The transition of Elvis Presley to RCA Victor clearly benefited his creative career. The debut single Heartbreak Hotel (“Heartbreak Hotel”), released on the new label, became his first composition to top the Billboard charts. Interestingly, before the song was recorded by the “King of Rock and Roll”, almost none of the professionals believed in its success.
The history of creation and the meaning of the song Heartbreak Hotel
It was written by journalist and teacher May Boren Axton and musician Tommy Durden. The story of the song began with a newspaper article about a hotel guest who committed suicide by jumping out of a room window. He destroyed all his documents and left only a suicide note, consisting of one phrase: “I walk a lonely street” (“I walk along a deserted street”).
When Tommy read about such a tragic event, he conceived a blues composition and asked Exton to help him. The idea of a “heartbreak hotel” immediately came to her mind, and in just an hour they wrote the words together. True, Durden later claimed to have written the lyrics himself and even played the song with the Swing Billys.
The demo was made free of charge by Glen Reeves. He was offered to be officially considered a co-author, but he refused (which is not surprising, because Heartbreak Hotel seemed to him outright nonsense).
In November 1955, Exton met Presley at the Nashville Country Music Festival and played the song for him. Elvis liked it so much that he listened to the track ten times in a row. He accepted the offer to release it as the first single on the RCA Victor label in exchange for a third of the royalties.
Already in December, Presley performed for the first time in concert, and in January of the following year he recorded Heartbreak Hotel with the participation of musicians from the Blue Moon Boys, as well as pianist Floyd Kramer and guitarist Chet Atkins. RCA bosses weren’t happy with Elvis’ choice and tried to convince him to drop the song, but fortunately for the singer’s fans, they weren’t successful.
Release and Achievements of Heartbreak Hotel
The single was released on January 27, 1956 with I Was the One on the back. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed to number two on the UK Singles Chart. In 1971 it was released again in the UK, then reaching the tenth line of the hit parade.
Presley sang Heartbreak Hotel at almost every concert, including a performance in Baltimore on May 29, 1977.
The song has been performed by dozens of famous bands and musicians, including Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Fats Domino, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Justin Timberlake and many more.
Rolling Stone named Heartbreak Hotel one of the top 500 songs of all time. She is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Clip Heartbreak Hotel
Let’s watch the music video for Elvis Presley’s song.
Interesting Facts
When Tommy Durden first heard Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel, he barely recognized it because Elvis made so many changes to the song.
- In 1988, the film Heartbreak Hotel was released, which tells about the fictional kidnapping of Elvis.
- In June 1992, Bill Clinton played Heartbreak Hotel on saxophone while campaigning on The Arsenio Hall Show.
- In Graceland, across from Elvis’ house, is a hotel called the Heartbreak Hotel. It is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Heartbreak Hotel Lyrics
Well, since my baby left me
Well, I found a new place to dwell
Well, it’s down at the end of Lonely Street
Heartbreak Hotel
Where I’ll be–where I get so lonely, baby
Well, I’m so lonely
I get so lonely, I could die
Although it’s always crowded
You still can find some room
For broken-hearted lovers
To cry there in the glow
And be so, where they’ll be so lonely, baby
Well, they’re so lonely
They’ll be so lonely, they could die
Well, the bellhop’s tears keep flowin’
And the desk clerk dressed in black
Well, they’ve been so long on Lonely Street
Well, they’ll never, they’ll never get back
And they’ll be so, where they’ll be so lonely, baby
Well, they’re so lonely
They’ll be so lonely, they could die
Well now, if your baby leaves you
And you have a sad tale to tell
Just take a walk down Lonely Street
To Heartbreak Hotel
And you will be, you will be, you will be lonely, baby
You’ll be so lonely
You’ll be so lonely, you could die
Well, though it’s always crowded
You still can find some room
For broken-hearted lovers
To cry there in the glow
And they’ll be so, they’ll be so lonely, baby
They’ll be so lonely
They’ll be so lonely, they could die
Elvis Presley Lyrics Heartbreak Hotel
Since my baby left me
I live in a new place
It’s at the end of Lonely Street
At the Heartbreak Hotel
That’s where I’ll be, that’s where I’m so alone, baby
Yes I’m so lonely
I’m so lonely that I could die
Although it’s always crowded
There’s always room
Where are the lovers killed by parting
Can cry in the dark
Yeah, yeah, they’ll be so lonely there, baby
Yes, they are so lonely
They’ll be so alone they could die
The messenger’s tears flow in a stream,
And the porter is dressed in all black
They’ve been on Lonely Street for a long time
They’ll never, ever leave her
And they’ll be so, they’ll be so lonely, baby
Yes they are so lonely
They’ll be so alone they could die
So, if your loved one leaves you,
And you’ll have your own sad story
Just walk down Lonely Street
To the heartbreak hotel
And you will, you will, you will be so lonely
You will be so alone
You’ll be so alone you could die
Although it’s always crowded
There’s always room
Where are the lovers killed by parting
Can cry in the dark
And there they’ll be so, there they’ll be so alone, baby
They are so lonely
They’ll be so alone they could die
Song quote
She was so animal, so sexy – the first excitement I ever had from music. She made everyone my age twitch. We all knew about this guy that he is cool, handsome and seems to be slutty.
Robert Plant
