What Song Sums Up Elvis Presley ?

[Burning_Love]

Please Tell ME your Reasons Why..Thank you ! :king:

[EnigmaticSun]

Choosing from your list, I'd have to go for 'You Gave Me A Mountain'. It seems it had been written for him. A special emotional quality.

As far as other songs are concerned, it has been said that the 'The Last Farewell' was unlike Elvis - but I think he could feel that song at the time and Roger Whittaker must have felt like being honored.

[ajr]

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.

Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried.
Ive had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

IN MY VERY HUMBLE OPINION....THIS WAS ELVIS & ALWAYS WILL BE.

[EnigmaticSun]

You've got a point there, Elvis gives this song a unique treatment. That was the Presley-strength, wasn't it, to interpret a song and to make it sound like his is the original?

[ajr]

You've got a point there, Elvis gives this song a unique treatment. That was the Presley-strength, wasn't it, to interpret a song and to make it sound like his is the original?

I've heard Sinatra sing it....and it's good. But, as you say....EP has a way of making any song his own. This one personifies him, IMO. ;)

[Burning_Love]

I've heard Sinatra sing it....and it's good. But, as you say....EP has a way of making any song his own. This one personifies him, IMO. ;)


Got agree..he has that way, of drawing you to him, to his voice. He was a amazing singer and he could reach great lengths with his voice. :king:

[toffe]

I agree, Elvis sings it moooore better than Frank

[Merry]

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.

Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried.
Ive had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

IN MY VERY HUMBLE OPINION....THIS WAS ELVIS & ALWAYS WILL BE.



Yes, AJR.

I don't like the first verse, and yes, I couldn't listen to Elvis singing this song for a long time, because I became so emotional. I ended up just doing it, but I still have to mentally block my feelings.

Love to him,
Jess

[ajr]

Agree Jess......but no one could sing it like Elvis. It's an emotional song......
IMo, that song was written for him & he took it & sang to all of us.
For that reason alone....I'm glad he sang it.

[Joe Car]

When Elvis sings My Way, especially just before he passed away, it rips your heart out!

[goodelvisgirl]

my way is the best from the list but i also like pieces of my life looking back on my life today see if i can find the pieces i know that some were stolen and some just blew away well i'v found the bad parts found all the good parts but i guess i threw the best parts away ithink that is how elvis felt towards the end

[ajr]

my way is the best from the list but i also like pieces of my life looking back on my life today see if i can find the pieces i know that some were stolen and some just blew away well i'v found the bad parts found all the good parts but i guess i threw the best parts away ithink that is how elvis felt towards the end

I think you're right . :'(

[Merry]

I think you're right . :'(



Yes :'(

Jess

[goodelvisgirl]

just looking at my own quote the song is i'v found all the bad parts found all the sad parts but i guess ithrew the best parts away cant believe i got the line wrong but thats howi think elvis felt towards the end so i owe it to him to get it right sorry

[Diane]

I vote If I Can Dream because I think the words to this song was on his mind a lot - hence his great interest in reading so many religious books.

Diane

[Erhan]

You Gave Me A Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu5U4z9LiuA)

http://img.youtube.com/vi/Zu5U4z9LiuA/2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu5U4z9LiuA)

My woman got tired of heartaches
Tired of the grief and the strife
So tired of working for nothing
Just tired of being my wife
She took my one ray of sunshine
She took my pride and my joy
She took my reason for living
She took my small baby boy
But this time, Lord you gave me a mountain
A mountain you know I may never climb
It isn't just a hill any longer
You gave me a mountain this time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu5U4z9LiuA)

[goodelvisgirl]

yes if i can dream is a good one but not so much his life his thoughts and feelings maybee but good choice

[elvislady]

just looking at my own quote the song is i'v found all the bad parts found all the sad parts but i guess ithrew the best parts away cant believe i got the line wrong but thats howi think elvis felt towards the end so i owe it to him to get it right sorry



Pieces Of My Life

A water glass full of whiskey
And women that I never knew too well
Lord, the things I've seen and done
Most of which I'd be ashamed to tell


