Most vocally challenging song (or note in a song) for Elvis?

[paultoronto]

I've always been fascinated with Elvis' range... because I sing too, and have a very similar range as Elvis, it is interesting to see what songs really pushed his boundaries... for example, sometimes songs that have a difficult note, are really quite simple throughout otherwise.

For example:

Padre - to me, this is one of the hardest notes Elvis ever sang (The "Iiiiiii believe" part), because thoroughout, he's singing at a comfortable range, then reaches up for that note.

Also, Love Me Love the Life I Lead... this song is all over the place vocally... a true workout... from deep to high and full throated.

When Elvis came back from the Army, Surrender was a song that challenged him with his newfound vocal range (discovered by working with Charlie Hodge, etc).

Hurt is one that I always think of as showing off his range, but strangely, it is not as difficult to sing as some of those like I quoted above because they change timbre so quickly to a high note.

Songs such as Sylvia, American Trilogy, The Impossible Dream, If I Can Dream, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Without Love, How Great Thou Art all of these showcase his impressive high range.

Any thoughts welcome!

Paul
www.paulross.net (http://www.paulross.net)

[nashville cat]

The grace notes he hits on the endings of "Trilogy" and "How Great Thou Art" are a B above middle C. I think that's about the highest notes I can think of he ever reached in a non-falsetto range. Pretty impressive range.

I'm not at a piano right now, so I can't comment on the others. On the last chorus of "Heart Of Rome" he hits a pretty high note, "in the heart of Rome....". "Sylvia" was high, and so were LMLTLIL and "Padre". He sounds very strained on the latter two, but I think he could've sung it better with a few more tries.

[Leroy]

And let's not forget the end of "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "It's Over", "What Now My Love" and the 1977 version of "Hurt". Most of the times he did that song twice.

[Cryogenic]

Let's also not forget fairly high notes in the songs "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" (the Aloha version of this is excellent). Elvis often hit a high note at the end of "My Way", too. His version of "Rags to Riches" is an overlooked powerhouse rendition of a jazzy classic. There's also the seminal recording of "It's Now or Never" which simply MUST be mentioned. "Just Pretend" is also an incredibly hard song to do right.

When you really stop to think about it, there are literally dozens of songs that Elvis sang with power and gusto.

I think the most vocally challenging song, however, is indeed "Surrender" - the amount of vocal hoops he had to jump through to pull that off is amazing! On a purely technical level, I think the highest non-falsetto note he hit in his career was his gobsmacking rendition of "Hurt" at Omaha. He blows the roof off the stadium there! :supriced:

One of my personal all-time favourite vocals is his falsetto rendition of "Crying in the Chapel". I just can't imagine ANYONE but Elvis singing that in the extraordinary way that he did.

[NightRider]

As already stated there are many examples that you could name. Some, which i would mention already have been.

I would say that How Great Thou Art fits very much...the Live versions are always awesome and i would imagine take some hitting:blink: The December '75 version on Just Pretend being a firm favourite.

The Ultimate must be An American Trilogy. I can not imagine anyone singing that like Elvis did...absolute brilliance:notworthy

[Cryogenic]

"An American Trilogy" would have sounded melodramatic and trite if anyone else had attempted it. But it fit Elvis like a glove. Possibly THE definitive Elvis song.

[EnigmaticSun]

Difficult to sing Elvis songs...?

-It's Now Or Never (july '75 versions - and versions from 1977)
-Surrender
-Hurt (have others here heard the high note Elvis sang during his last concert?)
-The high note Elvis hits at the end of the jazzy orchestra-solo during his last concert
-Unchained Melody (The versions Elvis sang in New York in 1977 are the great)
-Bridge Over Troubled Water (especially the last version from the last concert)
-My Way has some demanding parts
-It's Over
-You Gave Me A Mountain (I like the '77 versions)
-What Now My Love (Elvis did a perfect ending of the song, singing in front of Roy Orbison in Las Vegas in December 1976)
-Rags To Riches (The version of december 31st '76 - January 1st '77 has a very challenging, operatic ending)
-The last note Elvis hits during the last live performance of Can't Help Falling In Love during his last concert - kinda hard to do!!
-How Great Thou Art (some very demanding performances in July '75 and of course I like the Omaha '77 version also!)

[T_J]

The grace notes he hits on the endings of "Trilogy" and "How Great Thou Art" are a B above middle C. I think that's about the highest notes I can think of he ever reached in a non-falsetto range. Pretty impressive range.



It's an A above middle C on American Trilogy. On How Great Thou Art, surely he sings an A, moving down to G at the end, in harmony with the C hit by the backing singers? There is a top A in the 'God' part before the tempo change too. Perhaps there is a version where he joins the group at the end on the C, but I've not heard it.

The end of Hurt is an A in the studio and on some live versions, but rising to B when he added the extra note. He also hit a top B on Rags to Riches in the Pittsburg 76 show. The highest note on What Now My Love is also an A.
It's Over has been mentioned a few times, but that's not particularly challenging in terms of range. It is however challenging to sing the song as convincingly as Elvis did.

The high notes in You'll Never Walk Alone are G above middle C, but superbly hit. G is also hit in My Way, The Wonder of You, Viva Las Vegas and many others. It's Now or Never is a G# in the original, but he sometimes climbed up to a B when singing up the scale at the end of live versions.

The ending of Surrender is a top B flat. Whilst slightly lower than the ending of some live versions of Hurt, it's more challenging to hit than the Hurt note as the latter is hit by singing up, rather than nailing in isolation. For impeccable phrasing, diction, power and, where appropriate, subtlety, I think Surrender is the greatest performance of the most challenging song. It's funny that people never mention any of the rock 'n' roll songs when posing this question though. For example, Jailhouse Rock is far more difficult to sing than many of the ballads mentioned.

