Classic Pop Icons

The 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s untimely death is on August 16 and we are marking the occasion by selecting “Heartbreak Hotel” as Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons. “Heartbreak Hotel” was released on single on January 27, 1956, backed with “I Was the One.”

“Heartbreak Hotel” first came to Elvis’ attention when songwriter Mae Boren Axton pitched it to him during a DJ convention in Nashville on November 10, 1955. Elvis was just about to sign for RCA from Sun Records, and his thoughts were on what material he might record for his new label. Mae enthused that “Heartbreak Hotel” could be Elvis’ first million seller and, impressed with the Glenn Reeves demo, Elvis agreed that it would make a strong debut single for his new label. Such was his enthusiasm for the song that he incorporated it into his live act before recording it.

One of a series of RCA publicity shots of Elvis taken in December 1955 in New York

Knowing what we know now, the decision to record and release “Heartbreak Hotel” seems like a no brainer, but there was serious trepidation about the song among the RCA suits. “Heartbreak Hotel” had little in common with the rockabilly sound on Sun singles such as “That’s All Right,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight” or “Baby Let’s Play House”. It was slower, more bluesy and altogether more gloomy in message. Was this the song to catipult Elvis to national stardom and justify the huge fee that RCA had paid to pry him away from Sun?

As it turned out, Elvis’ instincts were spot on, but the success of the single owes as much to the performance of all concerned as it does to the relatively simply composition. Time and again, when people recall hearing the song for the first time in the 1950s, they tell of it sounding unlike anything they had heard before. It is difficult for a modern audience to appreciate how innovative “Heartbreak Hotel” was, given how much music has changed and how many genres and sub-genres sprang from these early rock hits. Perhaps the best way to highlight this is to see what other leading artists have said about the song:

Paul McCartney – “It’s the way [Elvis] sings it as if he is singing from the depths of hell. His phrasing, use of echo, it’s all so beautiful. Musically, it’s perfect.”

Elton John – “It completely changed the way I listened to music forever. It was just so primal. Everything before was beautiful arrangements and bands and singers and this was like …I’d never been around music like that, music that was so powerful. I’d certainly never heard an electric guitar played like that. I’d heard Les Paul and Mary Ford, but never heard anyone play like that. The echo on the record! Wow! I hadn’t been around stuff like that. There wasn’t anything else around like that, at least not in my family. There were no obscure blues singers or anything of that kind. The weird thing was, that week I’d been in the hairdressers in Pinner Green looking at ‘Life’ magazine and I’d seen a picture of this man I assumed must have come from outer space, but that was Elvis Presley. When I put the two together it was astonishing. He looked amazing and he sounded amazing and it changed everything for me. It was rock ‘n’roll! This was what I wanted to be.”

John Lennon – “When I first heard “Heartbreak Hotel”, I could hardly make out what was being said. It was just the experience of hearing it and having my hair stand on end. We’d never heard American voices singing like that. They always sung like Sinatra or enunciate very well. Suddenly, there’s this hillbilly hiccuping on tape echo and all this bluesy stuff going on. And we didn’t know what Elvis was singing about… It took us a long time to work what was going on. To us, it just sounded as a noise that was great.”

Roger McGuinn – “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.”

Keith Richards – “Good records just get better with age. But the one that really turned me on, like an explosion one night, listening to Radio Luxembourg on my little radio when I was supposed to be in bed and asleep, was “Heartbreak Hotel.” That was the stunner. I’d never heard it before, or anything like it. I’d never heard of Elvis before. It was almost as if I’d been waiting for it to happen. When I woke up the next day I was a different guy.”

Cliff Richard – “I was walking with some friends in my old hometown in Hertfordshire, and this car pulled up at the newsagent and the dirver got out and left the car running with the windows down. The radio was on and while we were admiring the car we heard “Heartbreak Hotel”… We were all desperate to find out who it was because we all said that it was a wonderful fantastic sound…Things changed for me from then on because it gave me an aim. That kind of singing was what I wanted to do.”

