SCHOOL TEACHER Had #1 Hit of the YEAR..15 Years LATER Her Son HAD #1 Hit of 1971 | Professor Of Rock
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- In the mid-50s, a school-teacher, and a former dishwasher repairman collaborated on writing a song allegedly inspired by the suicide note of a despondent man that was included in an article published by the Miami Herald. It would turn out to be for the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley… The song? Heartbreak Hotel. In fact the schoolteacher named Mae Axton vowed to Elvis that she would write his first #1 million seller and she did. Although Presley’s label RCA thought the song was a disaster. They hated it and predicated it would fail. It went to #1 for 7 weeks and was the biggest song of the years. Years later the school teacher who wrote it, would have a song Hoyt Axton who would write a #1 hit for Three Dog Night called Joy to the World making them the only mother and son to do so in history. Over the years the writing of Heartbreak Hotel from a newspaper article has become a mystery. Curiously, there is no evidence of such an incident in the public records of the State of Florida, nor is there any proof of a news article that was published on the alleged suicide by the Miami Herald. It’s the conflicting and mystifying story of the first #1 pop song by the King of Rock ’N Roll…NEXT on Professor of Rock.”
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It’s hard to believe that there was a time when Elvis Presley was not one of the all-time greatest pop icons. But, long before he was crowned the ‘King of Rock ’N Roll,” some of Elvis’s fellow musicians looked down upon him as a “kid who wasn’t going to go anywhere.”That is exactly what singer Glen Reeves thought of Elvis, after he begrudgingly agreed to perform the vocal for a demo of a song crafted for Elvis to record.
The song on that demo was “Heartbreak Hotel”- becoming Elvis’s first #1 pop single, and propelling the 21 year old performer into an international phenomenon: How the composition of“Heartbreak Hotel”evolved is a confusing, mysterious, and, ultimately puzzling story. The co-writers- Mae Boren Axton, and Tommy Durden both claimed that the inspiration for the song came from a newspaper article published in the Miami Herald about an unidentified man who committed suicide in a Miami hotel room.
Tommy Durden was a steel guitarist playing in bands from Gainesville & Jacksonville, Florida. Although Durden was a professional musician, who backed up luminaires like Tex Ritter & Johnny Cash, he didn’t make much money as a hired player.
He still needed to have ‘day jobs’ to make ends meet, such as being a dishwasher repairman. One morning in the summer-of ‘55, Durden grabbed the Miami Herald from his front porch, and read an article about an unidentified man who killed himself in a Miami hotel room.
No one knew the man’s name, which seemed to be exactly what the deceased wanted. According to the news paper report…before taking his life, the man destroyed all of his identification certificates, and left a suicide note with only one cryptic line…
“I walk a lonely street”……
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest early Rock and Roll song?
Toss up between Ben E King's "Stand By Me" or the Platter's "Twilight Time"
@Anna Trail ...JINX! ...ha-HAA!!
Cry ,Cry, Cry - The Man In Black
Angel Eyes - The Chairman Of The Board
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally
Jailhouse rock
It took me 53 years to get to Graceland. You really must go! I also ended up spending 5 days in Memphis and enjoyed BBQ, Beale St., the Lorraine Motel, etc. Despite the high crime rate, Memphis has great food, great music, and historic places of interest.
I remember being 5 years old when I was introduced to Elvis through a documentary about him on TV in 1984. After watching for only a few minutes and hearing him sing. I ran to my bedroom grabbed my small tape recorder, sat intently in front of the TV waiting for more songs that I could record. I listened to that crude tape non stop for weeks after that. Didn't matter that it was poor quality. I drew pictures of Elvis with his guitar and stuck them on my wall(I didn't have any posters). I remember getting my first tape of Elvis sometime after that. It was a hit compellation. I wore it out listening to Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain, In the Ghetto, and so many more. But I still kept that crude cassette that had Love Me Tender, Burning Love, C.C. Rider, Heartbreak Hotel, and Jailhouse Rock on it. Elvis was the first artist that really got me. I can remember being brought to tears by Love Me Tender at only 5 years old. It was beautiful. After Elvis it was the Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, and John Mellencamp. I can remember the exact order my discoveries came in. Born in the U.S.A. was the first tape of newly released music I got. My love affair with music all started with Elvis. He is the king. I still feel like he's got the greatest voice of all time. I still listen to him today. It's only been a couple weeks since I sought out Bridge Over Troubled Water on TH-cam so my my wife and kids(who don't listen to Elvis) could hear it.....I dared them to listen to it and then tell me that Elvis wasn't great.....I got my answer by the misty eyes they had. They didn't have to say anything.
Born in 1965 and I had Elvis posters on my bedroom wall until 1976 when Farrah replaced him. It’s almost 2023 and Elvis is still the King of Rock & Roll with no equal in sight.
I spent hours playing my grandfather’s 45s in the attic of our house. “In the ghetto” was one of the records and I remember crying listening to him sing. There’s no way I was old enough to understand what he was saying but he moved me…….. The King
Government goal is to get majority of us into the ghetto; easier for them to control poor people than wealthy . . .
Mac Davis wrote an amazing song but it was Elvis that really pushes it over the emotional edge.
your not alone in song chioce. reachs deep in the heart and soul.