[Cryogenic]

Great post, TJ!

To "Jailhouse Rock", I'd add "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Trying To Get To You" from the sitdown sessions of the Comeback Special. Incredibly ferocious singing!

[EnigmaticSun]

Elvis was very much able to sing rough!

Although I do think that the ending part of 'It's OOOveeeer - AHAAAAA' isn't all that easy to sing.

I very much like the operatic voice of Elvis. But of course some rock songs aren't that easy either.

[LeMond]

His '76 and '77 versions of Hurt and How great thou art blow me away every time I hear them. It especially amazes me how strong his voice was in the last months of his life considering his ill health.

[elvisdownunder]

i am 14 and sing Elvis, and i probably almost have the range of Elvis in 1966, except for some songs. i cannot hit the last note of surrender and only get half the last note of now or never. songs like hurt, american trilogy,and how great thou art live are not possible. songs like moody blue and sound of your cry i can get , but are exhausting to go over and over with the notes

Elvis's peak vocal ability would definitely been in 1977, his voice got better as he got older. i think beyond 77 he would have been absolutely brilliant! but he already was

[JohanD]

"Heart of Rome"..


He sings on the top of his toes...;) ;)

[nashville cat]

It's an A above middle C on American Trilogy. On How Great Thou Art, surely he sings an A, moving down to G at the end, in harmony with the C hit by the backing singers? There is a top A in the 'God' part before the tempo change too. Perhaps there is a version where he joins the group at the end on the C, but I've not heard it.

I'm pretty sure on the Memphis '74 version of HGTA and the EIC version he sings the A on the ending "Art"....then briefly pops a B note before going back down to G and holding it. Same thing with Trilogy. I think you can hear it on the Aloha version. I've never heard him go on up to the C.

I'm pretty sure, because I've tried to sing along with him before and almost stripped my gears! :blink:

[T_J]

I'm pretty sure on the Memphis '74 version of HGTA and the EIC version he sings the A on the ending "Art"....then briefly pops a B note before going back down to G and holding it. Same thing with Trilogy. I think you can hear it on the Aloha version. I've never heard him go on up to the C.

I'm pretty sure, because I've tried to sing along with him before and almost stripped my gears! :blink:

I don't hear a B note on HGTA in EIC. I don't have the Memphis version handy to check.
With Trilogy, the notes that are held are A and G, but yes there is a very brief B note thrown in before moving down to G ;)

[nashville cat]

I don't hear a B note on HGTA in EIC. I don't have the Memphis version handy to check.
With Trilogy, the notes that are held are A and G, but yes there is a very brief B note thrown in before moving down to G ;)

Thanks for checking. I don't have my CD's handy at the moment either. Maybe I was confusing Trilogy with HGTA. Those endings are very similar and they are in the same key.

I think that B is probably the highest note he ever hit in his normal range. He didn't hold it for a long time though. He seems very comfortable holding a G for awhile. And you pointed out he sang a b-flat on the end of "Surrender". I was never sure what note that was. Amazing!

Along the lines of non-ballad songs, stuff like "Too Much Monkey Business" are hard to sing with all that syncopated funky stuff going on.

[T_J]

Thanks for checking. I don't have my CD's handy at the moment either. Maybe I was confusing Trilogy with HGTA. Those endings are very similar and they are in the same key.

I think that B is probably the highest note he ever hit in his normal range. He didn't hold it for a long time though. He seems very comfortable holding a G for awhile. And you pointed out he sang a b-flat on the end of "Surrender". I was never sure what note that was. Amazing!

Along the lines of non-ballad songs, stuff like "Too Much Monkey Business" are hard to sing with all that syncopated funky stuff going on.

He did hold the B notes at the end of Hurt for a reasonable length quite often, but as I said before, he's singing up to those notes so I still consider the Surrender note to be more impressive. There is another B flat that's rarely mentioned towards the end of Merry Christmas Baby, where he just shouts out the line out of the blue. A :cool: moment I think. Some of the earlier rock 'n' roll and blues songs are deceptively difficult to sing - at least to sing as well as Elvis. Much of I Wanna Be Free is sung pretty high and there is a top A in there, Stuck on You also has top A notes. Trying to Get to You is a brilliant performance, featuring real vocal gymnastics that are totally unforced. I think one of the reasons some people believe Elvis had a bigger range in the 70s was that more force had to go into the singing to achieve the notes that had come more comfortably when he was younger. That gives the effect of greater power. Trying to Get to You is a good example of that. More or less the same notes are sung (slightly higher in the Sun version - key of F, instead of E), but Elvis doesn't have to muster up as much force to deliver them in the 1950s.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Not knowing anything about ABC's etc I cant contribute in that way :P

What I do know is I WOULD KILL TO BE ABLE TO SING ANYTHING LIKE ELVIS..........:D

Good or bad.

Matt

[EnigmaticSun]

His voice was much higher back then, in the 50's.

Although he did lose a little bit of flexibility towards the end of his life, his range always remained very impressive. Elvis trained a lot - not only working on his range, but also to be able to sing the more subtle and delicate notes - this is very evident in EIC from 1977 - his voice sounds very warm, unforced and soft. Try and listen to songs like 'I Really Don't Want To Know' and 'And I Love You So'.

The special thing with Elvis' voice at the end of his career is that he is in fact singing like a bass, a baritone and a tenor altogether at once. It's one of the most unusual voices I have ever heard! The key to the voice of Elvis is not so much his vocal range, but the centre of gravity. There were a lot of singers from the Metropolitan Opera back then who were quite jealous of Elvis - our guy did things most opera-baritones would be afraid of.

I think Elvis had the potential to become an opera singer. Although I don't think the Colonel would have allowed it to happen, the voice of Elvis was very much capable of doing it. Imagine Elvis singing in Mozarts 'Don Giovanni'!

