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Today is the 33rd anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, so it’s only fitting that the new Song of the Week is one of Elvis’ fine recordings. “It’s Now or Never” was beginning its second week at the top of the US singles chart on this day fifty years ago and it would go on to be one of Elvis’ biggest hits.

Elvis was drawn to the melody of “O Sole Mio” and so commissioned English lyrics for the Italian standard. This was not the first time that an English version of the song had been recorded. “There’s No Tomorrow” was a hit for Tony Martin in 1949 and Elvis had recorded an informal version of that song while in the army in Germany in 1959.

The song choice may have seemed unusual for Elvis at the time, but he had broad musical tastes and an affection for light opera that attracted him to the song. There was also a conscious decision on the part of Elvis’ management to make him more mainstream when he returned from the army. The logic seemed sound at the time. It was thought likely that rock ‘n’ roll would be as much of a passing fad as many other musical trends and that Elvis’ appeal should therefore be broadened to preserve his career. That is why the decisions were made to have Elvis’ return from the army marked by a Frank Sinatra television special and for his first post-army movie to be a lighthearted family comedy called “G.I. Blues.” This was a departure from his previous movie, “King Creole,” which was a rock ‘n’ roll drama that featured perhaps Elvis’ finest acting performance of his entire career.

Commercially at least, it was difficult to fault this approach at the outset. “G.I. Blues” was a big success (more so than the more dramatic “Flaming Star” and “Wild in the Country” that followed) and “It’s Now or Never” was a huge hit around the world, performing better than the light rocker “Stuck On You,” which was Elvis’ first post-army single. One of the reasons for this is highlighted by an article in the July 18, 1960 issue of Billboard, which noted that “It’s Now or Never” was receiving much more airplay than Elvis’ previous single because it was also being played on many non-rock ‘n’ roll stations which “previously considered Presley strictly in the rockabilly groove.”

The decisions taken to broaden Elvis’ appeal would ultimately prove artistically stifling, with the quality of movie scripts and movie soundtrack material dipping as the decade wore on. That was later though. In 1960, Elvis was recording high quality material, covering multiple genres with ease. “It’s Now or Never” was a sublime performance, which silenced many of his pre-army critics.

“It’s Now or Never” was released in July 1960, backed with the brilliant “A Mess of Blues,” which was penned by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Billboard magazine named “It’s Now or Never” the Vocal Single of 1960.

Authorship

The melody, “O Sole Mio,” was composed by Eduardo di Capua in 1898. The new English lyrics were written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold. Schroeder wrote many songs for Elvis, including “Big Hunk O’ Love” and “Stuck On You.”

Recording date/location

“It’s Now or Never” was recorded on April 3, 1960 at RCA Studio B – Nashville, Tessessee. It was completed in just four takes.

The session was designed to produce an album and a couple of singles. The result was one of Elvis’ finest albums, “Elvis is Back,” and the brilliant number one singles “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and “It’s Now or Never.” Elvis was indeed back and singing better than ever.

Musicians

The following musicians played on the session that produced “It’s Now or Never”:

• Vocals – Elvis Presley
• Guitar – Hank Garland
• Guitar – Scotty Moore
• Bass – Bob Moore
• Drums – D.J. Fontana
• Drums – Murrey “Buddy” Harman
• Piano – Floyd Cramer
• Backing vocals: The Jordanaires (Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Hoyt Hawkins and Ray Walker).

Chart performance

Elvis was at number one in the US for five weeks with “It’s Now or Never,” from August 9, 1960 to September 12, 1960.

“It’s Now or Never” also hit number one in numerous other countries and became Elvis’ biggest international hit. The song was particularly successful in the UK, where it was number one for nine weeks and received the largest number of advance orders ever (270,000), eclipsing the previous high (250,000) which was for Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock.” One of the reasons that so many advance orders built up was that the single was delayed due to a European copyright dispute.

Covers

“It’s Now or Never” has not been covered as often as might be expected, given the song’s popularity.

Robert Gordon – “It’s Now or Never”

Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding recorded a 15-track album titled “It’s Now or Never” in 2007 to mark the 30th anniversary of Elvis’ death. The covers are sincere but not a match for the originals.

Here’s a sample of Robert Gordon’s “It’s Now or Never.”

Paul McCartney – “It’s Now or Never”

Paul McCartney recorded “It’s Now or Never” in 1987 at the sessions that produced his album “Снова в СССР” – Russian for “Back in the U.S.S.R.” The album was released exclusively in the USSR in 1988 and there was a worldwide release with bonus tracks in 1991. “It’s Now or Never” wasn’t released on either pressing, but was included on the New Musical Express double-LP/CD “The Last Temptation Of Elvis” in February 1990.

There will be a new Song of the Week on August 23.

“It’s Now or Never” has been a popular choice on many Elvis Presley compilation albums, including the multi-platinum “Elv1s 30 #1 Hits.”

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