This January 8, 2015 will be Elvis's 80th birthday, wherever he is.
But
so far, I shockingly haven't seen any fanfare from the
RCA/Columbia/BMG/Whatever conglomerate that will use any excuse but
Arbor Day to release a new collection of the King (though now that I've
put it out there, expect Itching Like A Man On A Fuzzy Tree: Elvis Sings Arbor Day, featuring "Singing Tree," "Holly Leaves & Christmas Trees," & God knows what else).
Any
song that appeared on at least 3 or more of the above compilations
automatically made my list. (For the record, there are 17 that appear on
all 5.) I also included all of his US Top 5 Hits & all of his platinum-selling singles.
Finally,
I made sure that the list contained all of Elvis's US #1 Pop, Country, & R&B Hits, as well as his UK #1 Hits.
All sides of The King are represented--trailblazing rockabilly, hard blues, country tunes, tender ballads, slick pop, movie junk, heartfelt gospel, blue-eyed soul, live showstoppers, Vegas schmaltz, revival rock, & more--for a complete musical portrait.
From his first release in 1954 to the last single he would release in his lifetime in 1977, here is Elvis At 80: The 80 Essential Recordings.
1. That's All Right: His first single, & as some like to tell it, the first rock & roll record, period. [single A-side, 1954] #+@%
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky: The flipside of his first single, & in its own way, just as revolutionary. [single B-side, 1954] %
3. Good Rockin' Tonight: A manifesto for all that would come. [single A-side, 1954] +@%
4. Baby, Let's Play House: His first nationally charting record, making #5 on the US country charts. [single A-side, 1955] +@%
5. Mystery Train:
A country song hidden in a blues song hidden in a love song to a
corpse, & for some, the finest recording of his life. [single
A-side, 1955] +@%
6. I Forgot To Remember To Forget:
His first national #1 single (on the Country charts) & the song
that facilitated his jump from regional star to national sensation.
[single B-side, 1955] #%
7. Heartbreak Hotel: The song that put him over--#1 for 7 weeks in the US. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%
8. I Was The One: A ballad, already oozing with his signature vocal mannerisms. [single B-side, 1956; #19 US] +%
9. Blue Suede Shoes: One of his finest rockers. [LP Elvis Presley & single A-side, 1956; #20 US, #9 UK] #+@%
10. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You: A criminally neglected US #1 best-seller, despite what the ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits CD may lead you to believe. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #14 UK] *#%
11. My Baby Left Me: One of the hardest-rocking recordings of the 1950s, buried on a B-side. [single B-side, 1956; #31 US] @%
12. Hound Dog: The
hard rock half of his most famous single, a stateside #1 for a then
record-breaking 11 weeks. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%
13. Don't Be Cruel: The above single's smooth pop half. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%
14. Love Me Tender:
A rewrite of a Civil War ballad that was the title track of his first
film--& the first single to go gold based on advance orders
alone. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #11 UK] *#+@%
15. Love Me: The first EP to chart as a single in US history. [LP Elvis & EP lead track; #2 US] *#@%
16. Too Much: Gluttony as lust, lifted by internal rhymes. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #6 UK] *#%
17. All Shook Up: A signature hit that invoked his recent performance on The Ed Sullivan Show (from the waist up) & #1 in the US for 9 weeks. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@%
18. (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me): His first gospel release, & as some like to tell it, his finest. [EP lead track, 1957; #25 US] +%
19. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear:
The most subtle song about sleeping with girls EVER--& #1 in
the US for 7 weeks. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #3 UK] *#+@%
20. Loving You: The title track of Elvis's 2nd film & 3rd LP; immortalized between "Hound Dog" & "All Shook Up" at the top of the original Elvis' Golden Records, still his finest compilation. [single B-side, 1957; #28 US] #
21. Jailhouse Rock: Springsteen
said that hearing Elvis for the first time was like busting out of
jail; this song takes the Boss at his word--& a US #1 for 7
weeks. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@%
22. Treat Me Nice: A plea to the ladies & a study in atmosphere. [single B-side, 1957; US #27] #@%
23. Blue Christmas: His finest Christmas recording, & in time, a rare non-charting platinum-seller. [LP Elvis' Christmas Album, 1957] %
24. Don't: The last hit before he went into the Army--& in a quiet way, the end of an era. [single A-side, 1958; #1 US, #2 UK] *#@%
25. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck: The
first major single not to hit #1 in the US or UK--although it would top
the charts in Canada; an early harbinger of the shlock that was to
come? [single A-side, 1958; #3 US, #3 UK] *#%
26. Hard Headed Woman: The history of sexism as hard rock. [single A-side, 1958; #1 US, #2 UK] *#%
27. King Creole: The title track of his finest film. [LP King Creole, 1958] #+%
28. Trouble: A raison d'etre for every role he would ever play--on camera & off. [LP King Creole, 1958] #+@%
29. One Night:
An answer record to The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,"
even though it came first. [single A-side, 1958; US #4, UK #1] *#@%
30. (Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I: The point at which style became the substance. [single A-side, 1959; #2 US, #1 UK] *#@%
31. I Need Your Love Tonight: A perfectly fine flipside that would've been any other singer's biggest hit. [single B-side, 1959; #4 US] *#%
32. A Big Hunk O' Love:
One final blast of rock for the decade, & the song that would
first associate "hunka" & "love" in the Elvis lexicon. [single
A-side, 1959; #1 US, #4 UK] *#@%
33. Stuck On You: Back from the Army & ready to reconquer the world, one hit single at a time. [single A-side, 1960; #1 US, #3 UK] *#@%
34. Fame & Fortune: A solid ballad with a stunning vocal--made all the more bittersweet now that we know how the story will turn out. [single B-side, 1960; #17 US]
35. Such A Night: A
track so irresistible, it was carted out as a single during the
doldrums of Beatlemania, where it made the Top 20 in both the US
& UK. [LP Elvis Is Back!, 1960] +@%
36. Reconsider Baby: Another
way his post-Army music could've gone--hard blues full of conviction,
with Elvis driving the band like a runaway train; one of his greatest
performances, even though he lets "Boots" Randolph steal the show. [LP Elvis Is Back!, 1960] +@%
37. It's Now Or Never:
A rewrite of an Italian standard that became his best-selling single
this side of "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel." [single A-side, 1960; #1 US,
#1 UK] *#+@%
38. A Mess Of Blues:
The above single's flipside, which could've (& should've) been a
bigger hit in its own right. [single B-side, 1960; #32 US] #@%
39. Are You Lonesome Tonight?:
The final third of his comeback trinity (along with "Stuck On You"
& "It's Now Or Never"), & in the speaking part, the best
acting of his life. [single A-side, 1960; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@%
40. Wooden Heart: A rarity: A #1 UK single (for 6 weeks!) that was never issued as an A-side in the US. [LP G.I. Blues, 1960; #1 UK] #
41. Surrender: Picking
up where "It's Now Or Never" left off, Elvis exercises his operatic
tendencies that would become a caricature the following decade. [single
A-side, 1961; #1 US, #1 UK] *#@%
42. I Feel So Bad:
As the first non-Hollywood A-side not to hit #1 in either the US or UK,
a sign of the coming trouble in paradise? [single A-side, 1961; #5 US,
#4 UK] *#+%
43. (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame:
Hot enough to be a hit in its own day, hip enough to be turned into a
Smiths song in ours. [single A-side, 1961; #4 US, #1 UK] *#@%
44. Little Sister: Elvis tries to get the girl, despite being wary of her older sister. [single B-side, 1961; #5 US] *#+@%
45. Can't Help Falling In Love: The lead single of his best-selling album (Blue Hawaii)
& rightfully the song with which he would close his sets in the
later years--what else could ever follow it? [single A-side, 1961; #2
US, #1 UK] *#+@%
46. Rock-A-Hula Baby: Along with its flipside, "Can't Help Falling In Love," a microcosm of Elvis in the '60s, pop beauty on one side, movie junk on the other; "Rock-A-Hula Baby" wasn't the worst song Elvis ever recorded, but it was the biggest hit of his infamous 1960s hackwork. [single B-side, 1961; #23 US] #
47. Good Luck Charm: Elvis tries to get the girl by invoking the superstitions of talismans. [single A-side, 1962; #1 US, #1 UK] *#@%
48. She's Not You: Elvis tries to get the girl by re-staging the plot of Vertigo. [single A-side, 1962; #5 US, #1 UK] *#@%
49. Return To Sender: Elvis tries to get the girl by enlisting the U.S. Postal Service. [single A-side, 1962; #2 US, #1 UK] *#+@%
50. (You're The) Devil In Disguise: Elvis tries to get the girl by entering a Paradiso-enshrined Inferno. [single A-side, 1963; #3 US, #1 UK] *#+@%
51. Bossa Nova Baby:
Elvis tries to get the girl but all she wants to do is dance--also the
final single he released before JFK was shot & his last US Top
10 of new material until his comeback later in the decade--coincidence?
[single A-side, 1963; #8 US, #13 UK] *#+%
52. It Hurts Me: When Elvis applied himself & the material was decent, the result could transcend itself; a minor gem. [single B-side, 1964; #29 US] @%
53. Viva Las Vegas:
A telling celebration of the kitschy consumer culture that would
consume him in a few short years. [single A-side, 1964; #29 US, #15 UK]
#+%
54. Crying In The Chapel:
Elvis's only pre-comeback US Top 10 once The Beatles arrived--&
it was recorded in 1960. [single A-side, 1965; #3 US, #1 UK] *#%
55. Tomorrow Is A Long Time:
Elvis's only real Dylan cover--& the cover that Dylan is said
to have treasure the most--buried away as a bonus track on the flipside
of a mediocre soundtrack. [LP Speedway, 1966] @%
56. How Great Thou Art: The greatest sacred performance of Elvis's life. [LP How Great Thou Art, 1967; #101 US] %
57. Big Boss Man:
The first of Elvis's "pre-comeback" singles that signaled his quiet return to meaningful rock music,
before an official comeback vehicle was formed. [single A-side, 1967;
#38 US] +@%
58. Guitar Man: The finest of his "pre-comeback" singles; reissued to the country market in 1981, it topped the genre's charts. [single A-side, 1968; #43 US, #19 UK] +@%
59. A Little Less Conversation:
A forgotten flipside that was so hot it became a #1 single. In England.