You know, he was able to sing the low sol of the baritone, but he could also do the high si of the tenor. The high sol's and la's he could sing made opera-baritones jealous. Kathy Westmoreland has said that Elvis sang a high si wide open, while most baritones aren't able to reach a sol without problems. Elvis also loved to listen to Mario Lanza, and while the highest note of Lanza was a do middle do, according to Charlie Hodge, Elvis regularly sang the high do on the podium!

Although his vibrato didn't have the controlled sound of trained classical singers, it sounded very natural. During EIC his voice was better than ever, in fact - most singers reach their peak between their 40th and 50th birthday and Elvis was about to reach his peak in 1977. Too bad our man has died so young and didn't get the opportunity to show the world he was a fantastic singer.

[T_J]

Too bad our man has died so young and didn't get the opportunity to show the world he was a fantastic singer.

Oh I don't know. Anyone with functioning ears should have worked that out already :)

[EnigmaticSun]

Of course, that's true..! But what I really meant to say is that most people don't have the slightest clue of Elvis' true vocal potential. If he had had a role in Mozarts 'Don Giovanni', for example, he would have sang the shit out of all those so called 'intellectual critics'.

Anyway, I just miss Elvis! :'( He could have turned out to be a nice pope! :notworthy

[richardo316]

i have to say unchained melody was a tough one for him. i remember hearing that sherill nielon did the high note at the end on some occasions for elvis:)

[michu]

You have a similar range as Elvis???I doubt it.I really doubt it.

[paultoronto]

You have a similar range as Elvis???I doubt it.I really doubt it.

Hi Michu, I seem to have offended you with my comment. Elvis is my favorite singer of all time, so I certainly meant no disrespect with my comment. I do however sing in a similar range to Elvis on the high side of his range, though I fall short in the low register, I can't go as deep as he could, nor can I sing with the range of emotion, power and sheer amazing talent Elvis did. I occasionally can sound similar to him (I am told, I myself, don't hear it!). God, to be able to actually sing like that man!!!!

I have some soundclips and videos available on my site if you wish: www.paulross.net (http://www.paulross.net/)

I hope this won't ignite a flame-war. I perform as Elvis in a show, and I do know that there are many Elvis fans who are offended by "Elvis Impersonators". I would like to note that I perform a respectful tribute to Elvis Presley AS Paul. During my show, I sing like Elvis during the songs, wear costumes, and move (similar) to how he did, but I am NOT Elvis in between.. I am myself, and refer to the songs as "Elvis performed this song in ...", give a history of the song, or an anecdote about Elvis. My show is intended as a respectful tribute to Elvis Presley, and is NEVER a joke. I take great pride in researching all available footage and recordings by Elvis, replicating his outfits, his jewelry, his guitars... but I never forget that I am just a man living a fantasy of performing as his idol.

I am first and foremost an Elvis Presley fan, the same as the rest of you, and I hope you will be kind in your responses.

Sincerely,

[elvisdownunder]

you have just described exactly what i want to do, thank you

BTW, you have an amazing voice! i just listened to hurt and it is amazing! man i only have half that voice, that is just terrific! keep it up man, and if anyone ever tries to give you shit, i'll stand up for ya

if ever you visit my country, i'll try my best to catch one of your shows, terrific!(y)

[Cryogenic]

Paul, I can be a pretty cynical guy at times, but... what a voice!!!!!

Everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY - listen to this:

http://www.alohafromottawa.com/audio/hurt.mp3

I'm astounded how truly powerful ALL of your vocals sound. Those are not easy songs to pull off - not by a long margin. But you pull em off. All of em. Flipping heck.

I take it you had formal training to sing like that?

[paultoronto]

You guys made me feel a lot better! I was all ready to get beaten up :'(

To answer your question Cryo, I have actually never had any singing lessons. I'm 27, and I started singing about 10 years ago now, and for the first 5 years.. I actually thought I couldn't sing! My mistake was in trying to sing like 80s power ballad singers like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, etc... not realizing that I just didn't have the range for it. With the advent of grunge and alternative music in the early 90s, I was able to sing that material, and of course, classic stuff like the Beatles, Elvis, and more.

It was with Elvis though that I really found my range. I was a huge fan of his music, and the band I was playing with usually performed It's Now Or Never and One Night With You in our show... and I always got the most compliments on those songs... from there... I one night decided to surprise everyone by coming out for the second half of our show with an Elvis costume.. it was homemade, a men's white shirt with the collar turned up, some sequins glued on to look like the Comet or Adonis jumpsuit, white pants from the thrift store, and a horrible horrible wig. Being that it was NOT an Elvis fan crowd, the response was good.. and I started to think about how this could really be a bigger part of the show. I decided my costume was not professional enough, so I had my mom help me make a better one, and bought a (slightly) better wig. I entered a local Elvis Impersonator contest, and to my surprise, won 1st place based I assume solely on my voice, as my outfit and hair still left a LOT to be desired!!! :blush:

After seeing some of the of the more professional outfits on some of the other guys, fitted properly, and replicated from Elvis' real outfits, I decided if I was going to do this, I would do it right... I did some research on the web and found a lady in Chicago that was making jumpsuits. I had her make me my favorite outfit (the Peacock), which set me back about $1500.00. Since that time, I've been performing in my own show as Elvis, and have found my range to only increase the more I sing Elvis' harder material. They are a real stretch and exercise for the vocal chords! I have really focused on making my show the best it can be, both vocally and visually, creating my own costumes and jumpsuits in conjunction with a seamstress (www.kingcostumes.com (http://www.kingcostumes.com)), from the Gold Lame, to the 68 Leather, to more than a dozen jumpsuits, and recreating Elvis' guitars, finding correct microphones (such as the slim Electrovoice models he used in the 70s and the Shure mics from the 50s).

