Girl Happy (album)

Last updated
Girl Happy
Girl Happy.jpg
Studio album / Soundtrack by Elvis Presley
Released March 2, 1965
Recorded March 1962 and June 1964
Genre Rock, pop
Length24:16
Label RCA Victor
Producer George Stoll
Elvis Presley chronology
Roustabout
(1964) Roustabout1964
Girl Happy
(1965)
Elvis for Everyone!
(1965) Elvis for Everyone!1965
Singles from Girl Happy
  1. "Do the Clam"
    Released: 1965
  2. "Puppet on a String"
    Released: 1965
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Girl Happy is the twenty-second album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3338, in March 1965 – the March 1 date is disputed. It is the soundtrack to the 1965 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on June 10, 11, 12, and vocal overdubs by Presley on June 15, 1964. It peaked at number eight on the Top LP's chart. [2] It was certified Gold on July 15, 1999 by the Recording Industry Association of America. [3]

Elvis Presley American singer and actor

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Monaural sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position

Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or stereo, which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce sound from two microphones on the right and left side, which is reproduced with two separate loudspeakers to give a sense of the direction of sound sources. In mono, only one loudspeaker is necessary, but, when played through multiple loudspeakers or headphones, identical signals are fed to each speaker, resulting in the perception of one-channel sound "imaging" in one sonic space between the speakers. Monaural recordings, like stereo ones, typically use multiple microphones fed into multiple channels on a recording console, but each channel is "panned" to the center. In the final stage, the various center-panned signal paths are usually mixed down to two identical tracks, which, because they are identical, are perceived upon playback as representing a single unified signal at a single place in the soundstage. In some cases, multitrack sources are mixed to a one-track tape, thus becoming one signal. In the mastering stage, particularly in the days of mono records, the one- or two-track mono master tape was then transferred to a one-track lathe intended to be used in the pressing of a monophonic record. Today, however, monaural recordings are usually mastered to be played on stereo and multi-track formats, yet retain their center-panned mono soundstage characteristics.

<i>Girl Happy</i> 1965 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Boris Sagal

Girl Happy is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song "Puppet on a String", which reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and in Canada, and was certified Gold by the RIAA.

Contents

Content

Excluding the singles compilation Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 , this was the sixth original Presley album in a row that was a soundtrack to a feature film. [4] Eleven songs were recorded and all were used, with "The Meanest Girl in Town" originally released as "Yeah, She's Evil!" by Bill Haley & His Comets and released on Decca Records in July 1964, though Haley actually recorded his version six days after Presley. [5] An error in mastering resulted in Presley's voice being sped up on several of the recordings, most notably the title track. [6] RCA finally released a corrected (though outtake) version of the title track in its 1991 compilation Collectors Gold from the Movie Years. Eventually, the proper speed version was issued.

A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may be collected together as a greatest hits album or box set. If from several performers, there may be a theme, topic, time period, or genre which links the tracks, or they may have been intended for release as a single work—such as a tribute album. When the tracks are by the same recording artist, the album may be referred to as a retrospective album or an anthology.

<i>Elvis Golden Records Volume 3</i> 1963 greatest hits album by Elvis Presley

Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor as LPM/LSP-2765 on August 11, 1963. The album was the third volume of an eventual five volume collection, and his eighteenth altogether. It is a compilation of hit singles released in 1960, 1961, and 1962.

A soundtrack, also written sound track, can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film, video, or television presentation; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound.

"Do the Clam" was released approximately a month ahead of the album as a single, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for eight weeks. [7] Its B-side – an unused track called "You'll Be Gone", written by Presley with "Memphis Mafia" entourage members Red West and Charlie Hodge [8] – was derived from the March 18, 1962 sessions for Pot Luck with Elvis . A variant on the Cole Porter standard, "Begin the Beguine" (after Porter had denied permission to alter the lyrics), the new song was drafted using the Porter tune and lyric as a template. [9] Not appearing in the film, it was added to the Girl Happy soundtrack album.

Do the Clam 1965 song performed by Elvis Presley

"Do the Clam" is a pop song recorded by Elvis Presley for his 1965 feature film Girl Happy. It was written by Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, and Dolores Fuller.

Single (music) type of music release usually containing one or two tracks

In the music industry, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album.

