As a fan of the 70's Elvis I think that the media ignores or overlooks his work in the 70's. We all know the history behind the live performer in the 70's but much is forgotten on the studio recordings that Elvis made during that final period of his life. Let's take a look at the sessions year by year.
In June of 1970 Elvis recorded at RCA Studio in Nashville. Some masterpieces were recorded during that session. Songs like I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water, Just Pretend, Tomorrow Never Comes, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Throw in some lesser known hidden gems like The Next Step Is Love, Patch It Up, and Mary In The Morning and you have a strong solid collection of brilliance.
In May of 1971, Elvis returned to Nashville to cut some more music. Although there weren't smash hits this time, there were some hidden gems like I'm Leavin, It's Only Love, We Can Make The Morning and the folk song, Early Morning Rain. Elvis also cut a terrific gospel album in 1971 that won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album Of The Year.
The Hollywood sessions in 1972 produced two classic Elvis songs with Always On My Mind and his last US #1 hit, Burning Love. Also recorded during that session were Where Do I Go From Here, Fool, For The Good Times, and the haunting and personal Separate Wayswritten by bodyguard, Red West.
In July of '73, Elvis returned home to Memphis and his roots to record at the world famous Stax Studio where he cut a couple of top 40 hits,I've Got A Thing About You Baby and Raised On Rock. Elvis also cut a few 70's funky tracks like If You Don't Come Back that had that Isaac Hayes-Shaft feel and the bluesy Just A Little Bit.
The December sessions were much more productive with masterpieces like Promised Land, his last true rocker, a top 20 hit with If You Talk In Your Sleep, and the touching My Boy which was a surprisingly large hit in '75. There were some hidden gems during those sessions in Memphis in December like Thinking About You, Love Song Of The Year, Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues, Spanish Eyes, It's Midnightand the uptempo high energetic track, I Got A Feeling In My Body. The '73 sessions combined featured 9 different songs to reach a chart position ranging from the Pop to the Easy listening and the UK charts.
Elvis didn't record any studio tracks in 1974.
The 1975 album Today produced arguably Elvis' finest studio album of the decade as all 10 tracks were recorded for the album. It was also Elvis' only pop contemporary album of the 70's where all studio tracks recorded appeared on the same album. The session featured some hidden gems like the country rocker T-R-0-U-B-L-E and the bluesy Shake A Hand. But the most personal song on the album was also the closest the world ever came to hear what a song would sound like if Elvis ever wrote his own feelings into one with Pieces Of My Life. In my honest opinion, quite possibly the most underrated Elvis song ever.
The final sessions from January to October of '76 didn't present any masterpieces but it delivered a few powerful vocal performances with songs like Hurt, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Solitaire and DannY Boy. In October, Elvis would cut the last songs of his life including the hit single, Way Down and the Tim Rice penned It's Easy For You. Elvis' last ever song recorded was a Jim Reeves classic, He'll Have To Go.
For an artist who's best work is said to be his early recordings he sure did have quite a bit of chart success to the end of his life 20 years later.
Below is a complete list of Elvis' singles on the charts from 1968-77.
In June of 1970 Elvis recorded at RCA Studio in Nashville. Some masterpieces were recorded during that session. Songs like I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water, Just Pretend, Tomorrow Never Comes, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Throw in some lesser known hidden gems like The Next Step Is Love, Patch It Up, and Mary In The Morning and you have a strong solid collection of brilliance.
In May of 1971, Elvis returned to Nashville to cut some more music. Although there weren't smash hits this time, there were some hidden gems like I'm Leavin, It's Only Love, We Can Make The Morning and the folk song, Early Morning Rain. Elvis also cut a terrific gospel album in 1971 that won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album Of The Year.
The Hollywood sessions in 1972 produced two classic Elvis songs with Always On My Mind and his last US #1 hit, Burning Love. Also recorded during that session were Where Do I Go From Here, Fool, For The Good Times, and the haunting and personal Separate Wayswritten by bodyguard, Red West.