Sorry! I just realized I got in a lot more detail than I needed to! LOL :blush:

All I know is that Elvis Presley had an amazing vocal range, and I continue to be amazed by him every day. :)

[EnigmaticSun]

I think Paultoronto is sincere - never pretending to 'be elvis', rather trying to learn from him.

I've been ridiculed with people saying 'ah, he doesn't look like Elvis at all' and all that jazz. Well I know it's hard to find good clothing for a reasonable prize - but the most important thing is that those kind of people do not really know me!

I now know that I have got a good voice and that it came with a lot of practice - the same goes for Paultoronto, I guess!

If I would have the possibility for a decent suit to be made, I'd choose the Mexican Sundial! But that's a personal preference, I guess - most important is that you work hard and try to sing well, that's far more important than just the 'physical appearance'. :blush:

[elvisdownunder]

exactly! and if all impersonators worked this way, it'd be MUCH better

[EnigmaticSun]

Hey Paultoronto - I've listened to your version of Hurt and I must admit that this is not a bad attempt at all! There are some notes in your song which aren't really th?t easy to sing. I guess you're a lot better than a lot of those so-called modern pop stars. :cool:

There is a guy in England, named Louis Rockefella or something like that - he is singing with members of Elvis' original band, The Sweet Inspirations being among them. On the website he's being acclaimed as 'number 1. Elvis act' and all that jazz. But to be honest, I find your version of Hurt to be more compelling and, most of all, more dramatic - which is absolutely necessary for this kind of song.

I guess I would like to sing Elvis songs myself - I was being beaten up all the time during my early years, and abandoned by my mother and deprived of the love of a father, blamed for the loss of his wife and all that jazz..! :mad:

But anyway, I did survive by fighting and pure strength alone and now I do kind of consider myself to be the King Of the Jungle, at least just a little bit. I would like to sing 'Tiger Man' some time, and by doing so I would give the cruelly intended 'impersonators' a bit of a scare. :)

I will defend Elvis' legacy in an honest manner, never pretending 'to be Elvis' - just singing some of his songs will keep me happy enough, and he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough, an old Chinese proverb says. And I definitely don't think 'Elvis' is something to be taken advantage of or just another $-sign.

It's just that you can hear what kind of intention somebody has or hasn't got! Come on, it's not just about appearance. Sorry if I do seem to be a little strange in some way - of course it is all just my humble opinion, which is personal, to say the least, and may or may not apply to someone else! :notworthy

[elvisdownunder]

hey everyone, i'm 14 and i can hit the first few words 'i'm so hurt!' with (i think) the same power as Elvis. believe it or not, but its true. my voice has broken and i can't hit the other notes, but when i am able to later on, watch out!

[Jungleroom76]

HURT, HOW GREAT THOU ART and MY WAY are classic and well-known examples of Elvis' vocal ability in 1977!

But on the lesser-known side, one of the best examples of Elvis' vocal range is the ending note he hits on CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE from his show in Largo, MD. on 5/22/77. (BOBBY....WHERE ARE YOU BUDDY???)

I have NEVER heard Elvis attack the end of that song like he does in this show....if you haven't heard it, you need to check it out if you can....it's THAT good, in my opinion!!!

TCB!
Mike

[Albert]

I've always been fascinated with Elvis' range... because I sing too, and have a very similar range as Elvis, it is interesting to see what songs really pushed his boundaries... for example, sometimes songs that have a difficult note, are really quite simple throughout otherwise.

For example:

Padre - to me, this is one of the hardest notes Elvis ever sang (The "Iiiiiii believe" part), because thoroughout, he's singing at a comfortable range, then reaches up for that note.

Also, Love Me Love the Life I Lead... this song is all over the place vocally... a true workout... from deep to high and full throated.

When Elvis came back from the Army, Surrender was a song that challenged him with his newfound vocal range (discovered by working with Charlie Hodge, etc).

Hurt is one that I always think of as showing off his range, but strangely, it is not as difficult to sing as some of those like I quoted above because they change timbre so quickly to a high note.

Songs such as Sylvia, American Trilogy, The Impossible Dream, If I Can Dream, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Without Love, How Great Thou Art all of these showcase his impressive high range.

Any thoughts welcome!

Paul
www.paulross.net (http://www.paulross.net)

Good topic and a great view on those songs. I agree that it's not only the volume or note that Elvis reached with a few songs, but even more the vocalchange that's necesary to reach that note.

Padre might not be as cool or popular as Hurt or How Great Thou Art, but I think this song was a much more challeging (difficult to sing) for Elvis than those previous mentioned songs. A big belly and some time to take a big breath should be enough for many professional singers to hit the "Hurt" or "How Great Thou Art" notes.

[lawdy_missclawdy]

"It's Still Here", and the ones that are already mentioned: "How Great Thou Art", "Unchained Melody", "Hurt" and so on .. (y)

[KPM]

Heres what Terry Blackwood and Jim Murray of the Imperials had to say about Elvis's vocal abilities in an interview:
How would you evaluate the voice of Elvis Presley?

Terry: He would probably be considered a baritone, but he could reach notes that most baritone singers couldn?t reach, so?

Jim: He had a great range.

Terry: You had to say that much of his abilities were eminated from a very intense desire to execute a song as he wanted to do it, which meant that he really sang higher than he really was able to sing. Because he had the desire, he had the will to excel above what he was really capable of. I think often when the adrenalin is going, and the song is really pumping, you can get into that mode where you can actually do things vocally that you couldn?t normally do. He had a tremendous range because of his desire to excel and be better. That?s why he could do a lot of things that most people couldn?t do.

[hounddog]

Everyone left off Tomorrow Never Comes, all the others i think are spot one as to testing his range btu i think Elvis liked testing himself out

[srj1967]

The lowest note Elvis probably hit was in Just Call Me Lonesome ...

