Elvis Presley Lyrics
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X W Y Z
Fame and Fortune
Words & Music by Fred Wise / Ben Weisman
Ben Weisman: 'My next meeting with Elvis was in Philadelphia at his last concert before he entered the Army. Backstage, there were police standing by to escort him to his car. Before leaving, he said to me, 'Keep writing those hits'. Emphasizing hisstatement again with that very infectious smile. He was gone for a few years, but during that time I wrote with him in mind - waiting for his discharge.
'When Elvis returned from the service, he decided to record two of my songs. Oneof them, 'Fame And Fortune', was his first post-Army single release. He introduced it on the 'Frank Sinatra Television Show', which had a record-breaking rating. The people had missed him and loved him more than ever'.
March 20, 1960 - At noon Elvis, his entourage, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana (But not Bill Black, who never plays with Elvis again) take a charted bus to Nashville for a session at RCA's Studio B, whose recoding facilities have been upgraded with a three track machine. The are joined by all the musicians from the June 1958 session, the Jordanaires, Colonel Parker and RCA's new chief studio engineer, Bill Porter.
Elvis records six songs (In true stereo for the first time) including 'Stuck On You' and 'Fame And Fortune' which will be pressed and shipped within two days as an urgently need new single.
The other songs will form part of his new album, with more sessions to follow in April.
March 20, 1960 RCA - Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee
Make Me Know It L2WB 0081-19
Soldier Boy L2WB 0082-15
March 21, 1960 RCA Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee
Stuck On You L2WB 0083-03
Fame & Fortune L2WB 0084-sp
A Mess Of Blues L2WB 0085-05
It Feels So Right L2WB 0086-05
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| Frank Sinatra & Elvis Presley 1960 |
On March 26, The Frank Sinatra-Timex Special 
, also known as Welcome Home Elvis is taped at 6.15pm for airing on May 12.
Colonel Parker had made the deal with the show's producers months before Elvis was released from active duty. He had hoped that appearing with Frank Sinatra would introduce Elvis as a pop singer to a wide audience made up of adults and pop enthusiasts as well as teenagers and country-western fans.
Never one to take chances, the Colonel made sure Elvis would make a big splash by packing the studio audience with 400 members from one of Elvis' biggest fan clubs. More on the show below.
The Frank Sinatra Timex Special - Welcome Home Elvis
Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami – 26.03.1960
Nelson Riddle Orchestra - Screening - May 12, 1960
Fame And Fortune
Stuck On You
Love Me Tender / Witchcraft (Duet Elvis and Sinatra)
April 3, Just two weeks after his first post army recording session, Elvis again boards a charted bus to return to Nashville. The same group of musicians is this time joined by saxophonist Boots Randolph.
April 3, 1960 RCA Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee
Fever L2WB 0098-04
Like A Baby L2WB 0099-06
It's Now Or Never L2WB 0100-sp
April 4, 1960 RCA Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee
The Girl Of My Best Friend L2WB 0101-10
Dirty Dirty Feeling L2WB 0102-04
Thrill Of Your Love L2WB 0103-03
I Gotta Know L2WB 0104-02
Such A Night L2WB 0105-05
Are You Lonesome Tonight? L2WB 0106-05
Are You Lonesome Tonight? (work Part) ____-02
Are You Lonesome Tonight? (composite) L2WB 0106-sp
The Girl Next Door Went A' Walking L2WB 0107-04
I Will Be Home Again L2WB 0108-04
Reconsider Baby L2WB 0109-02
April 5, 1960 RCA Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee
It's Now Or Never (overdub) L2WB 0100
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| Elvis Is Back LP 1960 |
April 8, Again RCA has rushed the session tapes to the pressing plant, and just four days after the session the LP, Elvis Is Back, is shipped. It's gatefold album of army snapshots has been printed in advance, and the titles of the subsequently recorded songs appear on a sticker on the front cover.
Elvis Is Back represents a peak in Elvis' career, when his maturity and confidence led to a control and focus in his music. Like the pre-army Elvis recordings, this album offered an eclectic collection of musical genres, from a sentimental duet with Charlie Hodge called 'I Will Be Home Again' to the gritty 'Reconsider Baby' with a bluesy sax solo by Boots Randolph. Once again, Elvis' talent for unifying disparate styles of music resulted in an innovative and successful album, and it reached No. 2 on the charts.
Not all the songs that Elvis recorded in Nashville were included on the Elvis Is Back album. RCA held back for later release two of his highly acclaimed ballads: 'It's Now or Never' and 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' along with the follow-up 'Surrender'. The melancholy tune 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' was a clear departure from the kind of music that Elvis sang before he went into the army.
Fame And Fortune
Fame and fortune
how empty they can be
But when I hold you in my arms
That's heaven to me
Who cares for fame and fortune
They're only passing things
But the touch of your lips on mine
Makes me feel like a king
Your kind of love
is a treasure I hold
It's so much greater
than silver or gold
I know that I have nothing
If you should go away
But to know that you love me
Brings fame and fortune my way
Recorded: 1960/03/20, first released on single
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