I don't know how it started
But that's what makes a man a man, I guess
Now I'm holdin' on to nothing'
Tryin' to forget the rest


I'm lookin' back on my life
To see if I can find the pieces
I know that some were stolen
And some just blew away
Well, I found the bad parts
Found all the sad parts
But I guess I threw the best part away


Playin' in bars, playin' like a star
anything to get a name
Carryin' on livin' on songs
my friends wrote for me to sing



I'm lookin' back on my life
To see if I can find the pieces
I know that some were stolen
And some just blew away
Well, I found the bad parts
Found all the sad parts
But I guess I threw the best part away


Lord, the pieces of my life,
They're everywhere, they're everywhere
And the one I think I miss most of all
Is you and you know who.

elvislady:D

[U.S. Male]

Might could even ad Pieces of My Life to the song list?:hmm:

[goodelvisgirl]

pieces of my life is fab glad someone posted th lyrics

[elvisia]

HI
I agree about Pieces of my life, but it`s not on the list as it should have been, so I voted for My Way(y)
When Elvis sang My way in 1977 he just owned the song, you can easily hear how he really felt that song, it was perfect for him and if I didn`t know better, I´d say that the song were written just for him to sing(y)

[elvislady]

I posted the lyrics and here is the song. goodelvisgirl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVXTACU27Ik
beautiful! listen to the words.
elvislady:D

[Nicole Presley]

I think it?s I?m so lonesome I could cry. It just fits to him so good. The other songs fit to him, too. But that song is what he really felt. I read that he always felt lonely. And I believe it. I can see it in his eyes. Especially before he died. His eyes seemed so empty. :'(

[Burning_Love]

HI
I agree about Pieces of my life, but it`s not on the list as it should have been, so I voted for My Way(y)
When Elvis sang My way in 1977 he just owned the song, you can easily hear how he really felt that song, it was perfect for him and if I didn`t know better, I?d say that the song were written just for him to sing(y)

I am sorry i didn't include it, the only problem is, i have never heard it !! So i didn't really know it existed, if i did, i would have included it.

Sorry :blush:

:king:

[toffe]

I think you're right . :'(

Mhm.....:'(

[elvisia]

Burning love, you NEED to hear "Pieces of my life" it is a must for you, believe me,lol
Listen here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVXTACU27Ik

But Still, My way is not a bad choice either
Elvisia

[goodelvisgirl]

thanks elvisia i was the first to bring up pieces of my life although i hadn't heard it for a while thanks for letting me hear it i will vote my way as the song i think isn't there elvis does a powerful and emotional rendition of this it's very good beter than sinatra

[keelerphoto]

mama liked the roses,

[elvislady]

thanks elvisia i was the first to bring up pieces of my life although i hadn't heard it for a while thanks for letting me hear it i will vote my maw as the song i think isn't there elvis does a powerful and emotional rendition of this it's very good beter than sinatra

I already posted the song for you on my comment.
elvislady:hmm:

[goodelvisgirl]

sorry elvislady forgot to say thanks i did nt see it until just now

[Burning_Love]

Burning love, you NEED to hear "Pieces of my life" it is a must for you, believe me,lol
Listen here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVXTACU27Ik

But Still, My way is not a bad choice either
Elvisia


Hiya !
Thanks for link..I actually cried !!!

What an amazing video...really it was, thank you sooo much for sending it to me. :notworthy And your right, that is the song For Elvis, i now know.

Thanks again

Danielle x:king:

[goodelvisgirl]

burning love i'm glad you enjoyed the video sent to you by elvisia i cried first time i heard it people now now what an elvis life story now sounds like

[SweetCaroline]

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.

Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried.
Ive had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

IN MY VERY HUMBLE OPINION....THIS WAS ELVIS & ALWAYS WILL BE.

I think this song and YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN would be the two I would pick.
I teared up :'( reading the lyrics just now. I can hear ELVIS... even when I can't hear him... if you know what I mean.

[SweetCaroline]

"Pieces of My Life"....AWESOME pick, too! (y) Whoever picked and put put together the pictures for the song there on YouTube did a great job.(y)
There really are several songs that were HIM. He was always good at picking them that way.

