"Magical Mystery Tour" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1967)

Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour
Step right this way.

Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour.
Roll up (and that's an invitation)
Roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up (to make a reservation)
Roll up for the Mystery Tour.
The Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away
(Waiting to take you away).

Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour.
Roll up (we've got everything you need)
Roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up (satisfaction guaranteed)
Roll up for the Mystery Tour.
The Magical Mystery Tour is hoping to take you away
(Hoping to take you away)

The mystery trip.

Aah!
The Magical Mystery Tour.

Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up (and that's an invitation)
Roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up (to make a reservation)
Roll up for the Mystery Tour.
The Magical Mystery Tour is coming to take you away
(Coming/Hoping to take you away)
The Magical Mystery Tour is dying to take you away
(Dying to take you away)
Take you today.

"Home (When Shadows Fall)"

This song, written by Harry Clarkson, Jeff Clarkson and Peter Van Steeden, was performed live by the Beatles from 1957 to 1960. The song was originally performed by Louis Armstrong, as well as Nat King Cole, and was later covered in 1964 by Sam Cooke.

Beatles Covers: Bob Kuban & The In-Men - Drive My Car

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Original Manuscript (1967)

We're Sgt. Pepper lonely hearts club band
We hope you have enjoyed the show
Sgt. Pepper lonely hearts
We're sorry but it's time to go
Sgt. Pepper's lonely
Sgt. Pepper's lonely

We hope you have enjoyed the show
Sorry but it's time to go
We'd like to thank you once again

Sgt. Pepper's lonely

As Released by the Beatles (1967)

One, two (bye), three, four.

Wuh!

We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
We hope you have enjoyed the show.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
We're sorry but it's time to go.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
We'd like to thank you once again
Sgt. Pepper's one and only Lonely Hearts Club Band
It's getting very near the end.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Wuh!

"All Together Now"

"All Together Now" is a song by The Beatles. The songwriting credit is Lennon/McCartney. The song was recorded during the band's Sgt. Pepper period, but remained unreleased until the track was included on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack by Apple Records.

Origins

Lennon and McCartney had no qualms about writing children's songs, and "All Together Now" typifies the kind of song sung in the school playground by girls in games with a skipping rope. The lyrics of the song are very simple, and similar to "Yellow Submarine" in that regard.

The song appears in an animated sequence in the film Yellow Submarine, and is also introduced by The Beatles themselves in a postscript to the film.

Recording

The song was performed in a skiffle style with acoustic guitar with bass and a bass drum. Banjo, harmonica and finger cymbals were added to the instrumental mix. McCartney sang the lead vocal while Lennon and George Harrison sang backing vocals and a chorus consisting of whoever appears in the studio. As with the song "Yellow Submarine," Harrison provides no guitar to the track, instead adding harmonica. Lennon, unusually, plays banjo. The song ends with an old fashioned hand-pumped car horn.

The track was recorded on 12 May 1967 at Abbey Road Studios and mixed the same day, but was not released until 13 January 1969, when it appeared on the soundtrack album. George Martin was absent from this session, leaving Geoff Emerick in charge of the control room.The song took less than six hours to record and was recorded in nine takes, with the ninth one being the "best."

Personnel

Paul McCartney: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

John Lennon: Ukulele, Harmonica, Double-Tracked Lead Vocals, Chorus Vocals.

George Harrison: Bass Guitar, Harmonica, Chorus Vocals.

Ringo Starr: Drums, Percussion, Chorus Vocals.

Cultural legacy

Football fans in the UK have sung the song during football matches. Verizon Wireless used the song in commercials in 2002.

The title All Together Now was also used for a discography of Beatle-related records written by Harry Castleman and Walter Podrazik, and published by Pierian Press in 1975.

The song is the final track in the 1995 Muppet album, Kermit Unpigged, where Kermit the Frog finally manages to get his friends together to sing the song.

The documentary DVD of the Cirque du Soleil show Love is titled All Together Now.

Album: Yellow Submarine (1969), Yellow Submarine Songtrack (1999)
Released: 13 January 1969 (US), 17 January 1969 (UK)
Recorded: Abbey Road Studios, 12 May 1967
Genre: Skiffle
Length: 2:10
Label: Apple Records
Writer: Lennon/McCartney
Producer: George Martin

Wikipedia

How Many Studio Albums Did the Beatles Make?