"... but no one greets me in my gloom."

[Unchained Melody]

HURT, HOW GREAT THOU ART and MY WAY are classic and well-known examples of Elvis' vocal ability in 1977!

TCB!
Mike

I definitley agree with you Mike. All of them are excellent and were so well performed IMO in 1977. But you have to add Unchained Melody to that list...and Bridge Over Troubled Water from 6/26/77 Indianapolis.:D

[Raised on Rock]

Well from a guitar player point of view, that´s not knowing a lot of singing my self, my choices are not so much about big or high or extreme low notes, but about incredible well tweaked singing, this is more about emotions and texture, (to keep it short I´ll avoid naming songs already mentioned):

Rock and Roll: Big Hunk O´ Love, Jailhouse Rock, Trouble/Guitar Man, Promised Land.
Soul: Any Day Now, Only The Strong Survive, Suspicious Minds, If I Can Dream.
Pop: Such a Night, Don´t, Love Letters '66, You Lost That Lovin´Feeling.
Blues: Merry Christmas Baby, Feel So Bad, Like a Baby, Milkcow Blues Boogie.
Country: Blue Moon of Kentucky, I´ll Hold You In My Arms (till I Can Hold You In My Heart), I Really Don´t Want to Know (studio), I Really Don´t Want To Know (studio), I´ll Be Home On Christmas Day, Pieces of My Life.
Gospel: Terry Blackwood talking about emotions, remember the rehearsal version of Oh Happy Day in TTWWII Special Edition?, Amazing Grace (alt Take on Walk a Mile in My SHoes), You Never Walk Alone, Where no One Stands Alone.

[Brian Quinn]

In my opinion 'Sweet Caroline' is an extremely difficult song to sing for any artist. The part which is difficult is the lower bit e.g. 'never seem so blue' etc. It is very difficult to go straight to a lower note from one which is a couple of octaves higher.


Brian

[Lisarose]

Not knowing anything about ABC's etc I cant contribute in that way :P

What I do know is I WOULD KILL TO BE ABLE TO SING ANYTHING LIKE ELVIS..........:D

Good or bad.

Matt

Ditto!:D In one of the liner notes I read, the author repeats that Elvis had the ability & that Elvis Sang. Meaning that singing a song was what Elvis was all about. I agree.

[Wendy56]

I'm not a singer, so I barely know about high range and stuff... But I think "An Evening Prayer" and the songs from the Elvis last concert (like My Way) seems difficult to me. Anyway, Elvis had a marvelous ability to sing songs with higher and low notes... Is the best singer ever. :clap:

[poormansgold]

too me Unchained Melody is hard one to sing, Elvis trys to get it right, but I think America is hardest

[pete dube]

If memory serves, on the version of How Great Thou Art on the Just Pretend import Elvis does hit a B during the flourish on the word "God." I believe the flourish is A-B-A-G.

[vinceeverrette]

Sure it is you just have to get mad and pretend you're yelling at someone. However to sing the entire song with the phrasing and the feel like Elvis. You can forget it. Unless you were at the place in your life where Elvis was I find it hard to believe that anyone would feel your singing.

[vinceeverrette]

You are absolutely correct if you sit at a piano the note that Elvis hits on heaven is a c above middle. As far as the scale goes that is the highest note he ever hit. Lets be honest though it wasn't the range we fell in love with though. It was the fact that we felt the story in the song when Elvis would sing it, or in the fifties case we felt as carefree as the songs were. No other artist has made that sort of connection from music to our soul

[Wild_In_The_Country]

i do not think Elvis' range is important, as i know many people with a wider range, than Elvis,
HOWEVER, elvis' tone and the texture of his voice is just mind blowing.
and the fact you can feel elvis singing with pure emotion especialy, how great thou art, if i can dream etc. and also elvis' abitlity to take a song and make it his own.

there will never be another nor anyone close.

[Elvis_Priestly]

His range is trully outstanding in relation to the rest of popular music. But, as has been said, its not just the notes its the way he puts them together. There will be many who couldn't get as low or as high as Elvis and much of the time that will be physiological but for me one moment, out of many, stands out where it is more than physical range but pure musical talent and ability.
In recordings of Just Pretend, and as seen on TTWII, when he does the "whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" (y'all know what moment I mean ;) ) that is mighty, one of my all time favourite Elvis moments.
I've been a singer for about 20 plus years now, choral singing, leading singing, entertaining and was cantor in Ireland's national seminary, I'm a fairly good singer but for years now there is just no way I can emulate that. The rhythm, the inflection, etc. And Elvis knows it too, look at his smile.
Another moment where he's not just the singer, he becomes the song itself.

[KPM]

His range is trully outstanding in relation to the rest of popular music. But, as has been said, its not just the notes its the way he puts them together. There will be many who couldn't get as low or as high as Elvis and much of the time that will be physiological but for me one moment, out of many, stands out where it is more than physical range but pure musical talent and ability.
In recordings of Just Pretend, and as seen on TTWII, when he does the "whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" (y'all know what moment I mean ;) ) that is mighty, one of my all time favourite Elvis moments.
I've been a singer for about 20 plus years now, choral singing, leading singing, entertaining and was cantor in Ireland's national seminary, I'm a fairly good singer but for years now there is just no way I can emulate that. The rhythm, the inflection, etc. And Elvis knows it too, look at his smile.
Another moment where he's not just the singer, he becomes the song itself.
That ""whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" is also for me a great example of his vocal flexability and "ad libbing vocally" The first time I heard it I just laughed at how easy he made it look and how much fun he seemed to have doing it.

[Geoff the Chef]

yes unchained melody was the most challenging for Elvis to sing-especially that ending!

