Heartbreak Hotel

"Heartbreak Hotel" is a rock and roll song performed by Elvis Presley, with Bill Black (bass), Scotty Moore (guitar), D.J. Fontana (drums), Floyd Cramer (piano) and Elvis on rhythm guitar as the main supporting musicians. Recorded in January 1956 in Nashville, the song introduced Presley to the American national music consciousness. It was released as a single with the b-side song "I Was The One" on January 27 1956. "Heartbreak Hotel" became the first No.1 pop record by Elvis and was the best selling single of 1956.^[1]

Song's history

The song is an example of simple verse form based on the eight-bar blues progression. It was written by Thomas Durden, then a steel-guitarist in Smiling Jack Herring and his Swing Billies, [1] and Mae Boren Axton, a teacher at Dupont Jr.-Sr. High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and the mother of singer/songwriter/actor Hoyt Axton. Her connection to Elvis Presley was that she was a publicist for Hank Snow, who was managed by Colonel Tom Parker, who also managed Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley received co-songwriting credit for his contributions to the final recorded release.[2] In an interview, Tommy Durden conceded that he did not recognize the song after Elvis had made the changes to the song in the studio, including changes to the tempo, phrasing, lyrics, and overall sound.

Durden read about a suicide in the Miami Herald in 1955. A well-dressed man had removed all labels from his clothing, destroyed his identity papers and left a note saying: "I walk a lonely street." [3]

This was the first song recorded by Elvis at RCA Victor. Elvis selected the song. He had earlier promised Mae Boren Axton that he would want to record it. He arrived at the studio with the song ready to record it without input from RCA. Although producer Steve Sholes was worried, he recorded the song taking it on faith that Elvis knew what he was doing. Most others at RCA Victor believed that it was a mistake, especially after hearing that the finished recording sounded nothing like the prior Elvis recordings at Sun Records.

Song's status on the charts

"Heartbreak Hotel" was no. 1 for 8 weeks on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart when released in 1956 on RCA Records. The record was no. 1 for 17 weeks on the Billboard Country Chart and reached no. 3 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues Chart. In 2006, more than 50 years after its initial release, "Heartbreak Hotel" returned to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart when re-released.

Steve Sholes used a hallway at the studio to get a noticeably unusual echo for the single. Sholes was attempting to recapture the Sun Records sound not knowing that Sam Phillips ran recordings through a second recorder head to produce the Sun Records echo. Because the vocals on the original record featured such a heavy use of reverb, the song was immediately lampooned in radio humorist Stan Freberg's parody of the song, where the lead singer repeatedly asks for "more echo on [his] voice." When Elvis recorded Hound Dog a few months later, he had completely taken over the role of producer, using what he learned at Sun Records (although Steve Sholes was still credited) and decided not to use echo.

"Heartbreak Hotel"'s lyrical matter deals with the singer's sadness, implicitly that following the end of a romantic relationship. It uses the metaphor of a hotel to represent this emotional state.

The song was later ranked #45 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is a Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 1956, Presley sang the song live and introduced it at the Tommy Dorsey TV Show, on February 11. He also sang it on March 1 and March 24 of that year, and on his third and last appearance at the Ed Sullivan Show, also on CBS, on January 6, 1957. Cumulative viewers for these first television performances are estimated at over 60 million. In 1968, he also sang it on his celebrated "Comeback TV Special", in a medley with Hound Dog and All Shook Up.

Song's legacy

There is now a real hotel named after the song, and located across from Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee.

A movie with the same title, based on a mythical incident involving the kidnapping of Elvis Presley, was released theatrically in 1988. It starred David Keith as Elvis Presley, and Tuesday Weld and was directed by Chris Columbus.

Cover versions of the song

During the late-1950s and early 1960s, Johnny Cash and his band (The Tennessee Three) performed a parody of Elvis' stage techniques as a comedy act during concerts. Johnny would have Marshall Grant (his bass player) hand him a comb, so he could re-style his hair in an exaggerated approximation of Elvis' hairstyle. He would then proceed to sing "Heartbreak Hotel" whilst shaking his hips and legs in the manner of Elvis. After his 'song', Johnny would take the comb back and put his hair back to normal, while saying "I walked past a barber shop earlier today, and the barber came out and said 'hey son, I'll give you an estimate'". He'd drop the comb (implying it had come alive from all the wax and such that was in his hair) and Marshall would shoot it with a blank pistol; Johnny and Luther Perkins (his lead guitarist) would jump off the stage in fright, and his drummer (W.S. Holland) would fall off his stool.

