Elvis Presley’s Most Underrated Song Is Forgotten
Several of Elvis Presley‘s songs are still famous today. Despite this, one of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll‘s greatest masterpieces is mostly ignored by his own fans. The track in question is a beautiful display of vulnerability and desperation. Shockingly, it was intended to be a parody of country songs.
1 underrated Elvis Presley song shows off his romantic side and his dark side
“Blue Christmas” is inescapable every holiday season. “Suspicious Minds” is a staple of classic rock radio. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is the most overexposed love song ever. However, Elvis’ “Love Me” is rarely played today.
The track is a slow, melancholy doo-wop song that eschews the cliche, upbeat tone of most doo-wop hits. Instead, we hear Elvis sing about how he’s willing to love a woman no matter how awful she is to him. While Elvis is known across the globe for his love songs, his crooning occasionally took darker turns, such as in “Kentucky Rain,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight?,” “In the Ghetto,” or “Don’t Cry Daddy.” However, “Love Me” works because it’s the perfect blend of Elvis the lover and Elvis the world-weary balladeer. He never sounded better than he did on “Love Me,” and the lyrics of the song go straight for the heartstrings.
The song was penned by the team behind 2 of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s classics
“Love Me” was co-written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the dynamic duo behind “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock.” In the 2009 book Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography, Leiber discussed how the success of “Hound Dog” eventually led to Elvis recording “Love Me.”
“Elvis’ music publisher, had been on our case to write more songs for the man we still hadn’t met,” he recalled. “[Music publisher] Jean [Aberbach ] and his brother Julian were Viennese immigrants who spoke with heavy accents and had built [their company] Hill and Range Songs into an international publishing empire, primarily based on country and Western songs. Jean’s relationship with Elvis’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had begun with country singer Eddy Arnold.”
Elvis Presley’s management liked ‘Love Me’ even though it as a spoof of corny music
“Hound Dog” changed everything. “After ‘Hound Dog’ hit big, Aberbach wanted another Leiber-Stoller smash for Elvis,” Stoller remembered. “I came up with a wild idea that was half-joke and half-serious. I thought of a song we’d put out on Spark, ‘Love Me,’ by Willy and Ruth. It had been covered by everyone from Georgia Gibbs to Billy Eckstine. Actually, we’d written it as a parody of a corny hillbilly ballad.” Stoller noted that the masochism of the original version of the song was intended to be satirical.
“Corny or not, we sent it over to Elvis’ people,” Stoller remembered. “Lo and behold, Aberbach liked it, and so did Freddy Bienstock, Aberbach’s cousin and the professional manager of Elvis’ music company.”
“Love Me” was intended as a spoof. Despite that, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll turned it into a timeless expression of yearning.