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Just listening to "Any Day Now", this is a pretty impressive song with the highs and lows and quick tempo it's amazing how quickly Elvis can manoeuvre around the lyrics without any trouble at all (y)

There are some technically fantastic songs around 1968/69 e.g. "long Black Limousine" & "Suspicious Minds"

I would have loved to hear Elvis sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" in 1977 :jawdrop:

[PAUL26205]

Elvis was no doubt....the world's most accomplished entertainer. He set the standards that most just dream to aspire to. Long live the King.

[Cryogenic]

When I first answered in here, I knew considerably less than I know now -- and, of course, I'm always learning.

Some of my answers today might be ones involving an impressive falsetto, all evenly spread out, too:

- "Blue Moon"
- "Stay Away"
- "Spanish Eyes" (home recording)

Give those a whirl. It's amazing how HIGH he could actually go, especially since Elvis thought of himself as more of a baritone / bass, and is culturally known for the technical depth of his voice (as well as the emotional depth, of course). That home recording of "Spanish Eyes" is a particular treat. I mean, by 1973, you might have thought that his ability to do a strong falsetto was gone, given the way his voice had deepened and thickened, but no.



His range is trully outstanding in relation to the rest of popular music. But, as has been said, its not just the notes its the way he puts them together. There will be many who couldn't get as low or as high as Elvis and much of the time that will be physiological but for me one moment, out of many, stands out where it is more than physical range but pure musical talent and ability.
In recordings of Just Pretend, and as seen on TTWII, when he does the "whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" (y'all know what moment I mean ) that is mighty, one of my all time favourite Elvis moments.
I've been a singer for about 20 plus years now, choral singing, leading singing, entertaining and was cantor in Ireland's national seminary, I'm a fairly good singer but for years now there is just no way I can emulate that. The rhythm, the inflection, etc. And Elvis knows it too, look at his smile.
Another moment where he's not just the singer, he becomes the song itself.That ""whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" is also for me a great example of his vocal flexability and "ad libbing vocally" The first time I heard it I just laughed at how easy he made it look and how much fun he seemed to have doing it.

Excellent example!

Another moment that impresses me like that is the way he does a similar "whoa-whoa-whoa" effect at the end of "Frankfurt Special" from "G.I. Blues". His voice is so smooth! Such control. It just stuns me listening to that.

Amother moment still is the live rendition of "I'll Remember You" during the "Aloha" concert -- when he sings the chorus line during a key change and he turns round to the musicians as if to say, "****************, I did that good!" :lol:

[elvisville]

there are some pretty straining parts in Tomorrow Never Comes, especially the final note.
Where Did They Go Lord is another
and He Touched Me

[karlos]

AMERICAN TRILOGY :clap: is one as well as -Tomorrow Never Comes ...

[sackofnachos]

I also know nothing about range or notes or whatever, but the first time I heard "Known Only To Him" I was quite impressed.

[Joe Car]

God, his voice was so unbelievable, made more so by the fact that he wasn't afraid to sings songs that might have been out of his range, that feeling that helped push him to that next level. Christ, the man could even yodel great.

[ricardo b. prospero]

I am not a musician nor have a formal lesson in music but I am really impressed on the wide range of Elvis vocalization. I also sing Elvis songs those easy one of course and I would say his rendition of the live "Unchained melody" was a bit challenge to his versatile vocalization. Elvis ability to go from high to low notes is something fascinating to appreciate considering he never have had any formal lesson in singing. He is simply fantastic and great! You people have practically mentioned all the challenging songs for Elvis

[King_Creole]

Just wanted to mention some other tunes in which ELvis displays an incredible amount of passion, raw energy and soul into his sublime singing technique[s] ...

How 'bout:

A Mess Of Blues
Like A Baby
Such A Night
I Feel So Bad
Milky White Way
Joshua Fit The Battle
Wild In The Country
Run On
Wearin' That Loved On Look ... ???

[utmom2008]

Difficult to sing Elvis songs...?

-It's Now Or Never (july '75 versions - and versions from 1977)
-Surrender
-Hurt (have others here heard the high note Elvis sang during his last concert?)
-The high note Elvis hits at the end of the jazzy orchestra-solo during his last concert
-Unchained Melody (The versions Elvis sang in New York in 1977 are the great)
-Bridge Over Troubled Water (especially the last version from the last concert)
-My Way has some demanding parts
-It's Over
-You Gave Me A Mountain (I like the '77 versions)
-What Now My Love (Elvis did a perfect ending of the song, singing in front of Roy Orbison in Las Vegas in December 1976)
-Rags To Riches (The version of december 31st '76 - January 1st '77 has a very challenging, operatic ending)
-The last note Elvis hits during the last live performance of Can't Help Falling In Love during his last concert - kinda hard to do!!
-How Great Thou Art (some very demanding performances in July '75 and of course I like the Omaha '77 version also!)
Goodness knows that I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but, what about "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello"?? That seems to have quite a range in it as well, doesn't it??

[Supertigre]

Lets not forget Rags to Riches.The way he did it in 1976 at the new years eve concert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFOfHVpNAZc

[Lonniebealestreet]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with this, but there is an incredible version of America The Beautiful from Cincinnati 3.21.76 (Holding Back The Years (http://www.tcb-world.com/showthread.php?ltr=H&t=1411)) that has a crazy high note at the end, and I would be interested in knowing what it is.

Wish I could provide a clip...Well, for those of you who have it, it's at the very end:

A-me-ri-iiii-caaaaa-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

That just doesn't do it justice. :P

[Cryogenic]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with this, but there is an incredible version of America The Beautiful from Cincinnati 3.21.76 (Holding Back The Years (http://www.tcb-world.com/showthread.php?ltr=H&t=1411)) that has a crazy high note at the end, and I would be interested in knowing what it is.

