Post by erik on Aug 19, 2023 18:07:24 GMT -5
Elvis "left the building" 46 years ago, on August 16, 1977, but his legacy lives on. One of his big hits of 1958 is in the Pop Music Hits Spotlight this week.
ONE NIGHT (Elvis Presley; RCA: 1958)—Even though he may not have “invented”, or even have been the “architect” of rock and roll, Elvis Presley nevertheless encapsulated every style of music that led to its birth, its durability, and to his great success. Even as a lower-class White kid growing up in Jim Crow-era Mississippi, he had a deep appreciation for the music of his family’s African-American neighbors, including Gospel, rural and urban blues music, which not only openly incorporated into his own style, but gave full credit for. This was true during his two-year tenure on Sam Phillips’ Sun label when he and his family made the big move to Memphis, but it remained the case in many ways for the rest of his lamentably short life on this planet. Unsurprisingly, this “White Kid” having a thing for Colored Peoples’ music made him a lightning rod for right-wing segregationists not only in the South but in other parts of the country as well. Still, Elvis persisted; and his success brought to the ears of young white kids the music of African-Americans, helping to fuel a great sea change in the country. One of the songs Elvis did that came from the R&B world was the song “One Night”, which was written by Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, and Anita Steinman, and recorded originally in 1955 by R&B legend Smiley Lewis. Originally released as “One Night Of Sin”, a title that was perceived by uptight moralists as being lewd and lascivious, Elvis originally recorded the song in February 1957 with those lyrics intact, but that version wouldn’t see the light of day until 1983, six years after he had passed away. Both RCA and Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker had serious reservations about those lyrics, so Elvis himself changed some of the lyrics to make into “One Night With You”; but he kept his gritty R&B-influenced vocals and the R&B/rockabilly arrangement very much on there. And while it may not have been an across-the-board #1 hit like a lot of his others, “One Night” nevertheless became a significant million-seller all the same, peaking at #4 on the Hot 100, and #10 on the R&B chart in November 1958. By that time, following a marathon stint of recording, Elvis was doing his two years of service to Uncle Sam in West Germany, which concluded in March 1960 with him being honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. “One Night” would remain a part of his concert repertoire once he returned to live performances beginning with the 1968 NBC Elvis special; but in between he made that infamous slate of B-grade films (at the Colonel’s suggestion) that endangered his standing for much of the 1960’s.
ONE NIGHT (Elvis Presley; RCA: 1958)—Even though he may not have “invented”, or even have been the “architect” of rock and roll, Elvis Presley nevertheless encapsulated every style of music that led to its birth, its durability, and to his great success. Even as a lower-class White kid growing up in Jim Crow-era Mississippi, he had a deep appreciation for the music of his family’s African-American neighbors, including Gospel, rural and urban blues music, which not only openly incorporated into his own style, but gave full credit for. This was true during his two-year tenure on Sam Phillips’ Sun label when he and his family made the big move to Memphis, but it remained the case in many ways for the rest of his lamentably short life on this planet. Unsurprisingly, this “White Kid” having a thing for Colored Peoples’ music made him a lightning rod for right-wing segregationists not only in the South but in other parts of the country as well. Still, Elvis persisted; and his success brought to the ears of young white kids the music of African-Americans, helping to fuel a great sea change in the country. One of the songs Elvis did that came from the R&B world was the song “One Night”, which was written by Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, and Anita Steinman, and recorded originally in 1955 by R&B legend Smiley Lewis. Originally released as “One Night Of Sin”, a title that was perceived by uptight moralists as being lewd and lascivious, Elvis originally recorded the song in February 1957 with those lyrics intact, but that version wouldn’t see the light of day until 1983, six years after he had passed away. Both RCA and Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker had serious reservations about those lyrics, so Elvis himself changed some of the lyrics to make into “One Night With You”; but he kept his gritty R&B-influenced vocals and the R&B/rockabilly arrangement very much on there. And while it may not have been an across-the-board #1 hit like a lot of his others, “One Night” nevertheless became a significant million-seller all the same, peaking at #4 on the Hot 100, and #10 on the R&B chart in November 1958. By that time, following a marathon stint of recording, Elvis was doing his two years of service to Uncle Sam in West Germany, which concluded in March 1960 with him being honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. “One Night” would remain a part of his concert repertoire once he returned to live performances beginning with the 1968 NBC Elvis special; but in between he made that infamous slate of B-grade films (at the Colonel’s suggestion) that endangered his standing for much of the 1960’s.