RaR1 – Heartbreak Hotel
DIRECTIONS:
Listen to the recording of the tune by clicking the attached mp3 file. This will open the recording in a new window or tab. Listen and follow along with the listening guide in the book.
Read the liner notes below.
Read the information “What to Listen For”
Respond to the Rate-A-Record/Questions by clicking on the assignment link and then click on on the button “Write Submission” (to the right of Text Submission) to record your response. Do not use the comments field.
Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley
“Heartbreak Hotel” is one of the first singles Elvis Presley recorded after RCA purchased his Sun Records contract from Sam Phillips. Presley wrote almost none of his own songs; he was presented with a selection of songs by professional songwriters and chose material he thought would be suitable. Sometimes he and his band would try out songs and choose those that stimulated ideas.
“Heartbreak Hotel” was written by Thomas Durden and Mae Boren Axton (the latter was the mother of singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton). RCA executives weren’t displeased with the resulting record, but were afraid to release it because the song didn’t sound like Elvis’s earlier material, nor was it like anything else on the radio at the time. Slow, depressing, and filled with unfamiliar vocal mordents and influences, it also made heavy use of echo and reverb. In an attempt to duplicate the acoustic resonance of Elvis’s Sun records, recording engineer Bob Ferris built an echo chamber in the studio’s hallway, and the resulting sound was quite live. Fortunately, RCA decided to release the disc. Though it climbed the charts more slowly than some of his Sun sides, “Heartbreak Hotel” eventually reached number one on both the pop and country charts and stayed there for eighteen weeks. It was also Elvis’s first gold record.
Elvis’s move to RCA Victor drastically changed his career. His new manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was aggressive in seeking out new opportunities for his artist. He used RCA’s reputation and contacts to arrange larger tours, film cameos, and television performances. Once Elvis appeared on television his stardom was almost inevitable. This was, in part, the result of his physicality, not just the much-condemned hip-swiveling, but also his charismatic stage presence and his cooler than cool appearance, but the exposure also brought his music to a broad cross-section of the United States. It is estimated that one in three Americans saw at least one of Presley’s three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Fans and scholars disagree about the impact of the RCA move on Elvis’s music. Many of the songs he recorded after 1957 had less energy and drive than his Sun sides, and they were, on the whole, less influenced by rhythm and blues. While the record company is often blamed, Elvis very much wanted mainstream success and approval. His idol was Dean Martin, and songs like “It’s Now or Never” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight” reflect his ambition to sound more like Martin and other top singers of the day. Like those artists, he also performed material influenced by contemporary music “fads,” like the bossa nova (“Bossa Nova Baby”) and Hawaiian music (“Rock-a-hula Luau”). However, he also recorded some of his biggest rock and roll hits, like “Jailhouse Rock” and “I Got Stung,” at RCA.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
The predominance of the string bass playing “walking” bass lines.
Blues-influenced piano fills interwoven into Elvis’ vocals.
Shuffle feel, jazz/swing influences.
Short electric guitar solo.
Short piano solo.
Elvis’ signature vocals with “hiccup” effects.
RATE-A-RECORD/QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
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