Wish I could provide a clip...Well, for those of you who have it, it's at the very end:

A-me-ri-iiii-caaaaa-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

That just doesn't do it justice. :P

Lonnie, I don't have that boot, but based on past discussions with people, it's possible he hits a High C. A fairly knowledgeable EP fan at another board seemed to think he may have hit a High C on a rendition of "America The Beautiful", but if so, he couldn't remember which one -- maybe that's the one! Being as I haven't heard it, and being as this guy was unsure, I can't commit to saying for sure. Best to check it out for yourself. Try downloading one of these software piano players: http://www.brothersoft.com/downloads/piano-player.html Play the accompanying notes as Elvis sings them; hopefully, you'll be able to work out the last note in this way.

[TLC67]

Hi Michu, I seem to have offended you with my comment. Elvis is my favorite singer of all time, so I certainly meant no disrespect with my comment. I do however sing in a similar range to Elvis on the high side of his range, though I fall short in the low register, I can't go as deep as he could, nor can I sing with the range of emotion, power and sheer amazing talent Elvis did. I occasionally can sound similar to him (I am told, I myself, don't hear it!). God, to be able to actually sing like that man!!!!

I have some soundclips and videos available on my site if you wish: www.paulross.net (http://www.paulross.net/)

I hope this won't ignite a flame-war. I perform as Elvis in a show, and I do know that there are many Elvis fans who are offended by "Elvis Impersonators". I would like to note that I perform a respectful tribute to Elvis Presley AS Paul. During my show, I sing like Elvis during the songs, wear costumes, and move (similar) to how he did, but I am NOT Elvis in between.. I am myself, and refer to the songs as "Elvis performed this song in ...", give a history of the song, or an anecdote about Elvis. My show is intended as a respectful tribute to Elvis Presley, and is NEVER a joke. I take great pride in researching all available footage and recordings by Elvis, replicating his outfits, his jewelry, his guitars... but I never forget that I am just a man living a fantasy of performing as his idol.

I am first and foremost an Elvis Presley fan, the same as the rest of you, and I hope you will be kind in your responses.

Sincerely,

(y) Check out the site folks! Great job, Paul. And I'm hard to impress;)!

[SeeSeeRider777]

I think Rags to Riches is his most challenging song. Those notes at the beginning of the song is amazing.

[Lonniebealestreet]

Lonnie, I don't have that boot, but based on past discussions with people, it's possible he hits a High C. A fairly knowledgeable EP fan at another board seemed to think he may have hit a High C on a rendition of "America The Beautiful", but if so, he couldn't remember which one -- maybe that's the one! Being as I haven't heard it, and being as this guy was unsure, I can't commit to saying for sure. Best to check it out for yourself. Try downloading one of these software piano players: http://www.brothersoft.com/downloads/piano-player.html Play the accompanying notes as Elvis sings them; hopefully, you'll be able to work out the last note in this way.

Thanks, Cryo. Will do.

I bet it is this same version that was being discussed.

By the way, don't be a stranger.

[T_J]

Lonnie, I don't have that boot, but based on past discussions with people, it's possible he hits a High C. A fairly knowledgeable EP fan at another board seemed to think he may have hit a High C on a rendition of "America The Beautiful", but if so, he couldn't remember which one -- maybe that's the one! Being as I haven't heard it, and being as this guy was unsure, I can't commit to saying for sure. Best to check it out for yourself. Try downloading one of these software piano players: http://www.brothersoft.com/downloads/piano-player.html Play the accompanying notes as Elvis sings them; hopefully, you'll be able to work out the last note in this way.

I believe that was me on the other board :) It was undoubtedly a high 'C' and it was the version on Holding Back the Years that I was referring to. Here it is
[non-functioning link removed]

Thanks to Jordan for hosting it.

[Lonniebealestreet]

Well there you go. I have heard a lot of great high notes from Elvis but whenever I first heard that one, I was blown away and not too sure I had heard that note from him before. I can't help but play it over and over. Gives me chills.

That link is not going to work, by the way. Per the wishes of that webmaster I am removing it.

[Getlo]

Some of my answers today might be ones involving an impressive falsetto, all evenly spread out, too:

- "Blue Moon"
- "Stay Away"
- "Spanish Eyes"

There was falsetto in Stay Away ?? ;):lol:

[Cryogenic]

Thanks, Cryo. Will do.

I bet it is this same version that was being discussed.

By the way, don't be a stranger.

Awww, thanks, Lonnie! Well, I'm usually looking out for your latest posts, at the least. (y)


I believe that was me on the other board :) It was undoubtedly a high 'C' and it was the version on Holding Back the Years that I was referring to.

Oh, TJ! There you are. :D


There was falsetto in Stay Away ?? ;):lol:

Yes. There is an example of falsetto singing in "Stay Away"; it occurs at the end, when Elvis finishes the song with a random vocal flourish. Perhaps you should cure that laughing affliction along with your ignorance.

[cameron]

;):);):)
What can I say? You're right.Cryogenic

[lindame]

Heart Of Rome and I'm Leaving. Elvis said at the end of singing I'm Leaving,,,,,take 3,,,"thats tough, worth working on"

[Getlo]

Yes. There is an example of falsetto singing in "Stay Away"; it occurs at the end, when Elvis finishes the song with a random vocal flourish. Perhaps you should cure that laughing affliction along with your ignorance.'

Keep dreaming, pal! :lmfao::lmfao::lmfao:

[epmoodyblue]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with this, but there is an incredible version of America The Beautiful from Cincinnati 3.21.76 (Holding Back The Years (http://www.tcb-world.com/showthread.php?ltr=H&t=1411)) that has a crazy high note at the end, and I would be interested in knowing what it is.