In July of '73, Elvis returned home to Memphis and his roots to record at the world famous Stax Studio where he cut a couple of top 40 hits,I've Got A Thing About You Baby and Raised On Rock. Elvis also cut a few 70's funky tracks like If You Don't Come Back that had that Isaac Hayes-Shaft feel and the bluesy Just A Little Bit.
The December sessions were much more productive with masterpieces like Promised Land, his last true rocker, a top 20 hit with If You Talk In Your Sleep, and the touching My Boy which was a surprisingly large hit in '75. There were some hidden gems during those sessions in Memphis in December like Thinking About You, Love Song Of The Year, Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues, Spanish Eyes, It's Midnightand the uptempo high energetic track, I Got A Feeling In My Body. The '73 sessions combined featured 9 different songs to reach a chart position ranging from the Pop to the Easy listening and the UK charts.
Elvis didn't record any studio tracks in 1974.
The 1975 album Today produced arguably Elvis' finest studio album of the decade as all 10 tracks were recorded for the album. It was also Elvis' only pop contemporary album of the 70's where all studio tracks recorded appeared on the same album. The session featured some hidden gems like the country rocker T-R-0-U-B-L-E and the bluesy Shake A Hand. But the most personal song on the album was also the closest the world ever came to hear what a song would sound like if Elvis ever wrote his own feelings into one with Pieces Of My Life. In my honest opinion, quite possibly the most underrated Elvis song ever.
The final sessions from January to October of '76 didn't present any masterpieces but it delivered a few powerful vocal performances with songs like Hurt, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Solitaire and DannY Boy. In October, Elvis would cut the last songs of his life including the hit single, Way Down and the Tim Rice penned It's Easy For You. Elvis' last ever song recorded was a Jim Reeves classic, He'll Have To Go.
For an artist who's best work is said to be his early recordings he sure did have quite a bit of chart success to the end of his life 20 years later.
Below is a complete list of Elvis' singles on the charts from 1968-77.
| Year | Song Title – A-side / B-side | BB Pop | BB CW | BB EL | CB | CB CW | RW | RIAA | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | "Guitar Man" / "High Heel Sneakers" | 43/ | - | - | 39/69 | - | 36/78 | - | - |
| "U.S. Male" / "Stay Away" | 28/67 | 55/ | - | 26/50 | - | 28/50 | - | - | |
| "You'll Never Walk Alone" / "We Call On Him" | 90/106 | - | - | - | - | 83/ | - | - | |
| "Let Yourself Go" / "Your Time Hasn't Come Yet, Baby" | 71/72 | -/50 | - | 55/63 | - | 51/74 | - | - | |
| "A Little Less Conversation" / "Almost in Love" | 69/95 | - | - | 53/ | - | 69/ | - | - | |
| "If I Can Dream" / "Edge Of Reality" | 12/112 | - | - | 9 / | - | 9 / | G | A-side featured in Elvis’ TV Comeback Special | |
| 1969 | "Memories" / "Charro" | 35/ | 56/ | 7 / | 24/ | - | 21/ | - | A-side featured in Elvis’ TV Comeback Special |
| " How Great Thou Art " / " His Hand In Mine " | 101/ | - | - | - | - | - | - | ”Grammy” Award for best Gospel record / | |