There are numerous cover versions of the song, including one by avant garde musician John Cale, although the mood of the song was significantly more unsettling than Elvis's version. Tommy Emmanuel has recently included this song into his repertoire and only involves him on lead guitar and vocals.

Dread Zeppelin, a reggae band fronted by an Elvis impersonator, does a medley of "Heartbreak Hotel" and Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker entitled Heartbreaker (At the End of Lonely Street). This tune appears on Un-Led-Ed and Deja Voodoo.

Three other songs, also entitled "Heartbreak Hotel" were released as singles, one by The Jacksons (later renamed "This Place Hotel"), a second by Whitney Houston, whose mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston performed in several Elvis recordings, both in the studio and live, as a member of the Sweet Inspirations. A third song called "Heartbreak Hotel" was performed by C. C. Catch. None of these songs are connected to Elvis's song.

Paul McCartney recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" using Bill Black's bass at Abbey Road Studios. McCartney said: "It was Elvis who really got me hooked on beat music. When I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel' I thought, this is it... Musically it's perfect."

Merle Haggard included "Heartbreak Hotel" on his 1977 album "My Farewell To Elvis"

Van Halen, featuring David Lee Roth on lead vocals, performed the song on their 1983 Diver Down World Tour. Van Halen also performed the song live in the 1970s.

Jimi Hendrix recorded the song as part of an Elvis Presley medley along with "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Trouble".

Guns N' Roses have performed the song live in concert with Axl Rose on lead vocals in the late 80s. They also recorded a studio version, which is available on the internet.

Bruce Springsteen has performed the song in concert.

Legendary guitarist Chet Atkins has covered the song.

George Harrison of The Beatles remembered in an interview that "Heartbreak Hotel" was the first rock and roll record he ever heard.

"Heartbreak Hotel" was also a favorite of Jim Morrison of The Doors. The Doors performed "Heartbreak Hotel" as part of a medley in 1970 in Detroit in concert with Jim and Ray Manzarek sharing the vocals.

Led Zeppelin performed "Heartbreak Hotel" as part of a medley during their 1972 tour. The recording remains unreleased.

Willie Nelson and Leon Russell had a no. 1 cover version in 1979 on the country charts.

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones said: "When I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel', I knew what I wanted to do in life."

Oldies group Sha Na Na has recorded "Heartbreak Hotel".

Fats Domino recorded his version of "Heartbreak Hotel".

An instrumental version of Heartbreak Hotel was recorded by early Texas rock group Tommy & The Tom Toms in 1960. It was produced by Major Bill Smith (Hey Baby, Hey Paula, Last Kiss) and released on Chess Records (#1773) under the pseudonym of the Bill Smith Combo.

Legendary southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded the song.

Country legend Roger Miller covered "Heartbreak Hotel" on his 1966 Words and Music album.

In 2007, Justin Timberlake performed "Heartbreak Hotel" in concert.

Fonzie, Henry Winkler, sang the song on Happy Days in the 1970s.

Tanya Tucker recorded the song in the 1970s.

US President Bill Clinton performed a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" on sax on the Arsenio Hall Show in the 1990s during his campaign.

Tom Jones covered "Heartbreak Hotel". Jones said Elvis inspired him to become a singer: "It was the first time I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel'. It gave me hope that I could become a famous performer, too. I knew I had the voice and the flair for it. Of course, Elvis and I became great friends."

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds recorded a version of "Heartbreak Hotel". He stated that "Heartbreak Hotel" was the first rock record he heard in 1956. Afterwards, he got his parents to buy him a guitar.

The song was also covered by Ann-Margret, Frijid Pink, Homer and Jethro, Conway Twitty, Delaney and Bonnie, Katie Melua, and Pat Boone.