I love Elvis - when I was a kid and I was sick, my mom would put a VHS of old Elvis movies on. She loved them, but it was the test to see if I was actually sick or not (this was the 80s - was a different time). Anyhow, joke's on her, because I came to appreciate it and love it myself. When I'm sick these days, I'll pull up one of those things off of Amazon Prime and watch it and remember what life used to be.
Those Elvis movies are SPECTACULAR.
When i was a kid i used to stay home, to listen to records. There were at least 3 elvis albums in mom and dad's collection. Mom got to see Elvis live, in vegas.
To me, Elvis Presley is, was, and will always be The King Of Rock And Roll. His sound and style were so groundbreaking and revolutionary that it changed the course of popular music. He influenced all rock artists who came after him. Without Elvis, there never would've been The Beatles. John Lennon was quoted in saying "Before Elvis, there was nothing." "Heartbreak Hotel" was the song that launched him nationally going to #1 on the pop charts in 1956. John Lennon also said that when he first heard "Heartbreak Hotel", he knew that he wanted to go into music. Professor, as a life-long major Elvis fan, I am so happy you devoted an episode to an Elvis Presley song. Hopefully, there's more to come.
Definitely more to come.
Elvis is probably THE trailblazer of the rock era.
@Anna Trail I remember the specific incident you are referring to. An individual tried to turn this comments section into a debate forum trying to discredit Elvis Presley's influence and importance to rock music. He went out of his way to respond to all of us who defended Elvis Presley's legacy and was determined to win the argument. What he was forgetting is that music is subjective and there really is no right or wrong answer. It just comes down to each individual's tastes. Another one of rock's 50's pioneers, Buddy Holly, was quoted saying, "Without Elvis, none of us would have made it." So, his peers fully recognized his importance and how his music really changed the world.
What a yarn. I never would have thought there could be so much drama behind a song. Thank you for telling. You are the Professor of Rock!
Now this is a deep profile! Would have never guessed the backstory here.
Elvis benefitted from many people helping him with songs. This is a great story, Professor. Thanks for all the work on this!
Sorry Roger, your comment got cut off!
....OOOOOOOOH-WEE, was this a GOOD One, today!
I thought he was singing about how he went to stay at Heartbreak Hotel because his baby left him and now he’s lonely! Never knew the exigence of this one.
EVERY successful musician benefits from people helping them with songs.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Did he ever write anything himself?
1962 i'm 10yrs old laying in my mom's bed sick & on the radio comes "Return to Sender" I was HOOKED.....To this day at 71, "I wish I was 16 in 1956" / seen Elvis Live in 1970-75-76 Still Miss Him .....
My mom graduated high school in 1957 and Elvis was her dreamboat! If music didn't have that Elvis twang, she was definitely skeptical of it. Honesty, I think she married my dad because he looked like small town Missouri's version of Elvis. Thank you for many smiles on this one , Prof!
My mother was another lady smitten by Elvis. She graduated from high school around 1960.
I love that !
Miss Hips....
That's funny cuz my mom graduated in like 59 and she was telling me she got to see Elvis live and she couldn't even enjoy the show because all the girls were freaking and fainting and she couldn't hear the show and that always rubbed her wrong always called Elvis a cult of personality wasn't really a hater nor was she obsessed
I remember as a kid, back in the 70's, when my mom told us Elvis had died. She wept as though she knew him personally.
Back then, there was 4 tv networks that we could get. One of them had movies after the news... The Late Show, I think.
Anyway, mom would let us stay up after bedtime if the late show was an Elvis movie or a Jerry Lewis movie.
Now, when I catch one of their movies, its like a warm hug from mom. Who is shaking her ass for Elvis and laughing it up with Jerry right now.
See you soon mom. l love you and I'm so, so sorry for everything.
I thought we would have more time, and I didn't want to be a burden. I wanted to succeed before I came back.
Pride is a sin and I'm guilty. So godamn sorry. I did not mean to cause you any pain. I wanted the exact opposite.
Now its too late, and you are gone and we can never get that time back. Not here anyway.
I'm so selfish. Please don't reincarnate until I die and can see you again. Or do, if it makes you happy, cuz you deserve to be. To think of yourself instead of putting everyone else first.
So sorry I wasn't there for you like you were for me my whole life..
Fascinating to hear the detailed behind the story behind this monumental tune. Mae's son Hoyt also wrote The Pusher, recorded by Steppenwolf, who shared a label and producer with Three Dog Night. Talented family! Thx Adam!
That's right! The pusher. Thanks Robster.
I didn't know this. Thanks.
Been waiting for an episode of the young man who started it all. His sweet innocence rolled in with raw sex appeal and a natural, one of a kind voice. Swoon! He gave to all of us the gift of his roots, bathed in ‘coloured’ culture that was hidden to us prior and opened our eyes to the intense beauty and feel of it. Multiple artists claim that seeing The Beatles, The Stones, Zepplin, influenced them into becoming rock stars, but only one man influenced them themselves. The King.
Also wrote Joy to the World and Never Been To Spain (Three Dog Night), and the No No Song (Ringo Starr). I made a killing on bar bets on all 4 lol
Steppenwolf also recorded another Hoyt Axton tune as well-- "Snowblind Friend". Another Hoyt Axton song, "Greenback Dollar" was a hit for the Kingston Trio.