The correct answer to this, taking into account U.K. LPs from the Beatles era (1962-1970), would be twelve. U.S. LPs in this case would not count per se, as the Beatles did not compile them (Capitol Records did) and often they had a difficult time recalling their contents when playing songs to American audiences ("It's on Beatles VI...I think"). These twelve LPs include:

• Please Please Me (22 March 1963)
• With The Beatles (22 November 1963)
• A Hard Day's Night (10 July 1964)
• Beatles for Sale (4 December 1964)
• Help! (6 August 1965)
• Rubber Soul (3 December 1965)
• Revolver (5 August 1966)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1 June 1967)
• The Beatles (22 November 1968)
• Yellow Submarine (17 January 1969)
• Abbey Road (26 September 1969)
• Let It Be (8 May 1970)

For the CD era, EMI decided to complete the Beatles' collection by issuing the above titles plus Magical Mystery Tour, Past Masters Volume 1 and Past Masters Volume 2. Magical Mystery Tour was originally a 1967 LP released in the U.S. only (until Parlophone issued it in 1976; the Beatles originally issued the film's soundtrack as a double EP). Past Masters is simply an EMI compilation set designed to capture singles, EPs and rarities not included on the albums listed above.

"Lovely Rita" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1967)

Aah!

Lovely Rita meter maid
Lovely Rita meter maid (aah)
Lovely Rita (oh) meter maid
Nothing can come between us
When it gets dark I tow your heart away.

Standing by a parking meter
When I caught a glimpse of Rita
Filling in a ticket in her little white book.

In a cap she looked much older
And the bag across her shoulder
Made her look a little like a military man.

Lovely Rita meter maid
May I inquire discreetly ((lovely Rita))
When are you free ((lovely Rita))
To take some tea with me? ((maid))
Aah!
Rita!
Ooo - ooo.

Took her out and tried to win her
Had a laugh and over dinner
Told her I would really like to see her again.

Got the bill and Rita paid it
Took her home I nearly made it
Sitting on a sofa with a sister or two.

Oh, lovely Rita meter maid
Where would I be without you?
Give us a wink and make me think of you.

Lovely Rita ((lovely meter maid))
Lovely ((Rita, Rita, Rita)) Rita meter maid
Lovely Rita ((oh lovely Rita meter, meter maid)) meter maid
Lovely Rita ((da da da da da da)) meter maid
Da da da da da da da da - da
Da da da - da - da - da - da - wuh - oh
Ah - ah - ah (oh) - ah - ah - ah - ah - ah - ah - ah
Baby!

Beatle People: Grapefruit

Grapefruit was a London-based British band of the late 1960s. Their brand of music was a typical late Sixties blend of pop and rock, which they often fused with psychedelic effects such as phasers and vocoders, or classical arrangements.

Biography

They were formed in 1967 as a result of John Perry meeting Terry Doran at Apple Publishing and Terry inputting Scottish-born singer and Bass guitarist George Alexander (born Alexander Young), a member of the talented Young family that also spawned his brothers George, the rhythm guitarist and founding member of The Easybeats and also Malcolm and Angus Young, both founding members of the Australian hard rock band, AC/DC. Alexander Young had chosen to remain in Britain when the rest of the Youngs emigrated to Australia. Alexander had played with The Bobby Patrick Six, with whom he toured Germany in the mid-1960s.

Together with three former members of 'Tony Rivers & The Castaways' (namely John Perry, Geoff Swettenham and Pete Swettenham), George Alexander formed 'The Grapefruit' (the band discarded the initial 'The' soon afterwards). Terry Doran, a friend of John Lennon, became their manager, seeing some commercial potential in them. Doran arranged for the band's music publishing rights (as songwriters) to be assigned to the publishing wing of The Beatles' new company Apple and they were the signed to Apple. However the first signed band to Apple Publishing was Liverpool group Focal Point, who were signed by Doran in September 1967. Grapefruit's record career was launched in the spring of 1968, albeit not on the Beatles' own Apple label, which opened for business a few months later. They were signed to a US label Equinox, run by Terry Melcher. This was distributed in the UK by Decca Records. However, The Beatles continued to take some interest in Grapefruit, with John Lennon introducing the band to the media and inviting John Perry to join in on the recording of the hit single "Hey Jude."

