A Little Less Conversation

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"A Little Less Conversation"
Elvis Presley A Little Less Conversation PS.jpg
The original picture sleeve of the 1968 single.
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Almost in Love
A-side "Almost in Love"
ReleasedSeptember 3, 1968
RecordedMarch 7, 1968
Studio Western Recorders, Hollywood
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:28
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Let Yourself Go" / "Your Time Hasn't Come Yet, Baby"
(1968)
"Almost in Love" / "A Little Less Conversation"
(1968)
"If I Can Dream" / "Edge of Reality"
(1968)

"A Little Less Conversation" is a 1968 song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley, written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange and published by Gladys Music, Inc., originally performed in the film Live a Little, Love a Little . The song became a minor hit in the United States when released as a single with "Almost in Love" as the A-side. A 2002 remix by Dutch musician Junkie XL of a later re-recording of the song by Presley became a worldwide hit, topping the singles charts in nine countries and was awarded certifications in ten countries by 2003.

Contents

The song has made numerous appearances in popular culture and has been covered by several artists.

Original recordings

"A Little Less Conversation" was first recorded on March 7, 1968, at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California, and released on a single backed by "Almost in Love", another song from the movie. The song was not released on an LP until November 1970, when it was included on the RCA Camden budget label LP Almost in Love . There are several different takes that were made of the song in the session on March 7. The single version used take 16, which was also used for the soundtrack of the film. The version released on the Almost in Love album is take 10, which is 1 second longer in duration.

The musicians on the March 7 recording session included Hal Blaine, drums; Al Casey, guitar and Larry Knechtel, bass. [1]

1968 television special re-recording

It was thought Presley re-recorded the song in June 1968 for the soundtrack of his 1968 comeback special, with the intent of performing it during the program (in part due to Live a Little, Love a Little being scheduled for release about a month before the special's broadcast date). Ultimately, it was decided not to use this recording, and the song was dropped from the planned special. The newer version transposed the key of A major recording of three months earlier into E major and featured a vocal and heavy reverb with backup vocals from The Blossoms. [2] In the mid-1990s, Joseph A. Tunzi sold this recording to Bertelsmann Music Group and it was initially included on the 1998 release Memories: The '68 Comeback Special . Tunzi had been the first to document this recording in his 1996 book Elvis Sessions II: The Recorded Music of Elvis Aron Presley 1953-1977. [3] After the tapes from the original session were rediscovered, it is now known to be take 2, recorded on March 7, 1968.

Charts

Chart (1968)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [4] 69

Junkie XL / JXL remix

"A Little Less Conversation"
ElvisVSJXLCDSingleCover.jpg
Single by ELVIS VS JXL
from the album ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits
ReleasedJune 10, 2002 (2002-06-10)
Recorded
  • 1968 (original vocals and instrumental)
  • 2001 (remix)
Genre
Length
  • 3:30 (radio edit)
  • 6:09 (extended remix)
  • 6:22 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Junkie XL
  • Ad Bradley
Junkie XL singles chronology
"B Y Whop to the Y" / "Siyncho"
(2002)
"A Little Less Conversation"
(2002)
"Obsession"
(2002)
Audio sample

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [69] 2× Platinum140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) [70] Gold15,000*
Belgium (BEA) [71] Gold25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [72] Platinum8,000^
France (SNEP) [73] Silver125,000*
Netherlands (NVPI) [74] Gold40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [75] Gold5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway) [76] 2× Platinum20,000*
Sweden (GLF) [77] Platinum30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [78] Platinum40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [79] 2× Platinum1,200,000
United States (RIAA) [80] Gold500,000*
United States (RIAA) [81]
Video Single
6× Platinum300,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
United KingdomJune 10, 2002
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[82] [83]
JapanJune 12, 2002CD [30]
AustraliaJune 17, 2002 [84]
United StatesJuly 8, 2002Radio [85]

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