~Carole~

[TCBnAflash]

From the stage he would introduce,"Fairytale" as "This Next Song is The Story Of My Life and it's called, Fairytale."
From list posted here, I'd have to go with, Gave me a Mountain

[franny]

I voted for My Way and my second choice from this list would be If I Can Dream...:clap: ...two powerful songs that only Elvis could sing with such emotion at his level! (y)

franny

[Suspicious Minds]

I voted for You Gave Me a Mountain.
I prefer Fairytale that sums up Elvis life.
Now he has gone for 30 years.
We have not forgotten Elvis.

[Dovey]

Without a doubt "My Way" because he did live his life his way ... the song always makes me feel sad when I hear it Dovey ;)

[desiree]

I voted for I'm so lonesome I could die. After all he was lonesome, never found what he was looking for. If you read the lyrics, you'll find the sum up there. While he sang it, it came straight from his heart.

Hear that lonesome winter bird
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry

Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves began to die
That means he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I'm so lonesome I could cry

[EP4MEUK]

Well for me it had to be My Way .....every time I watch and listen to Elvis sing this it could have been wrote just for him and watching him on the 77 performance the look in his eyes whilst he was singing it told the same story...he did it his way :hug:


Susan x

[hounddog]

If i Can Dream purely because Elvis treated every one with repect and the song is about people respecting each other. You're a k d lang fan Burning Love?

[Burning_Love]

If i Can Dream purely because Elvis treated every one with repect and the song is about people respecting each other. You're a k d lang fan Burning Love?

Hiya, i agree about the statement you made.
I am not sure of k d lang ? Have never heard of them ? :king:

[hounddog]

Oh ok. the quote you have "Elvis is Alive and she's female" under your posts was one that Madonna used to describe k d lang.

[EnigmaticSun]

Oh ok. the quote you have "Elvis is Alive and she's female" under your posts was one that Madonna used to describe k d lang.

Yes, that's right. KD and Roy Orbison did a new version of 'Crying' in the 80's (it was the Blue Velvet-era). Sorry to go slightly off-topic here.

I voted for 'You Gave Me A Mountain'. I think Elvis' experiences with Priscilla and Lisa-Marie contribute to the emotional significance of this song. It doesn't matter the song is about a baby boy, really.

[Burning_Love]

Oh ok. the quote you have "Elvis is Alive and she's female" under your posts was one that Madonna used to describe k d lang.

Oh Thanks ! I Knew Madonne Said It, But I Never Knew She Said It Too Somone, Thanks For The Info !! (y) :) :king:

[goodelvisgirl]

the songs sum up parts of elvis's life like you gave me a mountain. if i can dream is his thoughts and feelings my way is a life story so i voted my way although asi said its not the best one pieces of my life sums up elvis and how he thought about life

[Lisarose]

I voted for I'm so lonesome I could die. After all he was lonesome, never found what he was looking for. If you read the lyrics, you'll find the sum up there. While he sang it, it came straight from his heart.

Hear that lonesome winter bird
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry

Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves began to die
That means he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I'm so lonesome I could cry

I voted for this one, too. Imo, he didn't have enough true friends at the end, only over-protectors & hangers-on. And I don't state this to start a new thread or antagonize anyone. I repeat MY Opinion. If Stranger in the Crowd or Mr. Songman had been listed, I'd have voted for that. Actually they're all good choices, but I only have one vote!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ce8H_M4NXc

[rhythmknights]

Wow, my first post! Hi. I'm new here, my mom turned me on to Elvis. I vote My Way.

"I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing."

He got a lot of grief starting out & he held his own & kept going - stating that he always did his best & did only things that would make his family, friends & fans proud. What else could you want from anyone?

[rickeap]

I voted for If I Can Dream but could easily have substituted My Way
Rick

[Diana]

" My Way"
It seem\s it was writen just for Him!(y) Not for Sinatra(n)
And Elvis loved it... All His Life is in it!!!
thanks for asking!!!(y) (y) (y)

[marijaep]

I can't decide between My Way and If I can Dream:hmm:
I love both of the songs soooo much, but I still don't know which one to choose(y)

I voted for "My Way" anyway :lmfao:

[King_Creole]

Hmmm ...

