Wonderful song that sold over 25 million copies worldwide as a single. This certainly what people were expecting to hear from Elvis when his military tour in Germany ended. What makes the song even more amazing is the variety of music and styles Presley was recording at this time. In the same sessions he recorded his cover of Reconsider Baby which is absolutely amazing.

Aside from the quality of the track it is also notable for inspiring an incarcerated Barry White to pursue a new life in music when he was released from prison.

I like this ballad, I really do

"it's now or never", powerful chorus for a ballad, since that's how love works: it only gives you one chance

artist76 said:

It's funny you should post this today, because I was having an Elvis day today. Nonstop Elvis while looking over the old Life magazine 35th anniversary of his death issue, and reading the bios and looking at pics. Man, he was hella good looking, wore really fly clothes, and had super cool sexy stage moves! No wonder there was as riot of screaming girls in every town! There's so much I'd say about him, but haven't got the time now. There was recently a documentary on TV about him and gospel music - haven't watched it yet but it's on my DVR - which is what got me back to him today. But I've loved the music since my brother got the #1 hits CD when I was 10. It's amazing that most of the best stuff was produced in about the 3-4 years before he was drafted, and then it was almost a decade of bad soundtrack music to cheesy 60s films. It's like he was buried out in B-film Hollywood while rock music surged forward and evolved in the 60s, what a shame. But then it's amazing how raw and wonderful his singing still is when he got some great songs again after '67/'68. Thanks for posting, Timmy.

after all is said and done (including the 70's controversies about casual racism and misogyni/Oedipus complex), Elvis (and James Brown) are, in my opinion, the most influential frontmen of all time

awesome record by a brilliant entertainer

Elvis Presley possessed real talent and could sing all genres

his manager Colonel Parker is the person who wanted Elvis to be rock n roll exclusive and marketed him as such

He said It was his favorite song In a news conference in the 70's. In the song "Surrender" he really hits that note in the end, damn.

Scorp said:

his manager Colonel Parker is the person who wanted Elvis to be rock n roll exclusive and marketed him as such

I don't think the Colonel wanted Elvis to be "rock 'n roll" at all. Parker was the one who cleaned up Elvis look and image (in the same way that Brian Epstein put the Beatles into suits and ties) and slowly toned down the music from what he was doing with Sam Phillips. Parker thought that Elvis going into the Army would help his image and Parker was the one who had Elvis do the teenybopper movies, when Elvis wanted to do more serious movies. Elvis was really working for the Colonel rather than the other way around.

I don't think Parker thought about music genre at all. The only thing he cared about was money. Money is the one issue that drove every descision he seems to have made in Elvis career. At the time Elvis came out of the service, real rock n roll was pretty much viewed as a trend that was dying out. Little Richard, Jerry Lewis, Chuck Berry had all fallen out of the limelight do to controvery or personal life choices. Many other artists had died (Buddy Holly, etc) and in the wake of Elvis' draft the radio had been filled with easy going manufactured "pop stars".

It would be easy to think that Elvis came back and just stepped to the head of the line of safe pop stars but even a quick listen to his first album after the military "Elvis is Back" shows him as an artist who felt bound to no articial lines drawn between genres or styles.

Elvis is Back is an album that I often play for people who only think of Elvis in terms of the pop star/Vegas Icon image.

While "Its now or never" was not included in the orignal Elvis is back album it was recorded at the same sessions which presents a pretty impressive body of work recorded in a relatively short space of time.

JoeBala said:

He said It was his favorite song In a news conference in the 70's. In the song "Surrender" he really hits that note in the end, damn.

kalelvisj said:

I don't think Parker thought about music genre at all. The only thing he cared about was money. Money is the one issue that drove every descision he seems to have made in Elvis career. At the time Elvis came out of the service, real rock n roll was pretty much viewed as a trend that was dying out. Little Richard, Jerry Lewis, Chuck Berry had all fallen out of the limelight do to controvery or personal life choices. Many other artists had died (Buddy Holly, etc) and in the wake of Elvis' draft the radio had been filled with easy going manufactured "pop stars".

