WILD IN THE COUNTRY
– Elvis Presley’s last dramatic role –
(Part 11, the last)
The songs from the film, in accordance with earlier arrangements and promises made by Colonel Parker to 20th Century Fox, began to appear successively from the beginning of 1961 on various Presley record releases. From singles and longplays made in the first half of the sixties to occasional releases that went on sale only a few years after the premiere of the film. But first things first…
The first to hit the stores was a single with the songs “Surrender” on side A and “Lonely Man” on side B
* (an obvious choice, since this was the working title, “Lonely Man,” used on the film set in the first weeks of 1961. RCA therefore released the potential title track as a single). The record was made on Tuesday, February 7, 1961. Over four months before the national premiere of “Wild In The Country.” “With this unique combination, Elvis Presley will continue his streak of million-selling hits ,” Billboard magazine wrote in its review of February 13, 1961. “The first side is from his latest film, ‘Wild In The Country,’ and is sung with great feeling. The second, equally strong side is a remastered version of ‘Sorrento’ ** “.
A little over two weeks later, however, it became obvious that it was the Italian operatic classic rewritten by Doc Pomus (or rather Jerome Solon Felder, because that was his real name) and Mort Shuman, and not the charming ballad from the film “Wild In The Country,” that had completely captured the hearts of listeners across the country. The aforementioned weekly Billboard magazine, in an article from February 27, 1961, the day “Lonely Man” debuted on the Hot 100, reported: “Elvis Presley continues to gain popularity on the charts. His latest song, ‘Surrender,’ which debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 last week at number twenty-four, jumped to number four this week. And it is probably the fastest rise to the top of any of his other albums .”
As a result, in late March (as of the March 20, 1961 chart) of 1961, “Surrender” rocketed to number one on Billboard’s Hot 100, where it spent two consecutive weeks (knocking off the top spot by the king of the twist, Chubby Checker and his “Pony Time”), while “Lonely Man” *** stalled at number thirty-two.
The single is estimated to have sold over one million copies (making it one of the best-selling singles in Presley’s entire discography).
The next song from the soundtrack of the latest 20th Century Fox production that RCA presented to Elvis fans was the title track “Wild In The Country”. Although it is worth noting at this point that the dispute over which songs from the film would actually make it onto Presley’s next single from 1961 lasted almost until the very end.
While the choice of the title track seemed obvious and undeniable, the issue of the second side of the single sparked lively discussions.
Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who usually stayed away from advising his client on musical matters, was said to have insisted on including “I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell” alongside the Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George Weiss ballad. However, this choice did not please Bill Bullock, the executive of RCA Victor, who believed that the album should feature one of the songs recorded by Elvis during a recent short all-night recording session in Nashville (which took place on the night of March 12/13, 1961).
The dispute was finally resolved by Elvis himself, who, siding with the RCA employee, suggested that the album include the blues composition “I Feel So Bad“. A once-famous hit by Chuck Willis (No. 8 on Billboard’s R’n’B chart in 1954), an American bluesman, composer and lyricist who died in April 1958.
Just a few weeks later, it became clear how right this decision was.
The single with the songs “I Feel So Bad” and “Wild In The Country” hit stores on May 2, 1961, and soon after began to collect the first positive reviews and climb to the top of the most important country charts. The weekly Billboard, in an article from May 13, called both songs “another ratings sure thing for this great artist ” and added: “On the first side of the EP, he returns to his great rock sound, singing a bluesy song by the late Chuck Wills, ‘I Feel So Bad.’ On the second side, he presents his highest ballad form, performing with tenderness (and with The Jordanaires) the title composition from his latest film, ‘Wild In The Country.’ All interested parties have money in the bank! “.
The day after the review quoted above was published, “I Feel So Bad” debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at number forty-three, from where it rose to number five after less than four weeks. Against such a strong offering, the film ballad “Wild In The Country” placed on the back of the single had no chance of even approaching the result of the hit A-side. The song entered the Billboard charts on June 3, 1961, debuting at a distant seventy-third place, but after spending four weeks on the ranking it only managed to reach a not very impressive twenty-sixth position.
The single’s sales, compared to “Surrender”/”Lonely Man“, released just a few weeks earlier, were also much weaker. The album sold just over six hundred thousand copies.
In turn, “I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell“, pushed by Colonel Parker, was finally included on the longplay “Something For Everybody” recorded in the second half of June 1961, thus becoming the third and last song from the film “Wild In The Country” released by RCA Victor before a break of several years.
Fans had to wait until 1965 for the premiere of the next recording from the above soundtrack – the ballad “In My Way“. Specifically, until the day (August 10), when the compilation album “Elvis For Everyone“, made on the tenth anniversary of Presley’s contract with RCA, appeared in stores.
Filmed in the early 1960s, Wild In The Country never received the recognition it deserved. At least not when it was released. Its artistic merits, as well as Elvis Presley’s excellent acting, were not appreciated until many years after the singer’s death. Many modern viewers today call Phillip Dunne’s film “one of the best Elvis films,” and rank it alongside such productions as Flaming Star, Love Me Tender, and King Creole.
In reality, however, “Wild In The Country” turned out to be Presley’s last such serious, dramatic and demanding role before a long hiatus. Elvis had to wait seven long years for another such offer… However, before the singer took on the role of the grumpy Jess Wade in the western “Charro!“, he appeared in dozens of, mostly trivial, romantic comedies that almost buried his career forever.
In part to fend off attacks by some of the cast, director Phillip Dunne wrote in his memoirs what seems to be the perfect punchline to the above article: “Elvis was caught between two sticks. The audiences who might have enjoyed Clifford Odets’ drama would never have bought Elvis and his songs. On the other hand, there were the disappointed Elvis fans who found the film so different from his usual comedies of songs and sex. Ironically, each group felt his brilliant performance in ‘Wild In The Country’ was wasted .”
- In a review dated February 13, 1961, Billboard incorrectly described the single’s sides, noting that the front side was “Lonely Man” and the back side was “Surrender.”
- “Torn A Sorrento”, a Neapolitan song written by Ernesto DeCurtis (music) and Giambattista DeCurtis in 1902. Over the years, it has been performed by Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, among others.
- In January 1968, “Lonely Man” was also released on the LP “Elvis’ Gold Records Volume 4”, a continuation of the famous gold series released by RCA Victor since 1958.
Information provided by EP Promised Land (Poland). Mariusz Ogieglo http://www.elvispromisedland.pl/
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