30 years later. Through a remix. Yet I find the implied funk of the
original all the more exciting. [single B-side, 1968; #69 US] +
Volume 3: Resurrection.
60. If I Can Dream: The closing song of the comeback
special & one of the finest performances of his life. [single
A-side, 1968; #12 US, #11 UK] #+@%
61. Memories: The sentimental theme of the comeback special, which means it's the sentimental theme of his entire career. [LP ELVIS: NBC-TV Special, 1968; single A-side, 1969; #35 US] #+%
62. In The Ghetto:
Keeping with the times, Elvis wanted to do a "message" song; keeping
with himself, he did one that spoke out against poverty; although it
missed the top of the main US & UK charts, it was snuck onto ELV1S thanks to a #1 in Cashbox. [single A-side, 1969; #3 US, #2 UK] *#+@%
63. Only The Strong Survive: Some motherly wisdom that formed the most recognizable track from the finest studio album he would ever make. [LP From Elvis In Memphis, 1969] +@%
64. Long Black Limousine: Elvis's finest performance, period. (c/f my earlier American Wolf piece about it here.) [LP From Elvis In Memphis, 1969]
65. Suspicious Minds:
His final US #1, driven by a love-fueled paranoia that wouldn't meet
its match until Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." [single A-side, 1969;
#1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%
66. Don't Cry Daddy:
A tender performance of a country weeper, just before the production
values turned the material more maudlin than meaningful. [single A-side,
1969; US #6, #8 UK] *#+@%
67. Stranger In My Own Home Town: Elvis's hardest blues, in no small part because, as a '50s rocker finding his way in the '60s, he lived it out. [LP From Elvis From Vegas To Memphis/From Memphis To Vegas, 1969] @%
68. Kentucky Rain: His greatest single miss the Top 10 (except for in Canada & Australia). [single A-side, 1970; #16 US, #21 UK] #+%
69. The Wonder Of You:
"Kentucky Rain" notwithstanding (it was a track from 1969 that wasn't
released until early 1970), this was the beginning of Elvis's final
decade--live, off-handed, passionate, overzealous, & powerful;
many subsequent songs would try to meet this standard, but precious few
would succeed. [single A-side, 1970; #9 US, #1 UK] *#+@
70. Polk Salad Annie:
Never much of a hit or a radio staple, someone at RCA must love this
one, as it makes not just every multi-disc anthology, but the one-disc
summaries of them too; that said, it nicely captures Elvis on stage in
his '70s prime, albeit without the focus or power of "The Wonder Of
You." [LP On Stage, 1970; UK single A-side, 1973; #23 UK] +@%
71. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me: Both
"The Wonder Of You" & "Polk Salad Annie" were live recordings;
this song marks the beginning of the studio '70s--regal, overblown,
& at its best (like here), a place where quality of songcraft is
met by commitment of performance. [single A-side, 1970; #11 US, #9 UK]
#+@
72. I Just Can't Help Believin': Another
song that somehow makes nearly every major Elvis compilation; issued as
a single a year later in the UK, it reached a more-than-respectable #6.
[LP That's The Way It Is, 1970] +@%
73. An American Trilogy:
The paradoxes of the Civil War resolved in a single medley: South
("Dixie"), North ("The Battle Hymn Of The Republic"), & slave
("All My Trials"). [single A-side, 1972; #66 US, #8 UK] #@%
74. Burning Love: His final truly signature hit; snuck onto the ELV1S CD because it reached #1 on Cashbox. [single A-side, 1972; #2 US, #7 UK] *#+@%
75. Always On My Mind: A stirring study in melody & regret. [single A-side, 1972; #9 UK] #+@%
76. Steamroller Blues:
From his "Aloha From Hawaii" concert comes the most unlikely single of
them all--a James Taylor cover that climaxes with the singer comparing
his love to a napalm bomb. [LP Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite, 1973; single A-side, #17 US, #15 UK] +%
77. Promised Land: His last great recording & his first successful Chuck Berry cover. [single A-side, 1974; #14 US, #9 UK] #@%
78. Hurt:
The anguish of lost love met with an almost operatic delivery in his
most celebrated late-period recording. [single A-side, 1976; #28 US,
#37 UK] +%
79. Moody Blue:
The title track of his final album & the final US #1 in his
lifetime (on the country charts). [single A-side, 1976; #31 US, #6 UK]
#+
80. Way Down: The last
single Elvis released in his lifetime, sales (& significance)
buttressed by his death. [single A-side, 1977; #18 US, #1 UK] #%
