Elvis’ Encyclopedia: The Story of Burning Love

In the section Elvis’ Encyclopedia NPO Radio 5 program Lunch Lekker with Daniel Dekker delves into the archives of The King. Elvis expert Charley Moolhuizen tells background stories of special, sometimes unknown, songs and shares remarkable facts about Elvis. This time the story behind: Burning Love.

Viva Las Vegas

The months leading up to the recording of Burning Love are an emotional rollercoaster for Elvis. On January 12, 1972, he flew from Memphis to Los Angeles to rehearse for his upcoming concert series at the Las Vegas Hilton. RCA Studio C was kept free for The King for 3 days for this purpose. During those days he mainly practices with his rhythm section (drummer, bassist and rhythm guitarist).

After the days in Los Angeles, he leaves for Las Vegas with his entourage and musicians. During the rehearsals that take place in the Hilton, the entire team of backing singers, band and orchestra is complete. Elvis also tries out some new songs with them, including The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore. Unfortunately, the Walker Brothers’ hit does not appear on the final set list during the series of 57 sold-out concerts that Elvis gives in just 29 days.

On the day of the last concert in Las Vegas, Elvis’ wife Priscilla arrives. She says she is in a relationship with karate teacher, champion Mike Stone. The announcement hits The King hard. An official divorce is in the offing.

Separate paths

After Las Vegas, both Elvis and Priscilla leave for Los Angeles. Priscilla stays at their home on Monavale Street in Beverly Hills, while Elvis moves into the new house on Hillcrest Road. The King will be in the studio for several days in the coming period. After a grueling series of concerts and the announcement from his wife, Elvis is not in the best of moods. In the recording studio he is only interested in sad ballads, which reflect his gloomy mood at that moment. During the first day of recording, Elvis was completely absorbed in the heartbreaking song Separate Ways.

New hit single: Burning Love

His producer Felton Jarvis thinks it’s time for Elvis to come up with a hit single again. The King had revived his enormous career with a comeback TV special in 1968, which continued to score hits in the following two years. But it is now 1972, and sales of his singles have started to decline. Prior to recording, Jarvis instructed his team to find potential up-tempo hit material. Finally they land on the song Burning Love by Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde.

A burning desire

Like Elvis on the second day of recording Burning Love starts, the session starts slowly at first. He lacks his usual passion that he normally has with uptempo songs. To Burning Love To do it justice, it really has to be sung with some swagger. Fortunately, his regular backing band has enough energy to get the singer in the right mood. As Elvis during the 6 takes, which included the recording of Burning Love takes up time, starts improvising, they know it’s going to be right. Producer Jarvis is satisfied, because he has just seen a hit born.

Burning Love becomes an international hit, with Top 10 positions in several countries. It reached 1st position in the American Cashbox Top 40 with 1,000,000 singles sold, and 2nd in the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which he had to record with so many conflicting emotions, becomes Elvis’ biggest hit of the 1970s.

A few more facts:

• Burning Love was originally going to be released on the album Standing Room Only, however, the album was canceled. The song later appeared on a budget album.
• The single version was released 5 months after recording, on August 1, 1972.
• The song did not reach the highest position in the American Billboard charts, the 1st place remained occupied by the hit My Ding-a-Ling by Chuck Berry.
• Elvis sang Burning Love in 2 high-profile productions: the concert film Elvis on Tour and a year later also in it Aloha from Hawaii-concert.
• Songwriter Dennis Linde wrote after Burning Love 2 more songs for Elvis: I Got a Feelin’ in My Body and For The Heart.

(Photo: Above – The original American album Burning Love. A 78 rpm single specially made for jukeboxes, complete with title strip. Below: A promotional single Burning Love, a special gray label and a standard orange label version. © Charley Moolhuizen.)