It would be easy to think that Elvis came back and just stepped to the head of the line of safe pop stars but even a quick listen to his first album after the military "Elvis is Back" shows him as an artist who felt bound to no articial lines drawn between genres or styles.

Elvis is Back is an album that I often play for people who only think of Elvis in terms of the pop star/Vegas Icon image.

While "Its now or never" was not included in the orignal Elvis is back album it was recorded at the same sessions which presents a pretty impressive body of work recorded in a relatively short space of time.

Yeah Col. Parker was the real reason for all those films. Elvis hated nearly all of them.

Timmy84 said:

artist76 said:

Timmy84 said:

Yeah Col. Parker was the real reason for all those films. Elvis hated nearly all of them.

I read that some of the songs for those movies, Elvis backed away from the mic because they were so bad, had to recollect himself before he could continue. Shame. He was damn sexy and had a brilliant, imitable voice. LOVE.

Elvis was what you may call stuck in a thing he couldn't get out of with Parker. THing about it, all the rockers of the '50s had potential to be even greater than they were: Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck, etc... the military and movies definitely did a number on E and then after getting back for a while the countless shows and feeding his prescription drug habit did him in.

Timmy84 said:

artist76 said:

Timmy84 said:

Elvis was what you may call stuck in a thing he couldn't get out of with Parker. THing about it, all the rockers of the '50s had potential to be even greater than they were: Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck, etc... the military and movies definitely did a number on E and then after getting back for a while the countless shows and feeding his prescription drug habit did him in.

Makes you wish you could transport yourself back in time, and be his manager, or at least friend, or something, with the benefit of hindsight. I always feel that kind of "sympathy," if you can call it that, for stars like Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe. They were so extraordinary, and like you said, had potential to be even greater -- had they had better management, friends, advisers, longer lives! People who weren't sycophants, enablers, leeches and vultures surrounding them, but who really cared for the performer and his / her career longevity.

True.

Great choice Timmy!

This is in my top 10 Elvis songs.

Wish people could just back all the drama awat from Elivis...

Like the lies of him stealing black music, the money deals, the drugs, the weight, the bad movies etc.

And just listen to his music & realize he had a hell of a music personality!, and that is what got him big & so beloved.

Gunsnhalen said:

Great choice Timmy!

This is in my top 10 Elvis songs.

Wish people could just back all the drama awat from Elivis...

Like the lies of him stealing black music, the money deals, the drugs, the weight, the bad movies etc.

And just listen to his music & realize he had a hell of a music personality!, and that is what got him big & so beloved.

Amen to that!

JoeBala said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Great choice Timmy!

This is in my top 10 Elvis songs.

Wish people could just back all the drama awat from Elivis...

Like the lies of him stealing black music, the money deals, the drugs, the weight, the bad movies etc.

And just listen to his music & realize he had a hell of a music personality!, and that is what got him big & so beloved.

Amen to that!

I think for that most part we are seeing this happen, not with just Elvis but with a lot of the singers from his generation. Compared to the non-stop tabloid nature of the media today that constantly bombards us with every little drama around the current celebrities, the stuff that Elvis did seems pretty tame. While his private behavior was pretty erratic he managed to keep it private from the media that hounded him.

Eventually his private life will seem irrelevant and what will be left is his body of work and it will speak for itself, good and bad. For every "It's now or never" there is a "yoda is as yoga does".

As the saying goes, Hindsight is 20/20 and hopefully all of the past artists and even with Michael Jackson, someday all the focus will be on the work they left behind.

At least with Elvis you can say, "wow he was making a million dollars up front and 50 percent of the net for sing crap to beautiful women". I still can't figure out what drove Prince to do 'Jughead"....lol