There will never be another one like Elvis he is and will always will be the king of rock ‘n’ roll as Elvis would say very much.
I grew up with Elvis too, but you can't forget Ricky Nelson who gave Elvis competition in the early years. Ricky was known as the first teen idol and had quite a few top ten hits and continued to play music until his death. I loved Elvis and listened to his music and watched his movies, watched his concerts on TV, he was the King of Rock and Roll. We had so much great music in that era. Long live Rock and Roll.
Nobody comes close to Elvis, nobody! True words were never spoken. So not only do we have similar taste in music from the 80s, but we also share a love for Elvis Presley. I became a fan of the tender age of five and the ironic thing was that none of my parents or grandparents particularly cared for him. I saw him on television and that was it for me. Overtime I actually got my parents and grandparents to love Elvis Presley as well. He is the greatest singer performer of all time in my honest opinion. And he’s the reason why I’m a singer as well. Long live the king!
Elvis was great for his time, but in retrospect he was only pretty good. Robert Plant destroyed him.
Incredible golden sound. Gold came out of Elvis's voice. What a voice.
Thanks for a wonderful 50s history lesson. All I remember is hearing Elvis songs when I was a kid. He died when I was 7.
I also went to Hawaii alot because my grandparents lived on Ohahu. We visited Pearl Harbor and I learned Elvis Presley gave money to have the Pearl Harbor memorial built on the sunken SS Arizona. A very generous thing Elvis did to remember those who lost their lives.
It wasn't aware of that Catherine! Thanks for sharing.
@Anna Trail My baby sitter was an Elvis fan. I think I learned about him from her.
I was listening to a podcast recently that told the story of the day that Elvis died, when a teenager refused to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance, and Ohio getting in potential contact with aliens. All of that happened the same day. It’s a wild story.
I did not know that he helped with the Pearl Harbor memorial. That makes me like him even more!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I think I will look up the facts behind the Pearl Harbor memorial and read about Elvis contribution.
There is a bronze plaque at the entrance thanking him for the financial support.
@@catherine6653 Very interesting! Had no idea Elvis was involved in this at all.
The background story of this song told by the Professor is iconic. The Professor is an old soul.
My dad rescued a Wurlitzer jukebox from a local dinner that was updating it to one that played 45s, he was 16 at the time and my grandparents basement instantly became the place to be by all his friends. It helped that my grandmother loved to cook and fed everyone in the neighbourhood. Lol
So when I was young I loved nothing better than to sit in the basement and play those records. Elvis was a favourite of my moms, so there were quite a few of his earlier songs on the playlist, and this was my go to song of choice.
Funny, I’ve mentioned on this channel that great music was the soundtrack to my life and that every girl had her own song, and this was no different. Actually it was the first song to be associated with a girl.
I was told that I could not have a girlfriend till I turned 13, so on my 13th birthday party I introduced my parents to my first girlfriend, June 27th. Though by the time summer ended the relationship was no longer, she dumped me.
I finally knew what this song was all about and played it over and over again. Till 2 weeks later when I got another girlfriend that is. Lol
Exactly what I saw this song to be about.
Good story.
This channel never ceases to be interesting. Love the backstories on the hits. You really do the research and create a top-notch presentation. Rock on.
Wow, thank you!
He's still humble!
I remember the day the "King" passed away. . 😢😢 We were driving home from my grandparents . . . . For the next hour or so that AM radio in the family car I was sung to sleep to the sweet soulful sound of the Kings voice. My favorite Elvis song is a real tear jerker "In the Guetto". . . . .
Sad day for Rock and Roll.
"In the Ghetto" was a tear jerker indeed. I don't think I ever found a song lyric with more consecutive prepositional phrases ("Face down in the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto"--four in a row!).
Love In the Ghetto. August 16, 1977 was one of the gloomiest days in music history.
Wow. This one hits home for me. As a teen in the late 60s, I was a huge Three Dog Night fan. I learned about who wrote my favorites to my surprise was a country music star, not my genre at all. Same time as the old Hee Haw show where Hoyt appeared. He seemed so genuine that I soon learned about his mother and a only a part of the history you told. I live in central Oklahoma now with a rich music history. Anyway, this one will remain in my POR favorites.
Him and his mother were both very prolific, known for writing some classics!
Awww, yes, the heart of music is Country ❤️
Wow, you finally featured a song older than I am.😎 Seriously, I was born in January of 1956. Pretty much everybody my age was raised listening to Elvis, even if secretly because of parental disapproval. Even after moving into pop, Motown, and then rock, I would still stop to catch an Elvis song on the radio. Of course, Elvis movies were a not-really-guilty pleasure. His resurgence in the late '60s brought new, more contemporary songs.
Dying at 42 was a thorough shock.
Good episode.
I grew up with those three television channels - can anyone younger than 40 even understand that there were ONLY three channels on TV? Not only were there just three stations to choose from, but from midnight to 6am, there was nothing but static or the color bars - no shows aired in the wee hours of the night.
Now, imagine being a young singer who gets invited to perform on live television. One third of the TV-watching world would be seeing your performance. Give that a thought.
