance records in Memphis.
On November 22, a Los Angeles Times critic wrote:
"Elvis can act. S'help me the boy's real good, even when he isn't singing."
But not every critic felt that way.
In The New Yorker magazine the critic wrote:
"Mr. Presley, whose talents are meager but whose earnings are gross, excites a big section of the young female population as nobody has ever done."
Love Me Tender was the beginning of the Elvis movie career. But already, in 1956, he had become a sensation on the other media as well: radio, records, and television.
The DVD
This film is now available on a Cinema Classics Collection DVD with several new Featurettes. One gives background about the title song and does mention Darby as the songwriter. Another featurette is about Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker -- with some fascinating information from Alanna Nash,author of the award-winning biography, The Colonel. Don't miss her story about Parker and the elephants! There is also commentary with the film by Elvis close friend, Jerry Schilling, who offers some interesting personal observations:
Elvis and The Jordanaires
It was in 1956 that Elvis made his first recording with The Jordanaires. Elvis had known about this quartet in Memphis and he asked them to join him. Their first recording as backup singers with Elvis was in the RCA Studios in New York on July 2, 1956.
Their first song with Elvis was "Any Way You Want Me" (words & music by Aaron Schroeder-Cliff Owens). This was the B side of the hit single, "Love Me Tender," from the first Elvis movie. The single was released on September 28, 1956 and by Christmas of that year it had already sold 2.5 million records. It also happens to be the first Elvis record I purchased as a teenager and I played it so much I wore it out.
The members of the Jordanaires between 1954 and 1956 were:
Hoyt Hawkins, Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews and Hugh Jarrett.
Gordon Stoker (shown second from the left in the above photo with Elvis) is the only one from that time still a member of The Jordanaires. The other early member is Ray Walker who joined in 1958.
Elvis on Television
List of songs performed by Elvis on television in 1956 and 1957:
Stage Show (CBS TV, hosted by two Big Band musicians: Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey)
Six appearances:
- January 28 - Tommy Dorsey introduced Cleveland disc jockey Bill Randle, who spoke about Elvis on his first national US TV appearance - Songs: "Shake, Rattle and Roll / Flip Flop and Fly" and "I Got A Woman"
- February 4 - Songs: "Baby, Let's Play House" and "Tutti Frutti"
- February 11 - Songs: "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel"
- February 18 - Songs: "Tutti Frutti" and "I Was the One"
- March 17 - Songs: "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel"
- March 24 - Songs: "Money Honey" and "Heartbreak Hotel"
The Milton Berle Show (NBC TV)
Two appearances:
- April 3 - Songs: "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Blue Suede Shoes"
- June 6 - Songs: "Hound Dog" and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"
The Steve Allen Show (NBC TV)
One appearance:July 1 - Songs: "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" and "Hound Dog"
The Toast of the Town (or The Ed Sullivan Show) (CBS TV)
Three appearances in 1956-1957:
- September 9, 1956 - actor Charles Laughton not Ed Sullivan in New York introduced Elvis from Hollywood - Songs: "Don't Be Cruel"; "Love Me Tender"; "Ready Teddy"; "Hound Dog"
- October 28, 1956 - Ed Sullivan introduced Elvis - Songs: "Don't Be Cruel"; "Love Me Tender"; "Love Me"; "Hound Dog"
- January 6, 1957 - Ed Sullivan introduced Elvis - Songs: "Hound Dog"/"Love Me Tender"/Heatbreak Hotel" (Medley); "Don't Be Cruel"; "Too Much"; "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"; "Peace in the Valley"
Those three famous Ed Sullivan shows are now available in the 3 DVD set -- the first two shows have Elvis in full frame, while the third program is "from the waist up"
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