I would have to say "CLAMBAKE" ! :)

[malc07]

I think "You gave me a Mountain" as that kinda sums up Elvis life,Right through,from Birth ,with the struggles he had growing up ,to the 50s when he was frowned on bacause of his style,and through the later years when he lost Pricilla.

Also im so lonesome I could cry, i think depicts his last years...
good thread Danielle..(y):hug::clap:

[ricardo b. prospero]

I voted for "I am so lonesome I could cry" because I believe Elvis lives a lonely life inspite of his fame and fortune that left him live a very abnormal life like a prisoner in his own kingdom. So close and yet so far from paradise.

[jatta-tcb]

I have thought about this topic since yesterday... :D

well.. I could say Pieces of my life... but it isn't on the list.. so then I think I could say My Way or You gave me a mountain :hmm: very hard decision :blink:

[Burning_Love]

Thanks for replying, Yadee, when i posted this i have never heard of Pieced of my life, and now would say that song sums him up.

Thankssssssss

Danielle x

[TLC67]

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry ....because in several interviews he talks about being lonesome. One in the 50's he said he "could be in a room full of people and still feel lonesome." Another interview (Parade?) in '71 (I think. Early 70's anyway) he speaks about being lonely again. Again...in 76 or 77 on stage he says "I am lonesome...I mean , I was." Apparently not wanting to hurt Ginger's feelings.

[KPM]

"In My Way"

[Dorothy]

Fame and Fortune

[MissyM]

Tuff decsions. But You Gave Me a Mountain.

[Diane]

Can't put my finger on it but there is something about "My Way" that has always bothered me but it fits Elvis to a tee. It's not the lyrics, something about the melody doesn't feel right.

Diane

[Elvis]

For me Its American Trilogy and my way they just hit me

[ForeverTheKing]

In every song there's a part of Elvis...this is obvious (y)

I voted for MY WAY; I've always liked the words and it suits on Elvis, especially at the beginning and also when it says "I've lived a life that's full" , "Regrets, I've had a few" , "I've loved, I've laughed and cried I've had my fill, my share of losing". But I especially like the final part...he put so much passion when he sang it :'(

"Oh what is a man, what has he got
If not himself then he has not
To say the words he truly feels
And not the words they want to hear
The record shows I took the blows and did it my way"

[Yada]

American Trilogy. I especially love to hear it on Aloha Hawaii concert. I can picture him singing it for his daughter..

Btw, this is my first post! :D

[Burning_Love]

Ahh Welcome Yada..:clap:

And great choice of song :D

[cameron]

I'm changed my mind about the one I chose. I love all his songs .
But the one that describes him best, IMO.
HURT

[LianaKaralivanou]

I must say "My way" because he really did it his way...

[ThisYvonne08]

my way
just the name of the song makes me think its about him

[carolynlm]

I have voted for 'If I Can Dream'...this song just reminds me of Elvis' way of thinking. If you also remember, he used the 'dream' during his Jaycees speech.
The others are all very good songs in their own right, but this ones seems to sum everything Elvis was about.

[Burning_Love]

Thanks for all your replies.

Great choices..

x

[ehollier]

Difficult choosing only one.....but the title "You Don't Know Me" (not necessarily the lyrics) probably sums up his short life as there are so many things about him that we don't have answers about.

[hounddog]

i voted for If I Can Dream i think it revealed his soul, what his thoughts on the world were.

[Unchained Melody]

Might could even ad Pieces of My Life to the song list?:hmm:

And how about Rags To Riches.

That would get my vote.

But choosing from the titles mentioned, I voted for Mountain Son. :D

[elvispresleytheking]

You Gave Me A Mountain-
His mother died, Vernon blamed him for it, and Priscilla left him, yet he was unable to climb that final mountain...

[Dino78]

For me there's "Pieces Of My Life" missing.

[cibetty]

"My Way", "Pieces Of My Life", "If I Can Dream".