Customer Reviews

Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The illustrations of the lyrics to Elvis Presley's classic song LOVE ME TENDER by illustrator Tom Browning are remarkable. Browning has done an amazing job. LOVE ME TENDER is one of the greatest ballads of the twentieth century. It is easily one of the most poignant and endearing love songs. LOVE ME TENDER is a song everyone knows. Tom Browning has brought the lyrics to life with his illustrations.

Elvis Presley recorded LOVE ME TENDER on August 24, 1956 and performed it on the Ed Sullivan show. The record was no. 1 for 5 weeks on Billboard in 1956 and is a multi-platinum seller. (Actor Richard Chamberlain and Percy Sledge also had Top 40 hits with cover versions of the song in the 1960s.) The song originally was part of the Twentieth-Century Fox Cinemascope movie of the same name. The producers originally wanted to call the movie THE RENO BROTHERS but changed the movie title to LOVE ME TENDER after hearing the song. The song was published by Elvis Presley Music and was written by Ken Darby (who won a Grammy in 1959 and three Academy Awards and was nominated for another three Oscars for film music) and Elvis Presley. Darby had formed The King's Men vocal group in 1928 and had written the vocal arrangements for the MGM movie classic The Wizard of Oz. He also created the speeded-up Munchkin voices and provided the voice of the Munchkinland Mayor in the movie. Vera Matson, listed as a co-writer, was actually the wife of Ken Darby, Vera Darby, using her maiden name on the songwriting credit. Ken Darby was the "principal writer" but Elvis Presley worked on the song in the studio, playing piano and guitar, and was instrumental in the creation of the final song. The melody is an adaptation of a Civil War era song called Aura Lee published in 1861 with lyrics by W.W. Fosdick and music by George R. Poulton. The movie took place during the Civil War period so the song was perfect. Elvis Presley gave one of his most powerful vocal performances when he recorded LOVE ME TENDER. The performance is pensive and haunting and is the reason why the song became a classic. Elvis Presley put all the subdued emotion he could into the song. The result was spectacular. LOVE ME TENDER is one of Elvis Presley's greatest artistic creations. It is also one of his greatest performances and has become a part of Americana and musical legend.

Tom Browning brings out the poignancy of the lyrics and captures the power of the song. This book is highly recommended.

The book is very sweet but will have value for a small audience, fathers with little girls or Elvis fans

We all know the lyrics, but in a different context. This beautifully illustrated book made me cry way before I got to the end.

This would be a perfect gift for a single father with a daughter, as all the illustrations are a man and girl together, but any child would love to hear this book read (or sung...you can't help it!) to them by anyone. Father, Mother, Aunt, Grampa...doesn't matter.

My father died when I was 15. I look for books to read with my children that have words that they will keep their hearts forever if anything ever happens to me or their dad. This will be a book we'll sing together for a long, long time. I can't recommend it enough.

There just aren't that many books that let a father convey these kind of feelings for his daughter. Great book.

Illustrator, Tom Browning, puts a new twist on an ELVIS classic love song. Never before has this song meant anything other than a dedication from a lover to another. But now, this book brings to life in a unique way the emotional bond between a father and his daughter.

Rich colors and sweet, sensitive facial expressions bring the lyrics to life in an extraordinary way as we see the many ways a father shares special moments with his daughter, from ice skating, feeding ducks on a pond, bundling up in the fall breeze, and blowing out birthday candles on a special cake.

Share this one with your little one, your father, or your grandfather. An absolute TREASURE of a book. And the cd of the Elvis is even included in the back!

As a pre-kindergarten teacher I picked up the book to read to my students, and it brought tears to my eyes. The vivid pictures brought back intense memories of being a young girl. I played the "Love Me Tender" CD which accompanies the book, and the children loved it. People of all ages will feel a connection with this story.

Love Me Tender is a beautiful book. When you add the CD it is beyond words. The art work is gorgeous.

Every Father raising a daughter should purchase this book, especially if parents separate/divorce and Daddy has to live somewhere other than home.

After reading these reviews, I will definitely buy this book.
First of all, because it sounds like the illustrations are outstanding, but...
mostly because my DIL, who is a BIG Elvis fan, has named our sweet little granddaughter, who will be one on July of 2010, Presley! Guess who this little girl is named for? The King, of course. This sounds like a perfect book for us to read to Presley, so I will have to order it and see if it is as good as it sounds. Also, our son, Presley's Dad, who is in the USMC, is currently serving in Afghanistan. So what better book to read to our little Presley than a book that shows a Dad reading to his daughter, in our case, the Dad is not with his daughter, but is thinking of her all the time. I look forward to seeing this book!

Beautiful pictures. My husband reads it to our girls and they love it. It has been part of their bedtime routine. First he reads the words, then they sing the song together. My girls will find the book and "read" it to themselves. This goes on for a long time and is so cute.