Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Love Me Tender



Love me Tender, Love me Sweet, Never let me go-

 Elvis Presley Subway art print 
Designed by  Art by Sara in San Jose, California


              The Classic Love Song  Love Me Tender  first appeared to be  created by Vera Matson, however it was  really created by her husband Ken Darby.  In 1956 he was  the music director for the  movie  Love Me Tender in which Elvis Presley was the star.  Darby needed a theme song for the movie, so he decided to use the music of the civil war ballad  Aura Lee  that  had been created by George R Poulton in 1861.  Presley assisted  in writing the lyrics for this new  song  that was given the same title as the movie Love Me Tender

Frances Farmer sings  Aura Lee in this 1936 movie  Come and Get It

           The song Love Me Tender was very popular as it hit the top of the billboard charts and remained there for five weeks.  Since the original recording it has been  recorded by many well known artists through the years including; B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Julie Andrews , Johnny Cash,  Ricky Nelson, Barry Manilow, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson  and Andrea Bocelli.

Elvis Presley Love Me Tender in the 1956 movie Love Me Tender
            Whether  it is the lyrics or the tune, Love Me Tender  has continued to be a favorite love song during the past fifty-nine years, with a melody that is over a hundred and fifty years old.  The song is a favorite for new artists to sing in competitions, and is often sung by choirs world wide.  Couples enjoy singing this love song  to each other on their wedding days. Love Me Tender  is also a chosen song for  preserving  memories in wedding videos, as seen in this wonderful video of  a Russian bride from 2013. 

Love Me Tender (our wedding day)   Валентина Керцова





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