1. HOUND DOG
The intro explodes into your ears, and into the public consciousness, as only A Hard Day's Night and Anarchy In The UK have since. So intense, two minutes of sustained viciousness and sheer malicious glee.
2. SUSPICIOUS MINDS
As a mature and supremely confident Elvis harmonises with himself, you can feel the shackles of Hollywood falling away. The shock of the middle eight ("let our love survive") will make you catch your breath
3. MYSTERY TRAIN
Singing high and free, even a runaway train can't take his gal away. Scotty Moore and Bill Black never played better, but Elvis's whoop of delight at the end takes the cake.
4. HEARTBREAK HOTEL
A freaky but inspired choice of first 45 for a major label. To enhance the atmosphere of seedy desolation, Elvis chose to record the vocal at the end of the studio corridor.
5. I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVING
Encapsulates the live, second-coming - his band never sounded better. The back-and-forths between Elvis and backing singers the Sweet Inspirations ("one more time... yeah, one more!") are the highlight.
6. SUSPICION
A teenage pre-cursor to Suspicious Minds, and almost as good. Shadowed by autoharp and a sinister bassline, the victim's pained politeness explodes into paranoia at the end of the chorus: "Why torture me?"
7. GOOD ROCKING TONIGHT
No less than an invitation to come join the teenage revolution. "We're gonna rock all our blues away" - the original slang usage of 'rock 'n' roll' was never more explicit.
8. DOING THE BEST I CAN
From the GI Blues soundtrack, a Pomus and Shuman ballad of abject surrender. The vocal gets under your skin, keening and helpless - no wonder girls melted.
9. ONE NIGHT
This snarling menace to American moral fibre had to be toned down from "one night of sin" to "one night with you," though the performance is so loaded with sexual promise they needn't have bothered.
10. TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME
Cut in 1966 between some of his worst movie scores, the delicate, haunted take on Bob Dylan's song hints at a parallel Elvis universe. Dylan has since hailed it as his favourite cover version.
11. CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
Irresistibly tender. The world's favourite wedding song.
12. LITTLE SISTER
Nasty and playful rocker with a burning guitar line.
13. DON'T BE CRUEL
The minimal, hand-clapping groove sent this to number one in '56 for eleven weeks.
14. IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Inspired by Mario Lanza, adapted for a Cornetto ad, his biggest international hit.
15. POLK SALAD ANNIE
Sweaty, southern-fried highlight of his Vegas era.
16. ALL SHOOK UP
Introduced the classic "uh-huh-huh" to the Presley repertoire.
17. PLEASE DON'T STOP LOVING ME
Intense southern soul ballad buried on the b-side of Frankie And Johnny.
18. BLUE MOON
Eerie clip-clopping reading, with Elvis already sounding like his own ghost, haunting America in 1956.
19. CRAWFISH
The deepest, most atmospheric song about fishing you'll ever hear.
20. A MESS OF BLUES
A whisky-soaked Elvis beats himself up: "Whoops, there goes a teardrop..."
21. THAT’S ALL RIGHT
A little hesitant, but this is where it all began.
22. LONG BLACK LIMOUSINE
The tale of a poor southern singer gone too soon is delivered with unnerving emotion.
23. GUITAR MAN
Jerry Reed’s song was autobiographical, but Presley made it his, and a springboard for artistic renewal in ’68.
24. JAILHOUSE ROCK
DJ Fontana’s granite-breaking drums deserve co-star status.
25. LOVE ME TENDER
First suggestions of his Italianite leanings, this showed America the boy wasn’t always a hoodlum.
26. THAT’S SOMEONE YOU’LL NEVER FORGET
A graveyard ballad, though death is never mentioned directly, that could have been sung with his mum in mind.
27. ANY DAY NOW
True blue-eyed soul, a beautiful song from the ’69 Memphis sessions.
28. BURNING LOVE
If he wanted to, he could still take the dancefloor in the seventies.
29. VIVA LAS VEGAS
A minor hit at the time, a standard now.
30. AN AMERICAN TRILOGY
Elvis probably never knew Micky Newbury's patriotic showstopper was ironic.
31. TRYING TO GET YOU
Both the Sun original and the bellowing ’68 comeback version are impossible to resist.
32. A FOOL SUCH AS I
Messing about with his own myth in fine style.
33. RECONSIDER BABY
The dirtiest, truest blues he ever recorded. Boots Randolph’s sax break is filthy.
34. TROUBLE
Ludicrous lyric with an insanely aggressive delivery over a drunken, Tom and Jerry-esque Dixieland backing.
35. I’M LEAVIN’
“Tried so hard, so hard...” His most intense break-up song, this should be better known.
36. ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT
Country ham (it was Colonel Parker’s favourite song) handled with real emotion. That voice had an incredible arsenal.
37. IN THE GHETTO
Simplistic but affecting, this 1969 number one turned his career around.
38. RETURN TO SENDER
The Presley entry point for five-year olds.
39. SHE’S NOT YOU
Elvis’s best performances of the early sixties usually involved a love triangle lyric – this slow-dance special was the strongest.
40. THE GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND
Compelling and heart-breakingly sharp teen romance.
41. I’VE LOST YOU
Elvis, King of Pain, reflects on the imminent collapse of his marriage.
42. BABY LET’S PLAY HOUSE
Sam Phillips’ echoed production and Elvis’s hiccoughs invent rockabilly in two minutes.
43. ALWAYS ON MY MIND
Regrets, he had more than a few.