My dad was 11 when "Heartbreak Hotel" came out, and up until last Christmas, 2021 when my dad passed away, he could mimic Elvis' moves and voice (in the Navy, long before my dad became a Navy Captain, he would perform impersonations of Elvis while deployed off Vietnam to the thrill of the sailors on his ship)... my memory of "Heartbreak Hotel" is forever sealed into my thoughts of my dad AND Elvis, never just Elvis himself.
Absolutely love Elvis!
Love your details around his music!!
Thank You!
I had the opportunity last month to pass through Memphis and to Sun Studio. Amazing how tiny that place is, but oh my the hits it produced.
As a young teenager, I remember having Elvis' Greatest Hits on 8-track playing on loop in my room. Fell asleep and woke up to it.
You really hit the jackpot with this one Adam! Almost no one knew the story behind "Heartbreak Hotel", OR the number of great musicians it influenced in their careers!! Thank you for doing the research and bringing the results to us in such an entertaining way...! 👍🤗
Elvis had countless hits, you could say that every single one of his tunes was a classic! Never knew the bizarre story behind it, just makes so much more mysterious and intriguing, but that's the trend with these hits!
Thanks RC32.
I heard this story years ago, the first time I stayed at the spooky old Von Minden Hotel in Schulenburg, TX built in 1927. It is reputed to be haunted, but I didn't know that the first time I stayed there. It is nicknamed "The Heartbreak Hotel" after the song, and the story behind the song. The hotel's owner told us of the legend behind the Elvis hit.
The Von Minden had a suicide of a WWII soldier/paratrooper who was reported MIA to his family and girlfriend, and they weren't told he was alive until he got home and moved into the Von Minden. While staying in room 37 on the 3rd floor of the hotel, he received a packet of letters, mostly from his girl, written while he was in the War. He read them, out of order, and the story goes that he read a "Dear John" letter from her, and believing she married someone else, he threw himself out his 3rd floor window, and was caught by a clothesline just before hitting the ground. The clothesline, "clotheslined" him, and he died from a broken neck or strangulation. He didn't get to the letter she wrote telling him that she learned he was alive, broke it off with the other guy, and was on her way to be with him.
I don't know if much of the story is true, but he really did kill himself by jumping out the window. People have claimed they have seen a young woman in a polka dot dress looking for room 37, but I never saw her during the four times I stayed there.
Wonderfully spooky place, though. The current owners bought it in 1977, and, as one article put it, "got busy doing absolutely nothing to update the place". Very true; it has original bathroom fixtures from 1927, old furniture, and the 4th floor rooms are flop-house tiny with one large shared bathroom with showers that looked worthy of a horror movie!
It’s a pretty amazing story!
I love Elvis Presley! This is one of my favorites by him, along with "Jailhouse Rock", "Suspicious Minds", "Burnin' Love" and "Memories".
Have you ever been to Graceland in Memphis, TN? I have been there twice and each time that I went I could feel the spirit of Elvis but the second time I went was with my wife and she started crying because she felt like the spirit of Elvis was all around. Also on top of that when my wife and I got married our first dance at the reception was "Love Me Tender".
I'm a huge Elvis fan, and I've read dozens of books on him. Having heard the legend of the story behind Heartbreak Hotel, the mother/son writing angle is one I've never heard. Great work, Professor!
It’s amazing how skilled she was.
Elvis is one of the greats that can never be topped. A few of my favorites are "Always on my Mind", "In the Ghetto", and "Cant Help Falling in Love". I know he starred in a few movies but my all-time favorite is "Clambake". If you have not seen that I would check it out! Rock on Brother!
I saw it about 20 years ago! Need to watch it again. Classic!
Love Me Tender followed by Can’t Help Falling in Love had me ugly crying in my 20th anniversary pictures. Such sweet songs.
A few of my favorites are "Don't" "Don't Cry Daddy" and "Memories."
Love Cartmans cover of In the Ghetto.
Viva Las Vegas and Girls Girls Girls are my faves!
My grandmother was a HUGE Elvis fan it wasn’t often that there was anyone else she was Liste to, so like you I grew up listening to the king. I think it influenced my dads love of rock n roll. I’ve been listening to rock my entire life and probably will until they put me in my grave
I was 6 when Elvis died. I still remember my mom collapsing and crying almost hysterically when the news came over the radio on the kitchen table.
I've still never cried over a singer/entertainer, etc, dying, but I've come close... Waylon, Dimebag, Dale Sr.
Thanks Professor for these amazing stories!
Elvis was my mother's all-time favorite musician, so I grew up listening to him and all the other early rock and roll and rockabilly greats. I was almost seven years old when Elvis passed away, and my mother spent the entire day watching the news, and recorded the radio broadcasts on our 8 track recorder.
So cool that Mama Axton and her son Hoyt both wrote number 1 hits. Joy to the world and Never been to Spain are two of my favorite songs by 3 dog night. Thanks for the cool story about Heartbreak Hotel
Great story of Mae and Hoyt. I agree.
He also wrote the Kingston Trio’s “Greenback Dollar”.. one of my favorite songs.
We Absolutely Need More Elvis Stories!!!!!