The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play, and online streaming in the United States.

At the end of 1965, RCA released Harum Scarum the soundtrack album for Elvis's third movie of the year. Due to the fact that none of the songs included in that album had any single potential, RCA chose "Puppet on a String" backed with the five-year-old "Wooden Heart" for the Christmas single. Although "Puppet on a String" had already been available on the Girl Happy soundtrack album for months, that song still managed to reach number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. [10]

Puppet on a String (Elvis Presley song) song by Elvis Presley

"Puppet on a String" is a 1965 song originally recorded by Elvis Presley. It was written by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper and recorded by Elvis Presley for the MGM film Girl Happy, which was released on April 14, 1965.

Wooden Heart English adaptation of a German folk song; words and music by Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Bert Kaempfert, Kay Twomey

"Wooden Heart" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and featured in the 1960 Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues. The song was a hit single for Presley in the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 1 for six weeks in March and April 1961.

Reissues

In 2003 Girl Happy was reissued on the Follow That Dream label in a special edition that contained the original album tracks along with numerous alternate takes. [11]

Track listing

Original release (1965)

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Girl Happy" Doc Pomus and Norman Meade June 10, 19642:07
2."Spring Fever" Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence Kaye June 11, 19641:52
3."Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce" Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett June 11, 19641:32
4."Startin' Tonight"Lenore Rosenblatt, Victor MillroseJune 12, 19641:19
5."Wolf Call"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeJune 12, 19641:26
6."Do Not Disturb"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeJune 11, 19641:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" Ben Weisman and Sid Wayne June 11, 19641:55
2."The Meanest Girl in Town" Joy Byers June 10, 19641:55
3."Do the Clam"Ben Weisman, Dolores Fuller, Sid WayneJune 12, 19643:20
4."Puppet on a String"Sid Tepper and Roy C. BennettJune 10, 19642:39
5."I've Got to Find My Baby"Joy ByersJune 11, 19641:35
6."You'll Be Gone" (bonus track) Elvis Presley, Charlie Hodge, Red West March 18, 19622:23

Follow That Dream reissue (2003)

Original album
No.TitleLength
1."Girl Happy"2:07
2."Spring Fever"1:51
3."Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce"1:31
4."Startin Tonight"1:28
5."Wolf Call"1:57
6."Do Not Disturb"1:57
7."Cross My Heart and Hope to Die"1:52
8."The Meanest Girl in Town"1:55
9."Do the Clam"3:19
10."Puppet on a String"2:39
11."I've Got to Find My Baby"1:29
12."You'll Be Gone" (bonus track)2:20
New bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Puppet on a String" (takes 5, 6, 7)3:45
14."The Meanest Girl in Town" (takes 7, 8, 9)3:52
15."Spring Fever" (take 4)1:55
16."Do Not Disturb" (takes 24, 25, 26, 27)6:05
17."Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" (take 6)2:02
18."Girl Happy" (takes 1, 2, 3, 4)7:03
19."Puppet on a String" (take 10)2:47
20."Spring Fever" (takes 18, 19, 21)3:47
21."The Meanest Girl in Town" (take 11)2:24
22."Do Not Disturb" (take 35)2:04
23."Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" (takes 9, 10, 11)4:00
24."Girl Happy" (take 13 and take 4 of ending)3:08
Total length:42:52

Personnel

Charts

YearChartPosition
1965 Billboard Pop Albums8

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA) [12] Gold500,000^

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References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. "Pop Albums". Elvis Presley: Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  3. "Searchable database". RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America. 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013. Note: Enter search for "Girl Happy"
  4. Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; pp. 415-416.
  5. "The Bill Haley Recordings File". Chris Gardner's Bill Haley Database. 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  6. Carr, Roy, and Farren, Mick. Elvis The Illustrated Record. London: Harmony Books, 1982; p. 97
  7. Lichter, Paul (1982). The Boy Who Dared to Rock. Galahad Books. p. 212. ISBN   0883656221.
  8. Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 166.
  9. Guralnick, Peter. From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60s Masters . RCA 66160-2, 1993, liner notes, pp. 22, 24.
  10. "Pop Singles". Elvis Presley: Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  11. Sources:
  12. "American album certifications – Elvis Presley – Girl Happy". Recording Industry Association of America.If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH