THE FALL AND RISE OF ELVIS PRESLEY
The Wonder of You / Elvis Live in 1970
In His Last Years, Elvis Returns to His Gospel Roots
I was never a huge Elvis fan when I was growing up. Others crowded him out of my notice I imagine. Then again, I can’t say the same thing about Elvis for the girls of my teen years.
Yet, around 2009, I discovered one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard. It is Elvis singing live the song “The Wonder of You” when he first sang it at the International Hotel in Las Vegas on February 19, of 1970.
It came out a little over a year after Elvis’s famous comeback concert of 1968. He was finally breaking free of is the Colonel’s control his life and career. The few years in the military came right when his fame was growing. The Colonel tried to keep him in front of his fans even when he was in the Army. When he got out of the Army, the Colonel had Elvis make a number of increasingly bad films featuring Elvis singing to girls on beaches. Elvis hated these films.
* * *
Elvis had grown up on gospel music and he combined it with the blues he first heard. From people like Muddy Waters. Yet the Colonel had another path for Elvis. The path towards Hollywood and the movie business. In the 60s, Elvis made more than 30 movies. A cash machine for the Presley empire but it got Elvis farther and farther away from his true roots in gospel music.
The grand return of Elvis to a new relevance was the 1968 concert on December 3, 1968. A documentary centering on this concert is now streaming on Netflix as Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presleyr. It features comments by a number of legendary musicians including Robbie Robertson and Bruce Springsteen as well as an interview with Priscilla Presley. See the film trailer here.
Just a little over a year after his 1968 return concert, in Las Vegas in February 1970, he came out with his rendition of an old tune, “The Wonder of You.” The song was written by Baker Knight and originally recorded by Vince Edwards in 1958. But this recording has never been released. In an interview with a DJ from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ray Peterson told the story of how Baker Knight confided in him that “The Wonder of You” was originally written as a gospel song.
It had been done a number of times. But never by Elvis. It was the perfect song for the return to his gospel roots period after the 1968 comeback concert. And, never at this powerful time in his life when he was returning to his gospel roots. The song was one of about thirty-five songs Presley would regularly perform at his concerts in the early 70s.
* * *
The song had great meaning to Elvis. Especially when one considers the lyrics of the song (posted below). All this before the great decline of Elvis started. For me, and many others, it is the most powerful and emotional time of his career. A time when he was reclaiming his true self and roots as he breaks away from making stupid beach movies and returns to his old band and the music of his roots.
Right at the period before he is one of the most powerful of his career. One can still ponder who this “You” is in the title of the song. A woman or some spiritual presence? Sometimes, they are the same thing. Priscilla was married to Elvis from 1967 to 1973. She met him during his army years in Germany and had never seen him perform like this as she says in the Return of the King documentary.
* * *
For me, the song “The Wonder of You” is best understood as a gospel song as it’s writer Baker Knight tells Ray Peterson. To me, it is most powerful and beautiful, of all of Elvis’ songs. It is a song where the power and the words match so perfectly with how Elvis felt at this time in his life. One could tell Elvis was back to singing songs he really believed in again. The type of songs he had started his career with.
________________________________________________
Lyrics of The Wonder of You
Lyrics
When no-one else can understand me
When everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation
You give me strength to carry on
And you’re always there to lend a hand
In everything I do
That’s the wonder
The wonder of you
And when you smile the world is brighter
You touch my hand and I’m a king
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune
Your love for me is everything
I guess I’ll never know the reason why
You love me as you do
That’s the wonder
The wonder of you
I guess I’ll never know the reason why
You love me as you do
That’s the wonder
The wonder of you
____________________________________________________________
A vast number of recordings have been issued under Presley’s name. The number of his original master recordings has been variously calculated as 665 and 711. His career began and he was most successful during an era when singles were the primary commercial medium for pop music. For his albums, the distinction between “official” studio records and other forms is often blurred.