Grapefruit's recording career spanned only two years, from late 1967 to the end of 1969. They released two albums (Around Grapefruit in 1968, Deep Water in 1969) and several singles, none of which made a significant impact on the charts. Their best-known track is probably the Terry Melcher-produced "Dear Delilah", which was released in early 1968, but failed to enter the UK Top 20. Toward the end of their career, Grapefruit shifted from melodic pop to a more rough, blues-influenced style of music.

Grapefruit broke up in late 1969, with Alexander remaining the most visible. Alexander joined forces with his brother George Young and his songwriting partner Harry Vanda from The Easybeats and in 1970 they recorded for the Young Blood label as Paintbox and Tramp. He also participated in sessions for Vanda and Young's Marcus Hook Roll Band.

John Lennon & Paul McCartney were co-producers on a song called "Lullabye for a Lazy Day," a song that was initially called "Circus Sgt. Pepper."

Members

* George Alexander (b. Alexander Young, December 28, 1946, Cranhill, East End, Glasgow) - bass guitar and vocals
* John Perry (b. July 16, 1949, London) - vocals and guitar
* Geoff Swettenham (b. March 8, 1948, London) - drums
* Pete Swettenham (b. April 24, 1949, London) - guitar

Wikipedia

John Lennon: 1975

By Pete Hamill / June 5, 1975

Richard Perry has described you as a superb producer but maybe in too much of a hurry.

That's true [laughs].

But supposedly, when making the Beatles records, you were painstaking and slow.

No, I was never painstaking and slow. I produced "I Am the Walrus" at the same speed I produced "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night." I would be painstaking on some things, as I am now. If there's a quality that occasionally gets in the way of my talent, it's that I get bored quick unless it's done quick. But "I Am the Walrus" sounds like a wonderful production. "Strawberry Fields" sounds like a big production. But I do them as quick as I possibly can, without losing (a) the feel and (b) where I'm going. The longest track I personally spent time on was "Revolution 9," which was an abstract track where I used a lot of tape loops and things like that. I still did it in one session. But I accept that criticism and I have it of myself. But I don't want to make myself so painstaking that it's boring. But I should [pause] maybe t'ink a little more. Maybe. But on the other hand I think my criticism of somebody like Richard Perry would be that he's great but he's too painstaking. It gets too slick and somewhere in between that is where I'd like to go. I keep finding out all the time - what I'm missing that I want to get out of it.

Is there anybody that you'd like to produce? For example, Dylan?

Dylan would be interesting because I think he made a great album in Blood on the Tracks but I'm still not keen on the backings. I think I could produce him great. And Presley. I'd like to resurrect Elvis. But I'd be so scared of him I don't know whether I could do it. But I'd like to do it. Dylan, I could do, but Presley would make me nervous. But Dylan or Presley, somebody up there . . . I know what I'd do with Presley. Make a rock & roll album. Dylan doesn't need material. I'd just make him some good backings. So if you're reading this, Bob, you know . . .

Elton John has revived "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." How do you feel about him as an artist?

Elton sort of popped in on the session for Walls and Bridges and sort of zapped in and played the piano and ended up singing "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" with me. Which was a great shot in the arm. I'd done three quarters of it, "Now what do we do?" Should we put a camel on it or a xylophone? That sort of thing. And he came in and said, "Hey, ah'll play some piano!" Then I heard he was doing "Lucy" and I heard from a friend - 'cause he was shy - would I be there when he cut "Lucy"? Maybe not play on it but just be there? So I went along. And I sang in the chorus and contributed the reggae in the middle. And then, again through a mutual friend, he asked if it got to be Number One, would I appear onstage with him, and I said sure, not thinkin' in a million years it was gonna get to Number One. Al Coury or no Al Coury, the promotion man at Capitol. And there I was. Onstage.

I read somewhere that you were very moved by the whole thing.

