Are You Lonesome Tonight? (song) 3126212 224363717 2008-07-08T15:01:34Z Petepait 7441877 Changed "4 weeks" to "four weeks"; also added "six weeks" "'''Are You Lonesome To-night?'''," now often known as "'''Are You Lonesome Tonight?'''," is a [[popular music|popular]] [[song]] with music by [[Lou Handman]] and lyrics by [[Roy Turk]]. It was first published in [[1926 in music|1926]], and most notably covered by [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]] in 1960. ==1920s== A number of artists recorded "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" in [[1927]]. Composer Lou Handman himself played piano while his sister Edith provided the vocals for a recording released on the [[Gennett]] label. [[Vaughn DeLeath]] (also known as "The Original Radio Girl") recorded the song twice, first on June 13, as solo and later on September 21, as vocalist for The Colonial Club Orchestra. Around August 1927, another version was released by famed tenor [[Henry Burr]]. ==1950s and 1960s== The first [[Record chart|charting]] version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was recorded by [[Blue Barron]] for [[MGM Records]] as [[Catalog numbering systems for single records|catalog number]] 10628. The record first reached the [[Billboard magazine|''Billboard'']] pop chart on [[April 7]], [[1950 in music|1950]] and lasted eight weeks there, peaking at number nineteen. <ref> {{cite book | last = Whitburn | first = Joel | authorlink = Joel Whitburn | title = Top Pop Records 1940-1955 | publisher = Record Research | year = 1973 }} </ref> Only a few weeks after Barron's recording, [[Al Jolson]] recorded a version of the song on [[April 28]], [[1950 in music|1950]]; it was released by [[Decca Records]] as catalog number 27043. In 1959 American songstress [[Jaye P. Morgan]] had a Billboard #65 hit with it on the MGM label, backed by "Miss You". Elvis Presley must have heard it while he was in the army in Europe, as he also heard and was inspired by other songs like "O Sole Mio" and "Return To Sorrento", which he made into hits on his return in 1960. {{Infobox Single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> | Name = Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Cover = Lonesome.JPG | Artist = [[Elvis Presley]] | from Album = | A-side = | B-side = "I Gotta Know" | Released = November 1, 1960 | Format = 7" | Recorded = April 4, 1960 | Genre = | Length = | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Certification = | Chart position = * #1 <small> (U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100]]) </small> * #1 <small> ([[UK Singles Chart]]) </small> | Last single = "[[Stuck on You (song)|Stuck on You]]"<br/>(1960) | This single = "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"<br/>(1960) | Next single = "[[Surrender (Elvis Presley song)|Surrender]]"<br/>(1961) | Misc = }} This led to the best-known recording, by [[Elvis Presley]], recorded on [[April 4]], [[1960 in music|1960]], and engineered by [[Nashville sound]] pioneer [[Bill Porter (audio)|Bill Porter]]. [[Colonel Parker]] (it was one of his wife's favorite songs) persuaded Elvis to record his own rendition of this song. Elvis' version was based on the [[Blue Barron]] Orchestra in 1950 and the spoken part of the song (like Al Jolson's) was loosely based on Shakespeare's [[As You Like It|''As You Like it'']] using Jaques' speech on Act II Scene VII: "All the world's a stage, and all men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts." It went on to be one of the biggest-selling singles of 1960. Elvis, occasionally during live performances, would randomly change lyrics to give them humorous connotations. One popular instance was recorded at the International Hotel in Vegas on August 26, 1969. During the performance, instead of singing: "Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there", he sings "Do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hair". Moments later, he saw a bald man in the audience (as legend has it), and burst into laughter which continued into the next lines. The audience was treated to additional laughter during the spoken verse singing: "You know someone said that the world's a stage, and each must play a part." Seeing the irony of his own lyrics, Elvis was again overtaken by laughter and barely recovered. The audience enjoyed the sincerity of the moment while Elvis regained his composure. Meanwhile the band and backup singers continued to keep the song going. It is speculated that much of Elvis' mirth derived from the solo backing singer whose falsetto remained resolute throughout. To this, Elvis comes back just in time for the line: "And I had no cause to doubt you" followed by more laughter. So overtaken, Elvis encourages the backup singer to "sing it, baby" drawing even more laughter which nearly brings the house down. In the end, the song is finished to a round of applause. The version is considered to be a popular underground classic, and was a UK Top 30 hit in [[1983]] after first being commercially released by RCA in the 1980 box set ''Elvis Aron Presley''. According to [[Dr. Demento]], who plays the version on his show, there is nothing on the label of the recording to indicate that it is anything other than an ordinary recording of the song--"People must have been surprised when they took it home and played it." Elvis said at the end, "That's it, man, fourteen years right down the drain...boy, I'll tell ya." In 1977, Presley again performed the song for the ''[[Elvis in Concert]]'' TV special. Similarly to 1969, he also appears to mess up the spoken interlude, ad-libbing jokes throughout. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown; the 1981 documentary film ''[[This is Elvis]]'' uses footage of this performance to illustrate Presley's physical deterioration near the end of his life. [[The Lettermen]] recorded the song as a track on their [[1964 in music|1964]] album ''She Cried''. [[Doris Day]] recorded the song on [[June 6]], [[1967]], in a version included on ''[[The Love Album (Doris Day album)|The Love Album]]''. Mr. Saks & The Blue Strings aka [[Tommy & The Tom Toms]] recorded the song as an ''instrumental'' single in 1960 for noted producer Major Bill Smith. ===Other versions=== *[[Merle Haggard]] *[[John Schneider]] with Jill Michaels *Mr. Saks & The Blue Strings aka [[Tommy & The Tom Toms]] *Chas. Harrison UK *[[Al Martino]] *[[Frank Sinatra]] *Bryan Ferry *[[Norah Jones]] *[[Chris Botti]] feat. Paul Buchanan ([[To Love Again (album)|To Love Again]], 2005) *California Dreamlike Orchestra *[[Barry Manilow]] *[[Carter Family]] *Mike Moran (answer song) *[[Mavericks]] *[[U2]] ("live") *[[Jerry Lee Lewis]] ("live") *[[Joe Wilbur]] *[[Suede]] ("live") *[[Connie Francis]] *[[Donny Osmond]] {{start box}} {{succession box | before = "[[Stay (Maurice Williams song)|Stay]]" by [[Maurice Williams (musician)|Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs]] | title = [[Billboard Hot 100]] [[List of number-one hits (United States)|number one single]] (Elvis Presley version) | years = [[November 28]], [[1960]] (six weeks) | after = "[[Wonderland by Night]]" by [[Bert Kaempfert]] }} {{succession box | before = "[[Poetry in Motion (song)|Poetry in Motion]]" by [[Johnny Tillotson]] | title = [[UK Singles Chart]] [[List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)|number-one single]] (Elvis Presley version) | years = [[January 26]], [[1960]] for four weeks | after = "[[Sailor (Petula Clark song)|Sailor]]" by [[Petula Clark]] }} {{end box}} ==References== <references/> {{Elvis Presley}} [[Category:1926 songs]] [[Category:1950 songs]] [[Category:1960 singles]] [[Category:Elvis Presley songs]] [[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]] [[Category:The Lettermen songs]] [[Category:Al Jolson songs]] [[Category:Donny Osmond songs]] [[pt:Are You Lonesome Tonight?]]