Heartbreak Hotel
by Elvis Presley (hear it live on U Tube below)
Now since my baby left me,
I've found a new place to dwell:
down at the end of Lonely Street
at Heartbreak Hotel.
I'll be so lonely baby, I'll be so lonely,
I'll be so lonely - I could die.Athough it's always crowded,
you can still find some room
for broken hearted lovers
to cry there in the gloom
and be so lonely baby, you'll be so lonely,
You'll be so lonely you could die.The bell hop's tears keep flowing,
the desk clerk's dressed in black.
They been so long on Lonely Street
they never, never will go back
Cos they're so lonely baby, they're so lonely,
they're so lonely they could die.So if your baby leaves
and you've got a tale to tell
just take a walk down Lonely Street
to Heartbreak Hotel
where you'll so be lonely baby
You'll be so lonely you could die.Written by Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden & Elvis Presley
HOW THE SONG CAME ABOUT
The lyrics were written by a steel guitar player from Nashville named Tommy Durden. He was inspired by anewspaper story about a man who killed himself and left behind a note saying only, "I walk a lonely street." Another Nashville songwriter named Mae Boren Axton wrote the music, and Elvis' manager Tom Parker arranged for Elvis to receive a songwriting credit in exchange for singing it. This meant that royalties were split between Durden, Axton, and Elvis. In a 1982 interview, Durden said this song "has paid the rent for more than 20 years."The pair decided to write a song around the tragedy and in a flash of creative inspiration, it was Mae's suggestion to locate a heartbreak hotel at the end of that lonely street.turned it from the sad, sweet ballad Tommy had envisioned to an edgy rock number, then she christened their little song "Heartbreak Hotel.A discussion
ensued, as did the question "Doesn't everyone have someone who cares?"The poetry of rock is usually thought to have begun with Dylan in the 60's, forgetting the brilliant rock n roll lyrics of Chuck Berry, which in turn informed some of Dylan's best electric work. Here's one from the birth of 'commercial' Rock n Roll. Although Presley is mentioned on the writing credits, he wasn't involved with the writing of the song.
Newspapers
They say the media feeds on the media and newspapers are often used as a starting point for songs - later ones include A Day in the Life of; She's Leaving Home by the Beatles and Save the Life of My Child - Simon and Garfunkle and more.HEARTBREAK HOTEL AS AN EXTENDED METAPHOR
The song was clearly inspired by a suicide note and ironically his demise and one liner helped launch the biggestphenomonon in the pop world and spearheaded the growing youth culture. Also ironically the largest cities have the highest suicide rates, London, New York, LA. It recalls the Mork calling Orson dialogue in which Orson thinks that all those people living so close together must be having a great time, but Mork points out, in a Zen like way that they are all lonely and don't speak to each other! Heartbreak Hotel then is a kind of extended metaphor for any metropolis that has high suicide rates.It creates a macarbe atmosphere, tells a story, engages the emotions and makes important social commentary with incredible brevity, (four short verses) appropriate to the subject matter and the three minute pop song. That's before Presley even comes in to the picture with his brooding delivery and sexual tension. Add in the minimalist backing, crypt like reverb, cryptic piano and the heartbreak guitar solo and it's a theatre of a song!
In verse one it establishes the problem - his baby has left him - and locates the protagonist in the metaphoric Lonely Street, lodging at the metphoric Heartbreak Hotel. Placing a hotel on the end of Lonely street was the break through in the lyric. The title itself is memorable - being based on an alliteration like many a novel Rob Roy etc.
The problem and setting established int he first verse, things start to get surreal in the second verse. We are told that there's still room in the Inn even though its always crowded. Had it been a real hotel, there would clearly be a fire risk, a mangement problem and concerns about health and safety, but if Heartbreak Hotel is a metaphor for somewhere like New York, London or LA, things start to make more sense.
In the third verse the writers turn the screw thumbs with startling, evocative imagery which could be straight out of a Hitchcock movie! The bell Hop's tears keep flowing, the desk clerk's dressed in black, they've been so long on lonely street, they'll never, never go back. Three short lines but enough to evoke our own image of what Heartbreak Hotel would be like on the inside. Moe from the Simpsons would fit neatly here as the bar manager!
Most of the focus went to Presley's delivery, his gyrating hips, sex appeal, voice etc but behind this song is a wonderful and clever lyric that must be the first social comment song of the whole rock era. It hangs out with songs like Desolation Row, Hotel California, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever etc that depict a mythical, metophorical place that is both real (in a sense and unreal).
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