I was moved by it, but everybody else was in tears. I felt guilty 'cause I wasn't in tears. I just went up and did a few numbers. But the emotional thing was me and Elton together. Elton had been working in Dick James's office when we used to send our demos in and there's a long sort of relationship musically with Elton that people don't really know about. He has this sort of Beatle thing from way back. He'd take the demos home and play them and . . . well, it meant a lot to me and it mean a hell of a lot to Elton, and he was in tears. It was a great high night, a really high night . . . Yoko and I met backstage. And somebody said, "Well, there's two people in love." That was before we got back together. But that's probably when we felt something. It was very weird. She came backstage and I didn't know she was there, 'cause if I'd known she was there I'd've been too nervous to go on, you know, I would have been terrified. She was backstage afterward, and there was just that moment when we saw each other and like, it's like in the movies, you know, when time stands still? And there was silence, everything went silent, y'know, and we were just sort of lookin' at each other and . . . oh, hello. I knew she'd sent Elton and I a flower each, and we were wearin' them onstage, but I didn't know she was there and then everybody was around us and flash flash flash. But there was that moment of silence. And somebody observed it and told me later on, after we were back together again, and said, "A friend of mine saw you backstage and thought if ever there was two in love, it's those two." And I thought, well, it's weird somebody noticed it . . . So it was a great night . . . .

There seems to be a lot of generosity among the artists now.

It was around before. It's harder when you're on the make, to be generous, 'cause you're all competing. But once you're sort of up there, wherever it is . . . The rock papers love to write about the jet-setting rock stars and they dig it and we dig it in a way. The fact is that, yeah, I see Mick, I see Paul, I see Elton, they're all my contemporaries and I've known the other Beatles, of course, for years, and Mick for ten years, and we've been hangin' around since Rock Dreams. And suddenly it's written up as they're-here-they're-there-they're-everywhere bit, and it looks like we're trying to form a club. But we always were a club. We always knew each other. It just so happens that it looks more dramatic in the paper.

How do you relate to what we might call the rock stars of the Seventies? Do you think of yourself as an uncle figure, a father figure, an old gunfighter?

It depends who they are. If it's Mick or the Old Guard, as I call them, yeah, they're the Old Guard. Elton, David are the newies. I don't feel like an old uncle, dear, 'cause I'm not that much older than half of 'em, heh heh. But . . . yeah, I'm interested in the new people. I'm interested in new people in America but I get a kick out of the new Britons. I remember hearing Elton John's "Your Song," heard it in America - it was one of Elton's first big hits - and remember thinking, "Great, that's the first new thing that's happened since we happened." It was a step forward. There was something about his vocals that was an improvement on all of the English vocals until then. I was pleased with it. And I was pleased with Bowie's thing and I hadn't even heard him. I just got this feeling from the image and the projections that were coming out of England of him, well, you could feel it.

Pattie Boyd Pictures

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Original Manuscript (1967)

It was 20 years ago today,
When Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
+ He showed them how to please a crowd
The man's a leader that has made them proud
So may I introduce to you, the act you've known
for all these years. Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club
band. APPLAUSE BAND

CHORUS
Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band
We hope you will enjoy the show
Sgt. Pepper's . . . . . . .
Sit back and let the evening go . . . . . .
Sgt. P's lonely, Sgt. P's lonely Sgt. P's lonely hearts club band

As Released by the Beatles (1967)

It was twenty years ago today
That Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.

So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
We hope you will enjoy the show
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sit back and let the evening go.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

It's wonderful to be here
It's certainly a thrill
You're such a lovely audience
We'd like to take you home with us
We'd love to take you home.

I don't really want to stop the show
But I thought you might like to know
That the singer's gonna sing a song
And he wants you all to sing along.

So let me introduce to you
The one and only Billy Shears
And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Billy Shears!

"All Things Must Pass"

"All Things Must Pass" is a song written by George Harrison.

During The Beatles' Get Back sessions in January 1969, this was one of many songs the group rehearsed to be part of their new album. As the sessions progressed, the song was pushed to the side. After the project was abandoned, Harrison recorded a solo demo of the song on multi-track tape on February 25, 1969. The song was never formally recorded by The Beatles by the time of their break-up, although considering the subject matter of the song, it may have been suitable for their final release Let It Be in 1970.

Harrison recorded the definitive version on his landmark All Things Must Pass album later that year.