Song mentioned in other songs

Patty Loveless's single "Blue Side of Town" from her Honky Tonk Angel album in 1988 had a line in the song's chorus with "And it's Heartbrak Hotel. Yes I know it well. I hang around. The Blue Side of Town."
U2 wrote a song called "A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel." It is a b-side to their "Angel of Harlem" single, released in 1988. It was also covered by Hugh Jackman for the 2006 animated film Happy Feet where it mixed with Nicole Kidman's voice singing Kiss.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is referenced in "Short Fat Fannie" by Larry Williams: "One day while I was visiting the Heartbreak Hotel."
Dire Straits' song "Calling Elvis" mentions it in the chorus.

Cultural references

In 2005, Uncut Magazine ranked the first performance of "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956 by Elvis Presley as the no.2 greatest and most important cultural event of the rock and roll era.
Heartbreak Hotel is the name of the rebels' hideout in the musical 'We Will Rock You (musical)'.

References

1. ^ Jim Dawson, & Steve Propes (1992). What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record. Boston & London: Faber & Faber, p. 194-197. ISBN 0-571-12939-0.

Gray, Michael "Thomas Durden obituary", The Guardian, 1999-10-28, Retrieved on April 19, 2007.

External links

http://www.elvis.com/epheartbreakhotel/

Preceded by "The Poor People of Paris" by Les Baxter	Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 5-June 9, 1956 by Elvis Presley	Succeeded by "The Wayward Wind" by Gogi Grant
Preceded by "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band	Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single September 1, 1979 by Willie Nelson and Leon Russell	Succeeded by "I May Never Get To Heaven" by Conway Twitty
Preceded by "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado	Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year 1956	Succeeded by "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley

In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.

Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

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Elvis Aaron Presley^[1]^[2] (January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician, actor, writer, and producer. He is a cultural icon, often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".
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A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song (the one that
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January 27 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
672 - St.

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s 1930s 1940s - 1950s - 1960s 1970s 1980s
1953 1954 1955 - 1956 - 1957 1958 1959

Year 1956 (MCMLVI
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In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.

Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

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January 10 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war.

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A music genre is a term that describes the process of dividing popular music into categories. Some treat the terms genre and style as the same, and state that genre should be defined as pieces of music that share a certain style or "basic musical language.
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Rock 'n' Roll (short for Rock and Roll), is a genre of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of the world. It later spawned the various sub-genres of what is now called simply 'rock music'.
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In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. In everyday usage, a record label is also a company that manages such brands and trademarks; coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution,
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RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. RCA Records was founded in 1901 as the Victor Talking Machine Company, and the RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America, which was the parent corporation in the pre-BMG days.
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A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. That is to say, a songwriter is a lyricist, a composer, or both.
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Mae Boren Axton (September 14, 1914 in Bardwell, Texas - April 9, 1997 in Hendersonville, Tennessee) was known in the music industry as the 'Queen Mother of Nashville'. She was one of the co-writers of the song Heartbreak Hotel, made popular by Elvis Presley.
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In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering
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Steve Sholes (February 12 1911 in Washington, D.C. - April 22 1968 in Nashville, Tennessee) was an American record producer.

He was one of the most influential producers in postwar music.
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__NOEDITSECTION__ A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of record charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40.
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I Forgot to Remember to Forget is a country song written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers. It was recorded in Sun Studios by Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black in July, 1955, and released on August 20, 1955 along with Mystery Train (Sun 223).
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"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" is a popular song written by Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff, and most famously performed by Elvis Presley.

In April 1956, RCA Victor producer Steve Sholes was looking for a strong single to follow up Elvis Presley's colossal hit
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For other uses, see Bill Black (disambiguation)

William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician. He is noted for being Elvis Presley's bassist.
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The electric bass guitar (or "electric bass") is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. The bass is typically similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale
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Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III (born December 27, 1931 near Gadsden, Tennessee) is a legendary American guitarist and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of
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The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four, seven, eight, ten, and twelve string guitars also exist.
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Dominic Joseph Fontana (born March 15, 1931 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. He played on over 460 RCA cuts with Elvis.

Nicknamed "D.J.
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Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound."

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano.
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piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by striking steel strings with felt hammers that immediately rebound allowing the string to continue vibrating at its resonance frequency.
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Heartbreak Hotel

Information about Heartbreak Hotel

Song's history

Song's status on the charts

Song's legacy

Cover versions of the song

Song mentioned in other songs

Cultural references

References

External links

Events

Events