Elvis and Country at Stax Studios
FROM TUPELO TO MEMPHIS
"You Asked Me To"
A song composed by Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver.
It was a very catchy song in country style, in it, Elvis sounds much better in the free verses but when he is recording he gets distracted by the chorus, this makes it difficult for him to concentrate during the recording. But his voice sounds lively and Elvis also likes the Country style, letting himself be carried away in the song. It was a simple theme and without any type of vocal complication, like almost all country scores, the voice does not require any effort, so it can be recorded by any artist.
Obviously in the case of Elvis it would sound very lucid despite the simplicity of the score.
Elvis recorded this country hit by Waylon Jennings (co-written with Billy Joe Shaver) at Stax Studios on December 11, 1973, originally for his release on his "Promised Land" album. In time it would be included in other LPS like "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "Great Country Songs" and "The Country Side Of Elvis". Felton Jarvis's 1980 remix of Elvis's Stax recording appeared on the "Guitar Man" album and reached No. 8 on the Country chart as a single (with "Loving Arms") in 1981. Outtakes were included in " Essential Elvis Vol.5" and FTD "Made in Memphis". Of the Guitar Man remixes, "Too Much Monkey Business", etc, etc, were included on the FTD.
This song was originally recorded by Waylon Jennings, one of the two authors, on his album "Honky Tonk Heroes" from 1973, with which he reached number 8 on the charts. . And his other author, Shaver, recorded his own version in 1977 titled "You Asked Me To" in the past tense for the "Gypsy Boy" album.
Billy Joe Shaver was an outlaw country singer-songwriter as well as an actor. Shaver is also known for the hit "Live Forever," co-written by his son EddyWaylon Arnold Jennings, also a singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneer of the Outlaw Movement in country music, this was a subgenre of American country music created by a small group of iconoclastic artists active in the 1970s and early 1980s, known collectively as the Outlaw movement, was they would gain their creative freedom outside of Nashville, which dictated the sound of most country music at the time. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and David Allan Coe were among the most commercially successful members of the movement. Jennings was known for his powerful voice, his phrasing and his "spanky-twang" style of guitar playing. To create his sound, he used a modulation effect to blend his thumb and fingers during rhythm parts and while using picks for lead parts.
Billy says that the lyrics were inspired by her wife, he loved her so much that if she decided she didn't love him, he would let her walk away. Elvis would listen to the song and he liked it a lot, the version he heard was that of Waylon Jennings, whom he admired and for this reason he decided to record it.
Elvis was interested in contemporary country and this song was interesting for him, in any case the evolution of it during the recordings is particular. The result, as always, is satisfactory in his interpretation, but it is true that this style of music, despite being liked, did not usually give him success.
Elvis would sing it lively on the second recording, but although he was satisfied, Felton Jarvis wanted to get more out of the musician, he wanted more takes. Normally she would always push him, encourage him, etc, because from time to time, Elvis would mess up so she would take his frustration out on his producer. But Felton continued to support him and wanted to get the best of himself.
"Following the Path of the King..."
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