The song underwent a number of small changes from when it was first written in late 1968. The line "a mind can blow those clouds away" was originally written as the more literal "a wind can blow those clouds away," but bootlegs from the January 1969 Beatles sessions reveal John Lennon suggesting the change to "mind" to include a bit of "psychedelia" in the song. Perspective on one line was slightly changed from "It's not always been this grey" (with The Beatles) on the demo to "It's not always gonna be this grey" (on his own) on the final recording.

Billy Preston, who played keyboard during Get Back/Let It Be sessions and later performed with The Beatles at the Rooftop Concert, recorded his version of the song (as well as Harrison's "My Sweet Lord") on the album Encouraging Words before it surfaced on Harrison's triple album.

The title and lyrics of the song probably come from the last words of Buddha: "All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence." This is often shortened to "All things must pass away."

Paul McCartney sang this song at the Concert for George memorial for Harrison on November 29, 2002.

Album: All Things Must Pass
Published: Harrisongs Ltd.
Released: November 27, 1970
Genre: Rock music
Length: 3:47
Label: Apple Records
Writer: George Harrison
Producer: George Harrison, Phil Spector

Wikipedia

"Love Me Do" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1962)

Love, love me do
You know I love you.
I'll always be true
So please love me do
Whoa-ho love me do.

Love, love me do
You know I love you.
I'll always be true
So please love me do
Whoa-ho love me do.

Someone to love, somebody new.
Someone to love, someone like you.

Love, love me do
You know I love you.
I'll always be true
So please love me do
Whoa-ho love me do (hey hey).

Love, love me do
You know I love you.
I'll always be true
So please love me do
Whoa-ho love me do.

Yes, love me do
Whoa-ho love me do
Yes, love me do.

"All My Loving"

"All My Loving" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney), from the 1963 album With the Beatles. The song was released in the United States in 1964, on the album Meet The Beatles!

Composition

It was the first of only a few occasions where McCartney wrote the lyrics before the music, as it was apparently conceived as a poem while he was shaving. McCartney originally envisioned it as a country & western song, and the music was written on a piano backstage during The Beatles’ Roy Orbison tour, with George Harrison adding his Nashville style guitar solo on the recording. Similarly employing the “letter” song model as used on "P.S. I Love You", "All My Loving" promptly drew much critical acclaim, and also attracted large amounts of radio air-play.

Recording

The Beatles recorded the song on July 30, 1963 in 11 takes with 3 overdubs. The master take was take 14 overdubbed on take 11. It was remixed on August 21 and October 29.

The group also recorded All My Loving three times for BBC radio, once in 1963 and twice in 1964. The final version, which was recorded on 28 February 1964, was included on Live At The BBC.

It was also the band's opening number on its famous US debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on 9 February 1964; the recording was included on Anthology 1.

Other releases and covers

It is also included on other Beatles albums: Anthology 1, Live at the BBC, and The Beatles 1962-1966. An instrumental version of this song appears in the movie Magical Mystery Tour.

The song was released as a single in the Nordic Countries, and in Finland it went no. 1.

Connection to Lennon's Death

According to Alan Weiss, a TV producer who happened to be there, "All My Loving" was playing on the sound system at Roosevelt Hospital emergency room when John Lennon was pronounced dead after being shot on 8 December 1980.

Credits

* Paul McCartney – bass, lead and backing vocal
* John Lennon – rhythm guitar, backing vocal
* George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocal
* Ringo Starr – drums

During live performances, George and Paul sang harmony on the last verse of the song, after the lead guitar solo. In the studio version Paul sang both parts.

Album: With the Beatles
Released: November 22, 1963
Recorded: July 30, 1963
Genre: Rock and roll
Length: 2:04
Label: Parlophone
Writer: Lennon/McCartney
Producer: George Martin

Wikipedia

"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. The Beatles performed the song live in concert from 1957 to 1961.

Song's history

This was the first song recorded by Elvis at RCA Victor. Elvis selected the song. He had earlier promised co-writer 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.

On February 11, 1956, Presley introduced the song live on the CBS television variety program, Stage Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, on March 11 and March 24, and on his third (and final) appearance at The Ed Sullivan Show, also on CBS, on January 6, 1957. Cumulative viewers for these first television performances are estimated at over 65 million. In 1968, he also sang it on his celebrated Comeback TV Special, in a medley with "Hound Dog" and "All Shook Up."