Wish I could provide a clip...Well, for those of you who have it, it's at the very end:

A-me-ri-iiii-caaaaa-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

That just doesn't do it justice. :Pagree with you.:clap:what a coincidence i really love that version of america in cincinati 76.probably his best version of that song for sure that high note elvis hits at end of the song is spine tingling ..(y)and they say elvis was no good in 76 hahahahaha he was the greatest...if you want to hear that clip your talking about simply go to my website click on elvis concert mp3 audio i have it- you can hear it and save it to your comp(y)(y):notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy that -me-ri-iiii-caaaaa-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! was elvis (y)

[Lonniebealestreet]

Yes, in my opinion it is both the best performance and the best recording available of the song from Elvis.

That ending...just out of this world, punctuated perfectly by Larrie Londin's drums. He knew he freakin' nailed it too. :king:

[epmoodyblue]

Yes, in my opinion it is both the best performance and the best recording available of the song from Elvis.

That ending...just out of this world, punctuated perfectly by Larrie Londin's drums.the vegas dec 75 live version of america that was released. pales when compared to cin 76... its the ultimate best version of america ever(y):king::cold:

[Frankieg]

Yes. There is an example of falsetto singing in "Stay Away"; it occurs at the end, when Elvis finishes the song with a random vocal flourish. Perhaps you should cure that laughing affliction along with your ignorance.

LMAO !!!

Hey Getlo, you just got OWNED dude ... :)

No offense.

[Frankieg]

I believe that was me on the other board :) It was undoubtedly a high 'C' and it was the version on Holding Back the Years that I was referring to. Here it is
[non-functioning link removed]

Thanks to Jordan for hosting it.

That version of "AMERICA" on "Holding Back The Years" is simply remarkable :!:


Why RCA or BMG have yet to release this song in such prisitine sonic quality is a defammation. (n)

[rockin]

I would say "Heart of Rome" because they could not get a complete take. they had to splice two different ones together to make a master take.
Even Elvis when rehearsaling it for That's the way it is said that was a tuff song.
Listen to the import CD "the Brightest Star on Sunset Blvd. Vol 2" u can hear him having a difficult time singing it bc it was so difficult.

just my opinion

Shane

[ehollier]

I read that Is Now or Never that was the first most challenging piece that he ever sung b/c of the ending. Also, how Great Thou Art when he first sung it in 1966.

[Lisarose]

I've always heard that How Great Thou Art had the highest note in 'note-dom'. That ending crescendo, the note just builds and builds from verse to verse until - POW!

uweV87Z3LWQ

He is just incredible. (y):king:(y)

[Elvistcbkirch]

His range is trully outstanding in relation to the rest of popular music. But, as has been said, its not just the notes its the way he puts them together. There will be many who couldn't get as low or as high as Elvis and much of the time that will be physiological but for me one moment, out of many, stands out where it is more than physical range but pure musical talent and ability.
In recordings of Just Pretend, and as seen on TTWII, when he does the "whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" (y'all know what moment I mean ;) ) that is mighty, one of my all time favourite Elvis moments.
I've been a singer for about 20 plus years now, choral singing, leading singing, entertaining and was cantor in Ireland's national seminary, I'm a fairly good singer but for years now there is just no way I can emulate that. The rhythm, the inflection, etc. And Elvis knows it too, look at his smile.
Another moment where he's not just the singer, he becomes the song itself.


I totally agree. In Just Pretend he shows his full range from a fully controlled voice. There he shows his outstanding class.

[utmom2008]

Perhaps you should cure that laughing affliction along with your ignorance.

I don't really know why this jumped out at me tonight.:hmm: I guess with ALL the UNENDING talk the last couple of days about Rick and Fiona and what they did or didn't do to get banned I noticed this comment. Is this not a clear violation of Rules #4 and #19?? Again...I happened to think about this because this morning before I could post I had to agree to the terms of the forum and it's rules. And I know I wasn't the only poster that had to do that this morning. In my book, calling someone ignorant is about as rude or harrassing as anything else that can be said. I guess I missed something along the way....are we all playing from the same deck of cards?:hmm::hmm:

[SweetCaroline]

His range is trully outstanding in relation to the rest of popular music. But, as has been said, its not just the notes its the way he puts them together. There will be many who couldn't get as low or as high as Elvis and much of the time that will be physiological but for me one moment, out of many, stands out where it is more than physical range but pure musical talent and ability.
In recordings of Just Pretend, and as seen on TTWII, when he does the "whoa-hoa-hoa-a-whoa-hoa" (y'all know what moment I mean ;) ) that is mighty, one of my all time favourite Elvis moments.
I've been a singer for about 20 plus years now, choral singing, leading singing, entertaining and was cantor in Ireland's national seminary, I'm a fairly good singer but for years now there is just no way I can emulate that. The rhythm, the inflection, etc. And Elvis knows it too, look at his smile.
Another moment where he's not just the singer, he becomes the song itself.

I appreciated your whole post, but I especially loved that last sentence. :notworthy:notworthy:notworthy

[peter]

On youtube is pretty new fantastic video dedicated just Elvis´s vocal range.

He starts at E2, and his highest note he ever sung in full voice was C#5 (high Cis) and there are two clips with C5 - high C.

Link is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ0Rhm59vsY

[Gary1]

I don't really know why this jumped out at me tonight.:hmm: I guess with ALL the UNENDING talk the last couple of days about Rick and Fiona and what they did or didn't do to get banned I noticed this comment. Is this not a clear violation of Rules #4 and #19?? Again...I happened to think about this because this morning before I could post I had to agree to the terms of the forum and it's rules. And I know I wasn't the only poster that had to do that this morning. In my book, calling someone ignorant is about as rude or harrassing as anything else that can be said. I guess I missed something along the way....are we all playing from the same deck of cards?:hmm::hmm:And after all the hard work work that Rick and Fiona did to promote this site that's all the thanks they got.(n):angry: BTW Rick still puts on great show.The other sites gain is tcb-worlds loss.