Previous Page “Fairytale” had been a hit record for the Pointer Sisters for the better part of a year when Elvis finally recorded his version. Curiously, though the song had a strong countrified flair to it, it fared better on the all-inclusive Hot100 chart (placing at #13) than it did on the country-exclusive chart (where it only reached #37). The Pointer Sisters were the first successful black female country act (solo or group) and were the first black females to perform on the Grand Ole Opry. Elvis had a good foundation to work with here, and it was a fitting song to record. The lyrics were about the singer who realized his lover no longer cared so he was “walking out the door.” As with “Separate Ways” it paints basically the opposite picture of reality concerning what happened between him and Priscilla, but Elvis was never one to face reality unless absolutely necessary. He probably heard the song and convinced himself it perfectly told the story of what happened to his failed marriage. Felton Jarvis’ arrangement really lays the country instrumentation on thick, as slide guitars make their most pronounced appearance on an Elvis record since the Elvis Country album he recorded five years prior. It made sense for the “king of rock and roll” to take this route, however, as he was certainly finding more and more success on country radio stations than anywhere else (“oldies” stations were not yet as prevalent as they would become), and even his more-overtly rock songs like “Burning Love” were longer-lasting hits with country fans than with rock listeners. Adapting a recent country hit seemed like a no-brainer, but the execution of the song leaves a lot to be desired. Elvis does nothing with it. Other than slightly upping the tempo, Elvis takes the song as he knew it from the radio and simply recorded a basic cover of it (and one that seems to fade out just as it gets going). The days of his taking Hound Dog and turning it from blues jam to breakneck rocker were far behind him. Elvis’s voice is much crisper than in the 1973 Stax recordings, although he struggles with hitting the high notes. Still, it’s nice to hear some honest-to-goodness enunciation coming from the singer for the first time in half a decade. His time at Baptist Hospital was still paying off. Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party. YouTube privacy policy If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh. Accept YouTube Content “Green, Green Grass of Home” was up next and it was a certified country anthem by the time Elvis recorded it, ten years after Porter Wagoner took it to #4 and nine years after Tom Jones reached number-one with it. Over the years it became a song that basically every country singer (or any other singer looking to dip their toes in the genre) had to record. In 1968 Johnny Cash released what is perhaps the definitive version from, fittingly, inside the cold grey walls of Folsom Prison. As with “Fairytale” the impetus for Elvis recording it was simply his being smitten with it. He heard Tom Jones’ version in the car in eastern Arkansas on his way back home. George Klein’s radio show (on the same WHBQ station that played the first Elvis record on the air) and called in to have Klein play it again when it ended…and again…and again. And again. Elvis’s version is solid. In fact it might be even better than solid. The strength in his voice that was evident on “Fairytale” is still present, and the song is right up his alley: Sincere, a little operatic, and not overdone in the arrangement (although sometimes the “ooohs” from the backers come close to overpowering his voice). After two songs, it’s clear that this session was going to go far better than either of his trips to Stax in 1973. The song selection may have been uninspired, but he was doing more with less. Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party. YouTube privacy policy If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh. Accept YouTube Content “I Can Help” was a recent one-hit-wonder by Billy Swan, having reached number-one with the song on both the country and Hot100 charts. Unlike with the first two songs of the session, this one was not brought in by Elvis, but by Felton Jarvis, who knew his singer could do good work with it. Also unlike the previous two songs, Elvis was no fan of the song, remarking that he was sick of hearing it on the radio. Nevertheless, Elvis knocked out a take—only one complete take—and then moved on. If there was a sign needed that this session would be the opposite of Stax that was it; Elvis’s one take sounds as polished and perfected as some artists’ twentieth takes. Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party. YouTube privacy policy If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh. Accept YouTube Content “And I Love You So” was the first song of the session with strong single potential. Perry Como had made the Don McLean song a hit in 1973 and Elvis knew just how to work the material. It’s also the first time in the session that Elvis and Felton opt for some tweaking in the arrangement. Como’s version was a little too “Sinatra/nightclub” so Elvis stripped it down and kept strictly as a ballad. It still picks up at the one-minute mark, but Elvis’s version manages to keep the overly-sentimental lyrics in check, and his obvious desire to do it right keeps it from being too heavy-handed. Unfortunately, the song never was released as a single and it remains another largely forgotten gem. Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party. YouTube privacy policy If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh. Accept YouTube Content