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, and Mae Boren Axton, a teacher at Dupont Jr.-Sr. High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and the mother of singer/songwriter/actor Hoyt Axton. 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. In an interview, 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.

"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. 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."

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 however, Sam Phillips had used two tape recorders and a slight time delay to create the echo on prior Elvis recordings, unbeknowst to the RCA personnel.

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.

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.

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

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. This version first appeared in his concert on 1 June 1974 with Kevin Ayers, Brian Eno and Nico, and takes the depressing aspects of the song to its extremes.

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 De-jah 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.

The Cadets recorded the song in 1957.

Connie Francis recorded a version in 1959.

Ace Cannon recorded the song in 1962.

Chuck Jackson recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1962.

Adam Faith recorded the song in 1965.

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's original line-up of Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler have performed this song live on various shows in the Los Angeles area (mainly on Sunset Strip clubs) in 1986. Around the same time they have also recorded many studio versions of this song, including some demo takes that are available on many bootleg CDs. The band also recorded a final take of the song to be on the EP "Live! Like a Suicide" but this version was never released. Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin also performed this song with Tom Petty on the 1989 MTV's Video Music Awards. In July 2008, an unheard demo version of the song recorded by Guns n' Roses was released unnoficially by Cleopatra Records on an special LP edition of "Hollywood Rocks".

Bruce Springsteen has performed the song in concert.

Legendary guitarist Chet Atkins covered the song in 1963.

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 Texan 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.

At The VH1 Divas Live 2002 concert pop icon Cher sang "Heartbreak Hotel" as part of an Elvis Presley tribute medley. She also was dressed up as Elvis whilst performing.

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."

Kanye West refers to Heartbreak Hotel on his 808s and Heartbreak album on the song "Paranoid".

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. McGuinn wrote: "Elvis Presley inspired me with his single 'Heartbreak Hotel' to the point that I wanted to get a guitar and do what he was doing."

Al Kooper: "When I first heard this in 1956, I thought it was a little black man with a pork-pie hat hunched over a piano with a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he sang and tickled the ivories. My jaw dropped when I saw the real thing."

Canadian singer Gisele MacKenzie performed "Heartbreak Hotel" on the Your Hit Parade TV show in 1956 in a campy horror movie setting.

The song was also covered by Ann-Margret in 1965, Frijid Pink in 1970, Homer and Jethro, Conway Twitty, Delaney and Bonnie, Katie Melua, Pat Boone in 1963, Suzi Quatro in 1977, Bert Jansch in 1982, Link Wray, Hoyt Axton, Martin Carthy, Lynn Anderson, Buddy Love, James Gang, Nancy King, The Cramps, The Residents, Scooter Lee, Ronnie McDowell, Donna Fargo, The Jordanaires, Albert King, Doc Watson, The Soft Boys, Lawrence Welk, The Flamin' Groovies, The Underdogs, Stan Freberg, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kevin Ayers, Eno and Mike Oldfield, and Helmut Lotti.

In early 2004 Stephanie Butland covered this song, as a new version of the song.

The Vandals covered this song, changing it radically and incorporating comically over-explicit lyrics. It appears on their album Peace Thru Vandalism under the title "H.B. Hotel".

Another version of the song is featured on the game Karaoke Revolution Volume 2.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has sung this song in Memphis (The birthplace of Elvis) during his WWE match versus Mankind. His version was different: "Well, since Rock's baby left him / He found a new place to dwell / It's down at the end of Jabroni Drive / At Smackdown Hotel!" Dwayne has also admitted to being a huge Elvis fan. He also performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 12, 2009.

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.
* "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.
* Meryl Streep sings Shel Silverstein's "I'm Checking Out of This Heartbreak Hotel" in the final scene of "Postcards from the Edge."
* Kanye West uses the Heartbreak Hotel in his song, "Paranoid", in the line, "You wanna check into the Heartbreak Hotel, but sorry we're closed."
* The song is featured in Lilo and Stitch with Lilo herself singing "Heartbreak Hotel".

