Sweet Nothings

Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender

Based on a civil war-era ballad called Aura Lee, Love Me Tender was the soundtrack song for the first of Elvis's 31 movies. It was one of Elvis's first steps on the road to becoming the global mega-ultra-Michael-freaking-Jackson-star that he became before he died trying to take a dump, obese, amphetamine-fueled and all about the underaged girls. Hell of a life.

The song's pretty much just the big guy (Elvis, not God) - southern crooning, soft focus acoustic guitar and harmonised backing vocals. That's all. Big production clearly wasn't hip in those days. It's all very sweet and romantic, in a late 50s boy-meets-girl-and-pledges-eternal-love kind of way, but it really doesn't do much for me. I'm not really the type to pledge eternal love so I think this one is lost on me. Maybe his later work will strike a chord but, seeing as he's about as far from being a rock nutter as can be in this song, we'll hold off on reviewing his career with the Rock Nutter Scale (tm) for a while.

All in all, a disappointing start from Mr Sequined Jumpsuits - where's the sneering, hip-thrusting god of rock and roll? This song is the musical equivalent of herbal tea with honey - I want caffeine, dammit, caffeine and bourbon.

Verdict: Try a little less tenderness

Tomorrow: Love - Alone Again Or