44. I NEED SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON
The perfect lounge jazz-blues for 3 am, from Viva Las Vegas.
45. HIS LATEST FLAME
Bo Diddley beat with Latin touches, The Smiths built half their catalogue around it.
46. IT HURTS ME
A soulful roar from ’64, revisited to great effect in the Comeback Special.
47. WAY DOWN
He bowed out sounding pretty darn contemporary, though JD Sumner’s low, low bass notes take the limelight.
48. LOVE ME
Written by Leiber and Stoller as a self-parody; the reading is so sincere, you'd never know.
49. TOO MUCH
Constantly on the edge of falling apart but hard as nails, the archetypal tough rocker.
50. YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
No matter how many times you’ve heard this song before, the intensity and belief of Elvis’s interpretation will floor you.
source:http://entertainment.timesonline.co....cle2186173.ece
Don't you get any ideas,but i just don't agree with this...I think all Elvis songs are similar,and they're equally nice.What i mean is,you can't count Elvis songs!!!They're all perfect to me.I don't think for example,that ''Hound dog''is better than ''Suspicious minds''!!!
I think many fans agree,but i just wanted to tell my opinion...By the way...thanks for sharing this countdown.
Some strange selections. 'In The Ghetto" and "Reconsider Baby" should rank higher. The description of "Hound Dog" is great.
you can agree and disagree thats fine with me cause l just copy and pasted this article not write it.Originally Posted by renapap05
Don't you get any ideas,but i just don't agree with this...I think all Elvis songs are similar,and they're equally nice.What i mean is,you can't count Elvis songs!!!They're all perfect to me.I don't think for example,that ''Hound dog''is better than ''Suspicious minds''!!!
I think many fans agree,but i just wanted to tell my opinion...By the way...thanks for sharing this countdown.
Good article Thanks for posting!
-SatninLove
"There's A Sweet Sweet Spirit In This Place"....
Although how can whoever wrote this leave out
Just Pretend
Always On My Mind
How Great Though Art
Mary In The Morning and many others!
-SatninLove
"There's A Sweet Sweet Spirit In This Place"....
And my personal favorite "My Boy"
I'm the King of the Jungle, They call me Tigerman
]
oops they did include Always On My Mind!I guess I need glasses!
lol.
-SatninLove
"There's A Sweet Sweet Spirit In This Place"....
The 50 greatest Elvis songs ever do not exist anymore: the number 1 are THE BEATLES
The 50 greatest Elvis songs ever do not exist anymore.
If you do not know read billboard and The British magazine ‘Record Collector’ (the number 1 are the beatles).
If this 50 songs get billboard and Record collectors I will know that are the greatest. But now must be write our favorites 50 Elvis songs
Last edited by marce_itec70; 10-02-2008 at 05:39 PM.
thats your opinion, but however l disgree
Nice to see "Please don`t stop loving me" on there.....Normally a very under-rated song.
I have seen this list before. It's more of a greatests hits list with some odd tracks included. There is a darn sight better tracks that should be in the list.
How did Crawfish get in the list anyway? Although it's from my favourite 50's album. I don't play that track every time.
They should leave the single tracks out when there is a poll like this.
Who did they ask for this poll?
Frank
Every man has a flaming star
ELVIS rocked the hell with burning love
This song is a great mix of pop,rock and disco, and
it really shows the spirit of the 70-s and 80-s a bit.As the "Suspicious minds" it
brings you to the old good times and fills you with an
amazing feeling of love and shows you what really rules in this
world.You may think of this in the opposite way,but the KING
really rules,and no matter what's the time and fashion:
Elvis will live forever and it won't b be anyone better than him.
ELVIS FOREVER!!!He lights our morning skies with Burning Love...
Last edited by Bolshoy El; 10-03-2008 at 02:25 PM.
no Burning Love?
Interestly selection even though I don't agree it is really hard to limit Elvis songs to a best 50
OK, I decided to make my own list of this. Now many of you may disagree with me, but I LOVE these songs.
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water
2. Just Pretend
3. Make The World Go Away
4. You've Lost That Loving Feeling
5. I Just Can't Help Believin'
6. My Way
7. An American Trilogy
8. What Now My Love?
9. Unchained Melody
10. It's Now Or Never
11. Kentucky Rain
12. How Great Thou Art
13. You'll Never Walk Alone
14. Suspicious Minds
15. Memories
16. In The Ghetto
17. Don't Cry Daddy
18. You Gave Me A Mountain
19. Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues
20. Moody Blue
21. Danny Boy
22. Yesterday/Hey Jude
23. Polk Salad Annie
24. Heartbreak Hotel
25. Don't Be Cruel
26. Are You Lonesome Tonight?
27. It's Over
28. I'm Leavin'
29. I Can't Stop Loving You
30. Such A Night
31. My Boy
32. There Goes My Everything
33. Love Song Of The Year
34. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
35. The Next step Is Love
36. I've Lost You
37. Sweet Caroline
38. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
39. I'll Remember You
40. I, John
41. Bosom Of Abraham
42. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
43. Solitaire
44. Long Black Limousine
45. I Got A Woman
46. All Shook Up
47. Burning Love
48. Te Wonder Of You
49. Stranger In The Crowd
50. Promised Land
Are you kidding me !19. CRAWFISH
I'd much rather take elvispresleytheking's top 50 ~!
"How do I get placed in situations like this? Ah hell, I guess it's all part of showbusiness "~ Elvis in his limo on his way to perform in Omaha, NE on June 19th 1977
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