| "In the Ghetto" / "Any Day Now" | 3 / | 60/ | 8 / | 1 / | - | 1 / | P | First of several Elvis hits produced by Chips Moman. | |
| "Clean up Your Own Back Yard" / "The Fair Is Moving On" | 35/ | 74/ | 37/ | 25/ | - | 18/ | G | - | |
| "Suspicious Minds" / "You'll Think Of Me" | 1 / | - | 4 / | 1 (2) / | - | 1 / | P | The last Elvis single to top the Billboard Hot 100 | |
| "Don't Cry Daddy" / "Rubberneckin'" | 6 | 13/ | 3 | 6 | - | 5 | P | - | |
| 1970 | "Kentucky Rain" / "My Little Friend" | 16/ | 31/ | 3 / | 10/ | 22/ | 12/ | G | - |
| "The Wonder of You" / "Mama Liked the Roses" | 9 | 37 | 1 | 10 | 31 | 4 | G | A-side 1st live recording to make the Hot 100 Top 10 | |
| "I've Lost You" / "The Next Step Is Love" | 32 | 57 | 5 | 18 | 30 | 14 | G | - | |
| "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" / "Patch It Up" | 11 | 56 | 1 | 10 | 39 | 7 | G | - | |
| "I Really Don't Want to Know" / "There Goes My Everything" | 21 | 23/ 9 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 15 | G | - | |
| 1971 | "Where Did They Go, Lord" / "Rags to Riches" | 33 | 55 | 18 | 34 | - | 25 | - | - |
| "Life" / "Only Believe" | 53/ | 34/ | 8 / | 40/ | 26/ | 46 | - | - | |
| "I'm Leavin'” / "Heart of Rome" | 36/ | - | 2 / | 36/ | - | 34/ | - | - | |
| "It's Only Love" / "The Sound Of Your Cry" | 51/ | - | 19/ | 51/ | - | 46 | - | - | |
| 1972 | "Until It's Time for You to Go" / "We Can Make The Morning" | 40/ | 68/ | 9 / | 31/ | - | 38/59 | - | - |
| "An American Trilogy" / "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" | 66/ | - | 31/ | 73/ | - | 59/ | - | A-side medley of "Dixieland"/"Battle Hymn Of The Republic"/"All My Trials" | |
| "Burning Love" / "It's A Matter Of Time" | 2 / | -/36 | -/ 9 | 1 / | -/23 | 2 / | P | ||
| "Separate Ways" / "Always on My Mind" | 20/ | 16 | 3 / | 15/ | 30 | 19/ | G | - | |
| 1973 | "Steamroller Blues" / "Fool" | 17 | 31 | -/12 | 10 | 30 | 16 | - | A-side recorded during “Aloha” TV Special |
| "Raised on Rock" / "For Ol' Times Sake" | 41 | -/42 | 27 | 27 | - | 47 | - | - | |
| 1974 | "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" / "Take Good Care of Her" | 39 | 4 | 27 | 30 | 7 | 36 | - | - |
| "If You Talk in Your Sleep" / "Help Me" | 17/ | -/ 6 | 6 | 23/ | -/ 4 | 21 | - | ||
| "Promised Land" / "It's Midnight" | 14/ | -/ 9 | -/ 8 | 22/ | -/ 9 | 28/ | - | ||
| 1975 | "My Boy" / "Thinking About You" | 20/ | 14/ | 1 / | 17/ | 14/ | 20/ | - | - |
| "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" / "Mr. Songman" | 35/ | 11/ | -/42 | 40/ | 18/ | 52/ | - | - | |
| "Bringing It Back" / "Pieces Of My Life" | 65/ | -/33 | - | 75/ | -/32 | - | - | ||
| 1976 | "Hurt" / "For the Heart" | 28 | 6 /45 | 7 | 31 | - | 42 | - | - |
| "Moody Blue" / "She Thinks I Still Care" | 31 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 1 | 48 | - | 1 / Record World Country & Western (RW CW) Singles Chart | |
| 1977 | "Way Down" / "Pledging My Love" | 18/ | 1 | 14 | 25 | 1 | 10 | P | 1 RW CW. Released a few weeks before Presley's death. |
| "My Way" / "America The Beautiful" | 22/ | 2 / | 6 / | 31/ | 1 | 37/ | G | 2 / RW CW. Released after Presley’s death. A-side recorded live 6/21/77; B-side recorded live 12/13/75 |
