Introduction
“Love Me Tender” is a 1956 ballad song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by “Elvis Presley Music” from the 20th Century Fox film of the same name. The song is a sentimental love ballad with a simple melody and lyrics. It is one of Presley’s most popular and enduring songs.The lyrics of “Love Me Tender” were written by Ken Darby, but he credited them to his wife, Vera Matson. The melody is identical to the sentimental Civil War ballad “Aura Lea” (sometimes spelled “Aura Lee”) and therefore credited to Aura Lea’s composer, the Englishman George R. Poulton.
Presley first performed “Love Me Tender” on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, shortly before the single’s release and about a month before the movie, Love Me Tender, was released (for which the reworded song had been written). After that, RCA received more than a million advance orders, making it a gold record before it was even released. The studio, 20th Century Fox, originally wanted to call the movie The Reno Brothers, but instead re-titled it Love Me Tender to capitalize on the song’s popularity.
The single debuted at #2 on the “Best Sellers in Stores” pop singles chart, the first time a single made its first appearance at the #2 position. The song hit #1 on the Billboard charts the week ending November 3, 1956, remaining in the position for 5 weeks and reached no. 11 on the charts in the UK. “Love Me Tender” also reached number three for three weeks on the R&B chart. This version was ranked #437 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
“Love Me Tender” has been featured in many films and television shows, including The Outlaw’s Daughter, FM, Touched By Love, This is Elvis, Porky’s Revenge, Wild at Heart, Die Hard 2, Honeymoon in Vegas, Backbeat, Gaudi Afternoon, Machine Gun Molly, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, William Eggleston in the Real World, and Coyote Ugly.
The song has also been covered by many artists, including B.B. King, Rosemary Clooney, Count Basie and Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Linda Ronstadt.
“Love Me Tender” is a timeless classic that continues to be enjoyed by people of all ages. Its simple yet heartfelt lyrics and melody have made it one of the most beloved love songs of all time.