Surrender ?

[EP4MEUK]

Did Elvis ever sing Surrender live on stage and if yes where and when ......I love this song but can not recall seeing him sing it live.

Susanx

[ForeverTheKing]

I don't know if he did a live version but I don't think so

I love this song too...so powerful, I love also because is an Italian song

Elvis did a very beautiful version

Here's the original version sung by Pavarotti

[YT]X_Hr_1zhjkM[/YT]

[elvis himselvis]

Elvis sang it live on stage in Vegas 1969,but I don't know if it was a full version or just a one liner...

[agent]

It was one liner in vegas '69.

[Diane]

That is the oddest thing Ale, I never connected the Italian operatic version of the song to Elvis' Surrender yet I've heard both.

Thank you for posting Pavarotti's version, he was so great!

Diane

[Sonny]

He did fool around with it in 1969, but no lyrics, just humming. It can be found on the Collectors Gold 3cd box.

Sonny

[TurnpikeTaylor]

I think Elvis would have struggled to do justice to this song from 69 onwards.

[ForeverTheKing]

That is the oddest thing Ale, I never connected the Italian operatic version of the song to Elvis' Surrender yet I've heard both.

Thank you for posting Pavarotti's version, he was so great!

Diane

Thanks a lot Diane I agree about Pavarotti.

I'm proud Elvis liked to sing something from my country...Santa Lucia, O' Sole Mio, Torna a Surriento, Io Che Non Vivo (You Don't Have To Say You Love Me)

[marijaep]

Thanks a lot Diane I agree about Pavarotti.

I'm proud Elvis liked to see something from my country...Santa Lucia, O' Sole Mio, Torna a Surriento, Io Che Non Vivo (You Don't Have To Say You Love Me)

Thanks for the info Ale.
I like Pavarotti too...but, I love Andrea Bocelli

[Joy]

Elvis did like Mario Lanza's music

[KPM]

I think Elvis would have struggled to do justice to this song from 69 onwards.

He might have surprized us, "Its Now or Never" is just as hard to sing IMO and he actually did it better in the mid 70s than the original I think. His ending of "Its Now or Never" in the 70s is much higher than the 1960 version.

[Diane]

I agree, I don't think Elvis would have had any trouble with Surrender in the 70's as he did some pretty amazing things with several songs that he never did earlier.


Diane

[EnigmaticSun]

I can't remember exactly where or when, but I remember some outtake from 1973 where he sings "operatic", just for fun. I mean this wasn't a serious attempt to cut a song, but if memory serves me correctly it's to be found on "Rhythm' and Country". Correct me if I'm wrong..!

[T_J]

He might have surprized us, "Its Now or Never" is just as hard to sing IMO and he actually did it better in the mid 70s than the original I think. His ending of "Its Now or Never" in the 70s is much higher than the 1960 version.

It's not all about highest and lowest notes. There isn't a single version of It's Now or Never from the 70s that comes close to the perfection of the original studio cut. The tone, diction, phrasing and ending of the original are superb. He went for the higher extra notes often in the 70s, but that didn't make the overall renditions better. Do a side by side comparison and you'll see what I mean.

The only live performance of Surrender was in Memphis in 1961, if that rumour is true. There is no audio to back it up. The 69 version really doesn't count as it's a couple of hummed lines.

[King_Creole]

I can't remember exactly where or when, but I remember some outtake from 1973 where he sings "operatic", just for fun. I mean this wasn't a serious attempt to cut a song, but if memory serves me correctly it's to be found on "Rhythm' and Country". Correct me if I'm wrong..!

This is absolutely correct and the Operatic "La La La La La La" ...
is Elvis ad libbing "Surrender" ...

[elvis himselvis]

It was one liner in vegas '69.

That clears things up

[KPM]

It's not all about highest and lowest notes. There isn't a single version of It's Now or Never from the 70s that comes close to the perfection of the original studio cut. The tone, diction, phrasing and ending of the original are superb. He went for the higher extra notes often in the 70s, but that didn't make the overall renditions better. Do a side by side comparison and you'll see what I mean.

The only live performance of Surrender was in Memphis in 1961, if that rumour is true. There is no audio to back it up. The 69 version really doesn't count as it's a couple of hummed lines.

What I find better about some of the 70s live versions is the lack of vocal structure and the fire he puts into the song. Perfection is sometimes "sterile to me" too controlled. IMO the original it is too polished compared to the live versions-I happen to like a few rough edges in some music. But you are correct the 1960 version is great, but being based on an operatic melody it makes sense that the highs and lows are a very big part of the song. If he could have hit those highs in 1960-they would have been in the original I'm sure.

[T_J]

What I find better about some of the 70s live versions is the lack of vocal structure and the fire he puts into the song. Perfection is sometimes "sterile to me" too controlled. IMO the original it is too polished compared to the live versions-I happen to like a few rough edges in some music. But you are correct the 1960 version is great, but being based on an operatic melody it makes sense that the highs and lows are a very big part of the song. If he could have hit those highs in 1960-they would have been in the original I'm sure.

The extra highs are Elvis joining in on the instrumental ending or at times harmonising out of the blue on the main melody line mid-song. They aren't a natural part of the melody. Pavarotti probably wouldn't have put them in a straight studio version, let alone Elvis :-) Elvis could most certainly have hit those notes in 1960 if he'd tackled them in the same way.

[KPM]

[QUOTE=T_J;150372]The extra highs are Elvis joining in on the instrumental ending or at times harmonising out of the blue on the main melody line mid-song. They aren't a natural part of the melody. Pavarotti probably wouldn't have put them in a straight studio version, let alone Elvis :-) Elvis could most certainly have hit those notes in 1960 if he'd tackled them in the same way.[/QUOTE

Since I know little of Pavarotti I can not say how he might have recorded it. Since Elvis had trouble with the endings on both "Surrender" and "Its Now or Never" according to the accounts I have read of that session-I could not say for sure if he could or could not hit the notes he hit in the 70s- during the early 60s. But if you listen to Elvis during the recording sessions for Blue Hawaii he does say as an aside that -he can not hold a note worth a d*** or something to that effect. So around this time Elvis evidently had doubts about his note holding ability on certain songs. Also in the 50s in interviews he almost states a couple times he can not sing ballads well so his own appraisal of his talents beyond uptempo songs was not good back then. He once said he thought Pat Boone was a much better ballad singer than he was. (was he wrong or what?)
Harmonizing out of the blue, to me, is interpretting the song differently from the original .
The final word of "Its Now Or Never"... "wait..." is sung in a continuing climb up the scale to a crescendo ending. I like it more and feel it has more feeling, power, and grit to it-you like the original smoother version better. Its just a matter of personal subjective choice and taste.

[T_J]

[quote=KPM;150386]

The extra highs are Elvis joining in on the instrumental ending or at times harmonising out of the blue on the main melody line mid-song. They aren't a natural part of the melody. Pavarotti probably wouldn't have put them in a straight studio version, let alone Elvis :-) Elvis could most certainly have hit those notes in 1960 if he'd tackled them in the same way.[/QUOTE

Since I know little of Pavarotti I can not say how he might have recorded it. Since Elvis had trouble with the endings on both "Surrender" and "Its Now or Never" according to the accounts I have read of that session-I could not say for sure if he could or could not hit the notes he hit in the 70s- during the early 60s. But if you listen to Elvis during the recording sessions for Blue Hawaii he does say as an aside that -he can not hold a note worth a d*** or something to that effect. So around this time Elvis evidently had doubts about his note holding ability on certain songs. Also in the 50s in interviews he almost states a couple times he can not sing ballads well so his own appraisal of his talents beyond uptempo songs was not good back then. He once said he thought Pat Boone was a much better ballad singer than he was. (was he wrong or what?)
Harmonizing out of the blue, to me, is interpretting the song differently from the original .
The final word of "Its Now Or Never"... "wait..." is sung in a continuing climb up the scale to a crescendo ending. I like it more and feel it has more feeling, power, and grit to it-you like the original smoother version better. Its just a matter of personal subjective choice and taste.

Sure, all about what floats your boat :-) Elvis had no trouble hitting the end of It's Now or Never in concert in 1961 though. Far from it - he does it with ease. I don't think it's true that he had trouble hitting it in the studio either. However, there is the anecdote about struggling with the ending of Surrender until he figured out how to do it. That said, the ending of Surrender is significantly higher. It's also a one-off note hit in isolation, which is more challenging to sing than sliding up the scale as in the end of It's Now or Never in the 70s. Elvis was always self deprecating about his abilities of course, but by 1960 he was a very fine ballad singer and a very versatile vocalist. The sing-a-long he does with the instrumental to Like a Baby is interesting. He's singing some really high notes but totally unforced and well within his capabilities. Had he focussed on pushing his voice to its absolute limits, like he did on certain tracks in the 70s, he'd probably have shocked a lot of people. It's one of the reasons that it's such a shame he didn't tour in this period. Such a waste.