#1 for weeks of August 15, 22, 29th, and September 5, and 12th, 1960.
And now for something completely different, from Elvis that is...And by that I mean it is the first Elvis song to truly showcase his more mellow side. "It's Now Or Never", based musically on the old Italian song "O Sole Mio", ended up being his biggest hit single so far, and was #1 for five weeks.
This song is perhaps the first big example of Elvis' stay in the army having an impact on his overall sound, as the idea to record this song came to him while stationed overseas. It's a far-cry from his classic 1950's sound, and even sounds different than "Stuck On You", even though that song and "It's Now Or Never" were recorded two weeks apart from each other.
Elvis' voice sort of resembles Roy Orbison in this song, especially the final vocal chunk of the song where his voice jumps up quite high. If this song was handed to anyone else, they'd probably sing in a sleepy croon, but Elvis adds some color, emotion, and dynamic vocal range to the song.
Musically, the song holds its Italian influence, while drawing from a bit of Spanish influences as well. There are fast plucked acoustic guitars, castanets and an almost Latin rhythm. Quite a melting pot of cultures.
For those who missed Elvis' more rocking side, he would certainly still record uptempo and/or rock numbers as time went on. However, his classic early sound which was captured on tunes like, "Hound Dog", and "Jailhouse Rock", would never truly reappear. Regardless, "It's Now Or Never" just goes to show that Elvis was not a one trick pony, and was willing to grow as an artist.
Final Verdict - It may not be his original 1950's sound, but Elvis still shines as a vocalist on this much more mellow tune. If you are an Elvis fan, or even a Roy Orbison fan, chances are you'll love it. If you haven't heard it yet, definitely give it a listen.
Coming Up Next - "The Twist" by Chubby Checker.
Until Next Time - Dr. Rock -
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