Marty Wilde – “It was quite a threatening record. It had a kind of druggy, gangster feel. It was on an edge. You had the piano break and Scotty Moore´s guitar sections but it was still kind of odd. It wasn´t Rock´n´Roll as such – a bit bluesy, bit jazzy, and I couldn´t make my mind about it.” (THE TRACK OF THE YEAR, “Mojo” May 2006)

Robert Plant – “It was so animal, so sexual, the first musical arousal I ever had. You could see a twitch in everybody my age. All we knew about the guy was that he was cool, handsome and looked wild.

What makes “Heartbreak Hotel” such a great recording is that there isn’t a single element that doesn’t belong and isn’t perfectly rendered. Elvis’ expressive and wide-ranging vocal masterfully tells the story, but it wouldn’t be the same without Bill Black’s walking bass line, Scotty Moore’s electrifying guitar break, and Floyd Cramer’s bluesy piano part, which brilliantly adds to the mournful mood. The RCA engineers also deserve credit for the echoey effect, which was a significant factor in the recording sounding so different. They were actually trying to emulate the slapback recording technique that Sam Phillips had perfected at Sun and, although they didn’t utilise the same method, the result was still outstanding.

Elvis’ meteoric rise was aided greatly by his dynamic appearances on US television in 1956, which began with six appearances on the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show. “Heartbreak Hotel” was performed on three of these shows, and later on the Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan shows.

“Heartbreak Hotel” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the song at number 45 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The following year, Uncut Magazine ranked Elvis’ first performance of “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 as the number two greatest and most important cultural event of the rock ‘n’ roll era.

“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley

Authorship

“Heartbreak Hotel” was written by Mae Boren Axton and Thomas Durden. The idea came to Durden after he saw an article in the Miami Herald about a man who had committed suicide in a hotel room, leaving a note that said “I walk a lonely street.”

In a 1991 interview, Durden said:

I went over to Mae’s house and I told her I have a good idea for a good blues, but I need some help and I think you and I can do it. She sat down at the piano and I walked around, and in less than half an hour we had the song.”

There is speculation that the song was 100% Durden’s composition and that Axton’s credit came about because of her role in pitching the song.

Recording date/location

“Heartbreak Hotel” was recorded on January 10, 1956 at an RCA Studio at 1525 McGavock Street in Nashville. Elvis also recorded “I Gotta Woman” and “Money Honey” that day.

Musicians

The following musicians appear on “Heartbreak Hotel”:

• Elvis Presley – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Scotty Moore – electric guitar
• Chet Atkins – acoustic guitar
• Bill Black – bass
• D.J. Fontana – drums
• Floyd Cramer – piano.

Elvis, Scotty and Bill had been together at Sun Records from Elvis’ very first session in July 1954. DJ Fontana and Floyd Cramer had both backed Elvis on stage, but this was their first recording session with him.

Chart performance

“Heartbreak Hotel” topped the Billboard pop chart in April 1956. The single also topped the Billboard country chart and reached number five on the R&B chart. It went on to become the biggest selling single of 1956 in the US, earning Elvis his first gold record.

“Heartbreak Hotel” peaked at number two on the UK singles chart in June 1956.

Covers

“Heartbreak Hotel” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded a straight acoustic blues version of “Heartbreak Hotel” for their 1994 album “Endangered Species”. This is an excellent recording, which finishes with some cool piano work from Billy Powell.

“Heartbreak Hotel” – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen sang an unscheduled cover of “Heartbreak Hotel” during his July 7th, 1978 show at the Roxy, while a roadie retuned his guitar. There is an element of parody about the performance, with Bruce incorporating some trademark Elvis-isms, but it’s an infectious performance with some fine backing by the great E Street Band. The song was subsequently featured in a number of other shows on the tour.

“Heartbreak Hotel” – Connie Francis

Connie Francis opened her 1959 album “Rock ‘n’ Roll Million Sellers” with a cover of “Heartbreak Hotel”. It’s a good vocal from Francis, but the timing is questionable at times, and the backing vocals later on aren’t needed. A sax break replaces the famous guitar solo to good effect.

There will be a new Song of the Week on August 20.

Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” is available on the outstanding 2-CD “Elvis Presley (Legacy Edition)”.

Title
Elvis Presley (Legacy Edition) (2 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now