'Listening to these songs today, their most remarkable feature is Presley's voice itself. He takes the Platters' Tony Williams's techniques, and any other predecessor's, to new, uncharted pinnacles. For a singer who was only just encountering widespread popularity, his singing resonates with amazing fortitude and confidence, especially on 'Heartbreak Hotel,' (1956), where Presley alternately shouts words with full lungs, then gulps the following back, as if under water but without missing a beat. In 'Loving you' (1957), Presley's baritone on this, the ultimate slow dance number, is almost too powerful, virtually rumbling the floor...'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Presley's voice elevates existing techniques to new heights, showing confidence and power even in slower songs.
- In plain terms
- He makes old styles sound fresh and strong.
- What can you take from it?
- Use vocal confidence to transform familiar material.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does confidence shape vocal delivery?
- When can a singer reinvent a classic style?
Another view
Relying too much on past techniques may limit originality.
More from Elvis Presley
'A double voice that alternates between a high quaver, reminiscent of Johnnie Ray at his fiercest, and a rich basso that might be smooth if it were not for its…
Permalink to quote #171 'While he sings in a lower voice than ever -and what I liked about the early records was that beautifully vulnerable high voice-, he opened his Boston concert …
Permalink to quote #173 'During his rendition of 'Hurt', (1976), he was in even better voice, singing in a register that gave more impact to his phrasing, and even hitting notes that …
Permalink to quote #170
Related quotes
I am the only living witness but I must say the truth. Contrary to the opinion of the National Socialists that the Jews were a highly organized group, the appa…
Erich von dem BachErich von dem Bach quote #1 In a very real sense, the Constitution is our compact with history . . . [but] the Constitution can maintain that compact and serve as the lodestar of our poli…
Alex KozinskiAlex Kozinski quote #3 The folly of Interpreters has been, to foretell times and things by this Prophecy, as if God designed to make them Prophets. By this rashness they have not onl…
Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton quote #5