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.
* Serbian rock musician, journalist and writer Dejan Cukić wrote about "Heartbreak Hotel" as one of the forty-six songs that changed history of popular music in his book 45 obrtaja: Priče o pesmama.
* Heartbreak Hotel is the name of the rebels' hideout in the musical 'We Will Rock You'.
* Several lines from the song are referenced in Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale.
* In Professional Wrestling, Shawn Michaels used to have a interview segment called The Heartbreak Hotel
* The song is performed by Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in the 2006 animated film Happy Feet, as a mash-up with the song "Kiss".

Single by Elvis Presley
B-side: "I Was the One"
Released: January 27, 1956
Format: single
Recorded: January 10, 1956
Genre: Rock and roll
Length: 2:08
Label: RCA Records
Writer(s): Mae Boren Axton, Thomas Durden, and Elvis Presley
Producer: Steve Sholes

Wikipedia

"Savoy Truffle" Lyrics

by George Harrison

Original Manuscript (1968)

(1) cream tangerine and montelimar - a ginger sling
with a pineapple heart. A coffee desert [sic]
yes you know it's 'good news' - but you're going
to have them all 'pulled out' after the Savoy Truffle

(2) cool cherry cream and a nice 'apple tart'
I feel your taste all the time we're apart
A coconut fudge really blows down those blues
But you're going to have them all pulled out
after the Savoy Truffle

You may not feel it now but when the pain cuts thru
you're going to know and how
the sweet is going to fill your head
It will become too much [...] shout out loud.

As Released by the Beatles (1968)

Cream tangerine, montelimar
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart.
Coffee dessert - yes you know it's good news
But you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle.

Cool cherry cream, nice apple tart
I feel your taste all the time we're apart
Coconut fudge really blows down those blues (wuh)
But you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle.

You might not feel it now
When the pain cuts through
You're gonna know and how.
The sweat it's gonna fill your head
When it becomes too much
You shout aloud.

But you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle.

You know that what you eat you are
But what is sweet now turns so sour.
We all know ob-la-di 'b-la-da
But can you show me where you are?

Cream tangerine and montelimar
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart
Coffee dessert - yes you know it's good news (wuh)
But you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle.

Yes, you'll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle.

"Guitar Boogie"

"Guitar Boogie" is the name of a song written by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. The Beatles (as the Quarry Men) covered the song in their live act from 1957 to 1959.

Arthur Smith (born April 1, 1921 in Clinton, South Carolina) is an American musician and songwriter.

Arthur Smith was a textile mill worker who became a celebrated and respected country music instrumental composer, guitarist, fiddler, and banjo player who had a major hit with the instrumental, "Guitar Boogie." The song earned him the moniker Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith (to differentiate him from Tennessee fiddler and 1930s Grand Ole Opry star Fiddlin' Arthur Smith) and would be recorded by numerous others including as a rock and roll hit by Frank Virtue and The Virtues renamed the "Guitar Boogie Shuffle." Virtue served in the Navy with Smith and counted him as a major influence. Other musicians who have been influenced by Smith include Nashville studio ace Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell and surf music pioneers The Ventures.

Smith was the son of Clayton Seymour Smith, a textile worker and music teacher who also led the town band in Kershaw, South Carolina; Smith's first instrument was the cornet. Arthur Smith, along with his brothers Ralph and Sonny formed a Dixieland combo, the Carolina Crackerjacks, who appeared briefly on radio in Spartanburg, South Carolina; they had limited success with their jazz format, and became a more popular Country Music group before Arthur moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to join the cast of the WBT Carolina Barndance live show and radio program. Before WWII, he was an occasional member of the WBT Briarhoppers band.

After wartime service in the US Navy, Arthur returned to Charlotte; joined by his brothers, his wife Dorothy and vocalist Roy Lear, he continued his recording career and started his own radio show "Carolina Calling" on WBT. Arthur Smith emceed part of the first live television program broadcast in 1951 by the new television station, WBTV, in Charlotte. The Arthur Smith Show was also the first country music television show to be syndicated nationally, and ran for 32 years in 90 markets coast to coast. The band, now renamed Arthur Smith & His Crackerjacks, became an institution in the Southeast area through the new medium; their daily early-morning program, Carolina Calling, was carried on the CBS-TV network as a summer-replacement during the 1950s, increasing Smith's national visibility. The band was unusual for a Country Music band in that it relied on tight arrangements with written "charts" for most of their music.

In 1955, Arthur Smith composed a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos" and recorded the song with five-string banjo player Don Reno. Later the composition appeared in the popular 1972 film Deliverance as "Dueling Banjos" played by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel. Not given credit, Smith had to proceed with legal action that eventually gave him songwriting credit and back royalties. It was a landmark copyright infringement suit.

As a composer, Arthur Smith has nearly 500 copyrights. Among his copyrights, Smith has over 100 active inspirational and/or gospel music compositions including million sellers "The Fourth Man" and "I Saw A Man." In total, his compositions have been recorded numerous times by artists including Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, The Cathedrals, Al Hirt, Barbara Mandrell, Willie Nelson, The Gatlin Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Boots Randolph, George Beverly Shea, The Stamps, The Statler Brothers, Ricky Van Shelton and many more.

Smith built and managed the first commercial recording studio in the Southeast in Charlotte; in addition to recording Smith, the Crackerjacks and its various members, such as vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Tommy Faile, it produced sides from many other acts, including rhythm and blues star James Brown, whose "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" was cut in Smith's studio. In this facility, Smith also created and produced nationally syndicated radio programs hosted by Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Richard Petty, James Brown, and George Beverly Shea. Billy Graham's "Hour of Decision" radio program was first produced in Smith's studio. Smith also produced and hosted his own radio program "Top of the Morning" which was syndicated for an unbroken span of 29 years.

With the advent of video-tape technology in the 1970s, Smith produced a weekly, thirty-minute program which was carried in over 90 TV markets at its peak. He produced radio and television shows for a number of other artists, including Johnny Cash, gospel singer George Beverly Shea, and was for many years associated with evangelist Billy Graham.

The Crackerjacks band employed a number of noted country musicians at various times, including Don Reno, fiddler Jim Buchanan (later with Jim & Jesse's Virginia Boys and Mel Tillis), banjoists David Deese, Carl Hunt and Jeff Whittington, resonator guitarist Ray Atkins (Johnny & Jack, Carl Story) and country singer George Hamilton IV. Other regular cast members included Wayne Haas, Don Ange, and Jackie Schuler, along with Ralph Smith and Tommy Faile.

Arthur Smith is now retired; his extensive publishing interests, production company, and management business are managed by his son, Clay Smith. The younger Smith, a noted recording artist, ran Johnny Cash's businesses in the late 1970s and returned to the family business in 1982. Clay Smith is also an award winning network television producer, and record producer following in Arthur Smith's footsteps. Arthur and Clay Smith have collaborated on 12 major motion picture soundtracks including "Black Sunday" "Death Driver" and "Living Legend." The father-son team received the Grand Prize-First Place Award for Original Music in the International Real Life Adventure Film Festival, Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy.

Arthur Smith celebrated career includes the following awards: BMI Song of the Year Award 1973; Grammy - Dueling Banjos (1973) (original writer); Council on International Nontheatrical Events - Golden Eagle Award (1980); The Gold Squirrel Award (Grand Prize – First Prize) Festival International Film & Adventura, Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy (1981); International Real Life Adventure Film Festival, 1st Place Award (1981); State of North Carolina Order of The Long Leaf Pine (1984); Southeast Tourism Society Award (1985); American Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award (1986); Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) Special Citation of Achievement (over 1 million broadcast performances of original compositions); The Broadcasters Hall of Fame – North Carolina Association of Broadcasters (1990); South Carolina Broadcasters Association (2006); South Carolina Hall of Fame (1998); North Carolina Folk Heritage Award (1998); North Carolina Award (2001); Legends Award – Western Film Festival 2003; Lifetime Achievement Award - South Carolina Broadcasters Association (2006); BMI Legendary Songwriter Award (2006).

Wikipedia

"The Long and Winding Road" Lyrics

by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

As Released by the Beatles (1970)

The long and winding road that leads to your door
Will never disappear, I've seen that road before.
It always leads me here, lead me to your door.

The wild and windy night that the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears crying for the day.
Why leave me standing here, let me know the way.

Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried
Anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back to the long, winding road.

You left me standing here a long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to your door.

But still they lead me back to the long, winding road
You left me standing here a long, long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here (don't keep me waiting) lead me to your door.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

John Lennon's Record Collection: Buddy Holly - Brown Eyed Handsome Man