Maps of Music

Love Letters from Elvis (1971)

Where the lyrics of Love Letters from Elvis take you, and where it was really made.

Elvis's fourteenth studio album was assembled from leftovers of a 1970 marathon session; critics panned it on release, yet it reached No. 7 on the UK best-selling albums chart.

Key places

Nashville recording sessions, June 1970 (1970)

Recording site Nashville — Most of the songs on this album come from Presley's marathon recording sessions in Nashville in June 1970. The pin marks Nashville, and the source does not name the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Love Letters from Elvis is Elvis Presley's fourteenth studio album, released in 1971
• The album was made up of leftovers from the marathon June 1970 recording sessions in Nashville
• Most of the other 35 songs recorded in those sessions had already been used on the 1970 albums That's the Way It Is and Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old)
• RCA Records wanted a third album from the sessions
• Producer Felton Jarvis mixed, overdubbed, and compiled the remaining songs

Background

• The sessions produced 35 songs in total, most of which went to the two 1970 albums
• The album was released in 1971 and failed to crack the top 20 of the Billboard album charts

Recording

• The title track is a rare case of Presley re-recording a past hit in the studio; his original version of "Love Letters" had been released as a single in 1966
• "Got My Mojo Working" is edited down from an impromptu jam session
• Presley's version of "Got My Mojo Working" incorporates lyrics from "Hands Off", a 1955 song by Frankie Castro released on the Wing record label

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi; family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13.
• Began his career in 1954 at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring African-American music to a wider audience.
• Recorded "That's All Right" with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black in July 1954.
• A pioneer of rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm and blues.

Members

• Classic quartet: Presley (vocals, guitar), Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass), and D. J. Fontana (drums), who joined in 1955.

Career

• RCA Victor acquired his contract in 1955 for $40,000; "Heartbreak Hotel" hit number one in the US in 1956.
• Became a leading figure of rock and roll, though his style was considered a threat to white American youth by some.
• Made his film debut in Love Me Tender (1956) and devoted much of the 1960s to Hollywood films.
• Returned to the stage with the 1968 NBC special Elvis, followed by a Las Vegas residency and tours.
• Gave the first solo-artist concert broadcast worldwide, Aloha from Hawaii, in 1973.
• Died August 16, 1977 at Graceland, aged 42.
• Estimated to have sold 500 million records worldwide; won three Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics panned the album upon release
• The album was released in 1971 and failed to crack the top 20 of the Billboard album charts

Records

• US Top Country Albums chart: No. 12
• UK best-selling albums chart: No. 7
• Single "Life" / "Only Believe" (March 1971) reached No. 53 on the US Billboard Singles chart, Presley's lowest single position since "Almost in Love" reached No. 95 in late 1968
• "Heart of Rome" was placed on the B-side of the non-album track "I'm Leavin'" (single released August 1971), reaching No. 23 in the UK and No. 83 in Australia
• Three songs from the album were released as singles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title track was a rare instance of Presley re-recording a past hit in the studio
• "Got My Mojo Working" was edited down from an impromptu jam session
• RCA often mislabelled "Hands Off" as "Keep Your Hands Off of It" when the complete jam was issued on CD years later
• "Heart of Rome" was placed on the B-side of a non-album track, "I'm Leavin'"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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