Song of the Day 8/1: Elvis Presley, “Burning Love”

Elvis’ last No. 1 hit — and that only in Cashbox, not Billboard — in its first live performance, about two weeks after he recorded it in late March 1972. Elvis reportedly didn’t care for the song, but it quickly became a fat-Elvis-period fan favorite. It was kept from Billboard’s No. 1 spot by, of all things, Chuck Berry’s execrable “My Ding-a-Ling.” Even sadder, though Berry is on rock ‘n’ roll’s Mt. Rushmore, that was his only No. 1.

On the recording, the fade-out goes a good bit longer, and good thing — what would the song be without all those the hunka-hunkas of burning love?

Though now associated with The King, Elvis wasn’t the first to record it. That honor went to rather obscure soul singer Arthur Alexander, who to my ear fails to sell the idea that he’s on any kind of fire. The arrangement is great, though, particularly the horns.

The guy who wrote the song, reclusive Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde, recorded it for his solo album in 1973. His demo sounds more like the Alexander version, but Elvis’ arrangement obviously influenced his