Heartbreak Hotel was the first song I ever remember hearing with massive reverb. I was about 7 years old. That really left its mark on me. And that piano and bass and drum brushes on the break was sooo cool. I am still a fan of the standup bass. There is just something warm and full about it that an electric bass just can't match.
A great friend gave me a 78 RPM copy of Heartbreak Hotel and on the way home, it fell on its edge and broke. Boy was I ever woeful!
Awesome breakdown of this classic. Was brought up with a lot of different music, everything from blues, rock and roll, pop, soul, disco, classical. But nothing better than Elvis. His voice is so unique. Consider myself lucky to be brought up with such great music. Elvis, the Beatles, Zeppelin, just breaks my heart hearing music today.
The first time I heard Elvis was when I was 10. A young girl and her boyfriend moved in the apartment across from us and would play Elvis all the time. I was hooked. This was in 1975.
That show with Elvis in black leather in a theater in the round sold me on Elvis forever.
My mom grew up with John and Hoyt Axton and was a friend of the family all growing up and everyone loved their mom. She has lots of great stories about her early life in Southern Oklahoma, our father several years later helped establish the first country and rock festival in the area called "48 Hours in Atoka"...there are some wild wild stories about all this-I wish I could tell you about it!
Dude, this one is pure GOLD!!! Please, more of this kind of video. SOOOOOOOO many amazing elements to this story!
Thank you. I’m 63 years old and have loved Elvis forever
Been a fan since 10 years old, 70 now !
This episode is why I love professor of rock!!! God I relate so well to this guy. Keep up the awesome work professor!!!!
Floyd Kramer’s solo on that song is awesome!
I agree. Such a cool style!
@@ProfessorofRock I didn't know Kramer played on HH until this episode.
R.I.P. Floyd. One of a kind pioneer.
I'm 68 and when I heard Elvis, I wanted to be him so bad. I eventually became a guitar player/singer. I've been playing guitar for 51 years and singing 35. Elvis was one of many influences I've had over the years.
What a great story. I love hearing the history behind these classics. Great episode professor.
Glad you enjoyed it
....FABULOUS episode, today, I want MORE!
@@ProfessorofRock As I was watching the episode, I was hoping you would include the fact that Mae was Hoyt's mother. You didn't disappoint. I love the version of HH by Nelson and Russell too.
This one followed closely by the Joker story on Tuesday are the winners of this week so far!
I have a renewed interest in Elvis since 2020 watching reactors and your channel I am enjoying the rock era all over again with better appreciation. I remember watching aloha from Hawaii and when Elvis did American Trilogy I was a fan for life. Thank you for your appreciation for music and educating us with your knowledge.
The Blue Hawaii Elvis was so iconic!
Hoyt Axton's best acting role was as TJ on WKRP in Cincinnati, an old boyfriend of Loni Anderson's character from back home.
I fell in love with Elvis while watching Jailhouse Rock at a 3rd grade sleepover. 💕
Years later, the 80's Rockabilly revival led me to the unique early music of Elvis, and other 50's trailblazers, and I've never been the same... seriously.
Thanks for this cool rock'n'roll mystery with all the supporting characters and obscure details. Your presentations are always top notch but this one was stellar!
It's great to see you do some material on Elvis Presley he truly is the king I read a story one time about how Elvis and led Zeppelin were to meet each other for the first time Elvis walked in the room with Robert plant Jimmy Page John Paul Jones and John Bonham and both of us and the members of led Zeppelin were so enamored with each other they were speechless so to break the ice Jimmy Page took off his I think it was $12.95 Mickey mouse watch and handed it to Elvis Elvis was so taken with this gift from Jimmy Page he took off his very expensive Rolex and handed it to Jimmy Page
So glad you're covering Elvis! Mom was lifelong fan! ❤ In 1972 I took Mom to Elvis concert. Not only a GREAT SHOW but I bootlegged it!!! Yes I did! Cassettes in their infancy, I had a newly released cassette/radio in flat rectangle "box". Walked thru Security holding like books in school w/radio playing, got right thru! I was lucky enough to sit on aisle, put recorder under chair w/mic sitting atop! ONLY IN THE 70'S RIGHT??? Recorded whole concert & played for Dad when returned home! Still have tape but haven't tried playing in LONG time! Think it'll still play? Should I try to play? Do I have a head count, yay or nay? Probably my BEST Concert story! ❤ Thank you! ✌️🤘🤘🤘
I’m so glad you did an Elvis video. It was totally worth the wait. I hope you do more Elvis in the future along with some Chuck Berry videos.
That is one crazy story about the song that changed everything in popular music. Kind of wild that the song was inspired by a guy that died robbing a tackle shop. Thanks for this one because without this song and Elvis would we have the Beatles and the Stones and all those inspired by them. Was this song the true birth of rock and roll. I think it was. Great episode professor, gives as much 50s as you can there is so much I need to know.
Isn't it crazy?
@Anna Trail I am impressed with how much work Adam does to get as much information possible on history of music. The 50s rock and rockabilly is absolutely fantastic I agree
I had no idea that there was such a haunting backstory behind this song. I thought that the backstory was Elvis’s girlfriend ditched him, and so he went through a period in which he felt lonely. The rock era wouldn’t be rock without Elvis!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Elvis never wrote any of his songs but man did he own them!
@@MyName-pl7zn For sure he did!
Hoyt Axton also wrote "Never Been to Spain" which Three Dog Night and Elvis recorded.
Noted @ 17:47
Elvis was such a huge guy while growing up! I remember thinking he was too young to die :(
We celebrated our 20th anniversary in Vegas and on a sudden impulse we got “Elvis” to remarry us in the famous chapel. We thought it was fun, dressed in shorts with a little veil and matching color fake buque of flowers, until the guy started singing Love Me Tender and I just started crying. The impersonator had a Pink Cadillac and I regret, 14 years later, not getting a ride through the strip with Elvis driving us.
He was a titan and still greatly missed
I know several people who got married by “Elvis” in the chapel in Vegas. It was even showcased on a few eps of 90 Day Fiance!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 we entered just to see the place then we observed people getting ready as someone else was getting married. We got curious and asked how often were the weddings and she told us “15 minutes and we can also divorce you.” They have everything from rings and full on formal dresses and tux for rent. I’m glad we commemorated our anniversary there. We wanted young Elvis but he wasn’t available, we ended up with an awesome pantsuit Elvis.
@@Fiona2254 It is such a unique place, that Graceland Chapel. Sounds like “Elvis” did his best to be calm, cool, and collected with you guys. Glad you enjoyed it there.
Cool story Professor we need more stories about Elvis's hits
Will do!
Please!
I remember getting the Elvis album called “50,000,000 fans can’t be wrong” for Christmas. It was a greatest hits record. Incredible!
I still have the two tickets my dad bought us to go see Elvis in Huntington WV, unfortunately Elvis passed before that concert. My dad still had those two tickets in his wallet when he died. Funnily, although I liked Elvis ok at that time I was 13 and not thrilled to go see him. Heart and Kiss were more my jam back then lol. I honestly never knew just what an international and global icon he was till I visited Hawaii and then Graceland for my daughter’s 13th birthday. Ironically, she is a major Elvis fan! :)
I can remember stories from my mother seeing Elvis in concert. She told me that my grandfather really didn't approve of his gyrations. But my mom was so cool that she got to see Elvis in concert and she also seen Kiss in concert!
HBH was Elvis’ iconic song. He owned it. I never related the song to morbidity, just sadness over a girl. Hoyt wrote my happy songs. Adam, you’ve waited for Stairway, and now holding out for Elvis. What else is in your closet??
Great episode again! Professor never fails! Growin' up in a city between Memphis and Nashville ,Tennessee, and from a musical family, I come outta the womb with music history. Elvis was pivotal for music in a global way. Great origin story on "Heartbreak Hotel". It would probably be the most influential early Rock song to me. I like all of Elvis' catalog. Ole boy could get down. Daddy and my Step-Dad appreciated Elvis also. Of course, even non musicians like him. Many Elvis paintings in homes down South, the dark colored ones on cloth. My ear likes the Memphis sound. Always has. I was the same way hearin' Vedder and Pearl Jam as Lennon was hearin' Elvis. Couldn't completely make out the lyric at first, only the energy of the vocal and instruments. Really captured my interest. I believe if Elvis had not of came through in the 50's, music would not have advanced like it did in the following 4 decades. It seems we are at a similar place in music now as we were before Elvis passed through. It will be interestin' to hear where it goes from here.
I watched Elvis on Ed Sullivan’s show his first appearance. We lived in Caldwell Idaho in 55~ 57. I was six years old and remember Dad telling Mom “ we’ve got to see Sullivan tonight. There is going to be some singer on there that just goes nuts”. They both sat on our blue couch and I sat on the floor in front facing the b/w tv.
There was a follow up song for the story of Heartbreak Hotel called Lonely Street. Andy Williams had an album called that and I still have it. Beautiful song.
For the new Elvis movie Republic Records newest artist arraigned and did a live video with Republic head of LA studio Rob Christie of Suspicious Minds. Angelia Jordan is even weeding the black jumpsuit, Priscilla’s beehive hair, and playing the same red guitar as he appeared in his 68 comeback special. You will be blown away! It’s on YT with close to 3 million views since July
Elvis is the King. I got to see him live 1974 in Tahoe, 10' from the stage. One of the highlights of my life. Thanks so much Professor to getting back into the 50's, where Rock n Roll started, without Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and the rest of the day the music died gang, there wouldnt be any rock n roll. Thanks for featuring a pioneer of rock, Elvis
Elvis' song Memories is honestly my favorite. It apparently got buried in my head and heart at a very young age. Only when I became a Barbra fan later it resurfaced with confusion. I had trouble even finding it for the loooooongest time before the internet became more user friendly back in the stone age. I find it haunting.
So funny to find this. Mae Axton was an old high school friend of my 98 year old neighbor who lives across the street from me. She has a photocopy of the original lyric notes along with an original 45 of Heartbreak Hotel signed by both her and Tommy Durden. Also in the frame is an article about the song from The Nashville Banner dated July 13th, 1956.
Wow. "Heartbreak Hotel" preceded me into the world by a few months, but still I heard it a lot, and it was unique. I remember Stan Freberg's hilarious parody. Thanks for telling the story behind the song.
Thanks James.
My grandparents were in high school when Heartbreak Hotel was popular.
Stan Freberg's parody of "Heartbreak Hotel" was fantastic-Dr.Demento has played it a time or two on his show.
God Bless you Professor! This was one of your BEST - if not "THE!"
I was just reading up on Mae Axton. In 1973, I went to 1 of the schools she taught at in her earlier years in Jacksonville, Fla. Doesn't mean 💩 to a tree but I found it interesting. Also, I recently caught an episode of McCloud, where Hoyt played a country singer that was strung out on heroin, doing a tour of the Soviet Union.
I first heard Hoyt on an episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati" as an old boyfriend of Jennifer's...he sang "Della and the Dealer" over the closing credits...!
@@splenderella9, I'm a fan of WKRP. I think I do remember that. My aging memory is kind of a blur but after seeing your reply. I started having small flashbacks of it. Thanks
I was raised on country and Elvis . Elvis didn't need to be in any music category because he was a force all his own . Peace In The Valley and Don't Cry Daddy are my two favorite Elvis songs :)
A force all his own. Indeed. Thanks!
Great songs.
I was actually born the year this song became a hit!😯
Shure makes me feel old..
Great story behind that song Professor! I was wondering if you would ever do anything on Elvis, even though it makes sense you would. After all Elvis was "The King Of Rock and Roll"!
Yes! Been waiting to do this one for a Looooong time.
At one point I was like, “Has he done any 50s vids?” I was finally excited to watch this one! And the Ritchie Valens one.
It was in the spring of 1973 and my band was performing at the Sahara hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and just around the corner at the Hilton Hotel, Elvis was going to appear for two weeks. Our manager got the Okay to allow my band The Gringos, to stand along the side of the room where Elvis was performing. Because we only had an hour between our shows, we didn't get to see a lot of Elvis's show but what we saw gave each one of goose bumps seeing the "Legend" himself on stage. It' was one of many highlights from my music career.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is one of the dopest songs I have ever heard, especially live...these gold laden rappers and rock n' roll peacocks could learn a lesson in swagger and attitude from The King...
No kidding.
Thanks for you perspective.
Haha! 😊
This episode brought back great memories of my visit to Graceland and Sun Studios. There is a lot of history there, and thank you again for your thorough research and story to go with this amazing song. Keep up the great content 👌🇵🇳
My Mom raised our family on Elvis. All his vinyl records in our living room record collection. My mother got a picture with Elvis while he was filming Blue Hawaii which she blew up and hung in the living room. After a house fire, all was lost except my remaining affinity for the King of which I could only pass on to my kids through the Christmas album.
I had just turned 3 years old when Heartbreak Hotel hit the local airwaves in L.A. My mom immediately bought the 45. I was not familiar with blues at that time. The song spooked and fascinated and moved me like no other song. In 1973 I got a job that required I sing a song on my table-bussing break at a local restaurant. I had never performed in front of people. I was a competent guitarist so that was done. The vocal scared the shite out of me so two days before I started the job I would ride my bicycle into Runyan Canyon in the Hollywood Hills and hike to the hilltop where there were no dog walkers. During those 2 days I sang the song at the top of my lungs many times just to smooth out the rough parts. I settled on an Elvis impersonation since I had no idea what my "true voice" sounded like. Came my first day of work and I bused tables and my break came. I performed the song and was so terrified I blacked out before it was finished. When I came to I was fired. I do a mean Elvis impersonation and I don't faint in the middle of a song anymore. Nice to know that there are other historical fans.
So great to hear this episode. Great discussion and information. Glad to know that you have been an Elvis fan for so long. It shows you have a great ear and taste. Great show.
You really are the Professor of Rock. I’ve been a fan of Floyd Cramer since the early 70’s and I had never heard that he played the piano on this Elvis record. Very cool. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of rock history and for all that you do to post it on TH-cam. You’re grateful appreciated.
My father (18 yrs old in 1962) and mom went to her jr prom in 1961. I wish you could see my father then. Everyone said he looked like Elvis. It a bad person to resemble any?
Back in the 70's my parents had several 8 track tapes of Elvis, and some 45's that I played ENDLESSLY (much to the frustration of my older brother who was a beetles fan). We only had 1 TV, and as [luck] would have it, I got to pick what we watched one night - the very night that Elvis had his satellite broadcast concert! My brother was beyond being upset ... at first. But the end of the concert he admitted that Elvis was "pretty good" and he got a kick out of watching me jump around, dance, and sing to the music, with my enthusiasm helping him to come to appreciate, and even enjoy the music of "the king of Rock and Roll." So much so, that he was the first person who consoled me on that fateful day of August 16, 1977. They are some fantastic memories I have of my brother during that time.
Okay When i was a toddler. Elvis was on TV in the army. I told my mom, that i saw my oldest brother on the tube. He did at that time look a lot like him. But my brother didn't sing. Years later my oldest brother took me to Grace Land. Elvis is the King
When I was a little boy, all I knew was Elvis and Kiss. My mom had a bunch of Elvis compilations and I listened to them constantly. He was my first musical influence and was so talented that he never had to write a single song. He made every song his own just by the way he sang them. It's a real shame that he died so young and sad. Colonel Parker destroyed his life and slowly sucked all of his dreams of being a movie star out of him for his own selfish gain. He truly walked a lonely street in the end.
That was depicted in the Elvis movie. Parker wouldn't let Elvis tour Europe because Parker was in the US illegally, and would never be let back in unless he had a green card or citizenship. Parker was not his real name, he was really Andreas van Kuijk, and was a person of interest in a murder back in the 1920s; he skipped his home country of the Netherlands to illegally live in the US. It was probably why he never obtained citizenship even when he managed Elvis, because a background check would reveal his alleged crime. He worked Elvis to death, having him out on the road to pay off gambling debts Parker incurred. In 1973, Parker negotiated a new RCA contract for Elvis, taking 50% of his earnings from recordings and touring, not to mention Parker also sold Elvis' song catalog. Parker was greedy.
@@tammylewis2408 Yes, I just recently bought that movie and it was really well done. I also have an Elvis miniseries that has Randy Quaid playing Colonel Parker that was the only portrayal that was officially sanctioned by the Presley family. It was a lot more in depth and had a more serious tone. The only problem with it is that it only goes up to the 1968 Comeback Special. Other than that, it was one of the best depictions out there. Another great movie is the Elvis movie that had Kurt Russell playing Elvis and was directed by John Carpenter. It had an all star cast and was my favorite of all time until recently.
I remember Elvis first time on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. I sat on the floor with my dad watching. I was 8 years old. Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, The Dorsey brothers, Satchmo, Elvis and Buddy Holly were staples in our house.
I was a kid growing up in New Orleans in the 70s, sprung from the ending of the Vietnam War and Watergate. The first pop stars I remember hearing of were B.B. King (well, almost pop, eh?) and Elvis Presley. Elton John then came along and opened the gates for KISS, Foghat, Led Zeppelin, and others such. While I never was much of an Elvis fan, he was the king... baby.
Kicked open the gate for EVERY ONE.
You cannot forget The Beatles!
My mom loved Elvis. One year, she was going to finally she her first Elvis concert, she had tickets to a Niagara Falls for a late fall show. Fall of 1977. She was so sad.
Dang it. So sad to hear.
OH NO!!!!! 😢
I LOVE Hoyt Axton; had no idea his mom was I'm music too
I just looked on the Familysearch app and Hoyt Axton is my 8th cousin once removed 🤩
Joy To The World is the first song I remember paying attention to. I think I was 3 or 4 years old. My dad was a musician in a rock band and that was the song they covered that stands out the most in my memory. Sweet nostagia.
I remember seeing Elvis on TV when I was 3 or 4 and I was drawn to him and he became my favorite! I loved the cheesy movies and remember watching his show from Hawaii. "Grease" I picked out of a box of records my mom bought at a flee market because Travolta looked like Elvis sort of and I think those 2 things gave me my eclectic tastes that still lean a bit toward R&B and the blues when I play guitar.
No Elvis, no Grease, maybe no Beatles or Stones as we know em'now. Elvis changed the world. It's easy to forget how gifted he was.
Another great one Professor (I like how you had to create a fake newspaper article before showing what must be the real article that inspired the classic Heartbeat Hotel) see ya tomorrow my friend ✌️♥️🎸🎶🙏
I'm GenX, but I must admit Elvis is King.
YES!
Fellow Gen X who’s a Beatles fan here, but, I also agree, Elvis is King!
Agree!
It RAISES the question, it does not "beg the question".
Elvis is The King, what a great song and a true American Icon of music
Love your stories! I heard this one before, because me and my dad are music junkies and love all the history behind music!
But I’ve learned a lot of other things from you about this song and others! Love love your channel! All the best! Sláinte
There have been a few Aussie bands that have hit it big in the US like INXS, AC DC and the Bee Gees but I would love to hear the story about Men At Work. They seem to come from nowhere, blew up on the charts with several hits and then just disappeared. Think you may do a video on them?
I saw them live in 1996, in the Dominican Republic. Three blocks from my apartment, what a tremendous band Men at Work was.
When I heard that my foot started tapping, and when nobody was around, I'd do my dance, 😂
Both heartbreak hotel and are you lonesome tonight were my staple songs when singing with my mom's band during my high school years. I sang heartbreak hotel at a barn dance in Manteno Illinois once and about flipped out when they all jumped out to dance to it. I was about 17 years old and they called me Elvis the Pelvis at high school.
Elvis was my idol and I was told I resembled him both in style and looks. I moved on from Elvis later but I was always able to sing him on a seconds notice by memory. And as a trained singer, I still listen to his voice in awe... Elvis, as a vocalist, was a generational phenom.
Always loved Elvis’s version of Never Been To Spain, but never made the connection with Hoyt Axton’s mother writing Heartbreak Hotel! I suppose it’s nice to have Elvis as a friend. And nice to have hit songwriters pitching you songs.
FABULOUS RESEARCH, PROFESSOR! AMEN TO IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember the day Elvis passed away, I was a kid I ran into the house my sisters were all crying their eyes out I asked what was going on said Elvis had passed away. I had no idea how powerful that morning was because I was so young but I do remember their reactions.