Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Summer Kisses Winter Tears

      Written by Ben Weisman for Elvis. Ben wrote 57 songs for Elvis . His song First in Line was one of the initial songs chosen by Elvis for his lead Album with RCA. That first meeting of the two happened on the set of Loving You  regarding the song Got A Lot of Living To Do . Ben said my song writing for Elvis was completely different from my other song writing. I specifically wrote songs just for him and what i thought he would like. The Mad Professor as Elvis nicknamed him, remained friends until the end. In later years many of Weismans songs have had remixes and become hits. His latest hit with an Elvis connection has been the remix of Rubberneckin.
   Ben talking about the last time he saw Elvis . Elvis invited me to come to one of those wild parties, you know, the last evening of the season in crazy Vegas. I went upstairs and Elvis grabbed me, stood me up in front of the crowd and announced, "I want you all to meet Ben Weisman. The man who has written more songs for me than any other writer - 57 ! I want to hear it for this man".
 There was a big applause, then he took me over to the piano. It was just me and him. Elvis wasn't looking too good. His eyes were puffy and he'd gotten very, very heavy. He said to me, 'Ben, there's a song I love called "Softly as I Leave You" Indeed, I knew it well, one of those ballads that just about everyone had a crack at in the sixties."
"After he sang his heart out Elvis said, 'This is not a song about a man who's leaving his girlfriend. It's a song about a man who is going to die.'
I didn't know what to say, but I knew there was trouble coming. As Elvis held my arm, I could feel his hand shaking. It made me feel as though mine was shaking, too. And that was the last time I saw him.    
    Summer Kisses Winter Tears was a ballad written to be sung by Elvis to his leading lady during a love scene. Unfortunately, the powers of  Hollywood had him sing it to a group of Indians sitting around a campfire smoking a peace pipe! At the preview, the audience broke into laughter when the scene occurred. As a result, the song was cut from the film. Over twenty years later in 1992, as fate would have it again, Elvis' recording was released in a Wim Wenders' film entitled 'Until The End Of The World', directed by David Lynch'. David Lynch is a life long Elvis fan
          David Lynch quote Elvis swims in our minds, and in the emotions all through time. One of my favourite Lynch films is the 1990 black comedy Wild at Heart which starred a young Nicholas Cage doing an Elvis impersonation. Cage would also star in other Elvis connected movies like Honeymoon in Vegas. Nick married Lisa Marie Presley in 2002. Nicholas was a life long Elvis fan as well being born on January 7th 1964 of course the king was born on January 8.

 Julee Cruise version of Summer Kisses Winter Tears from Until the End of The World 



Instrumental version with Elvis home movies


   Nick Cave I'll Love You Until the End of the World 
another song from the soundtrack. One of Nick's signature songs is of course 
Tupelo his tribute to the KING 


I've loved music always, and my music fire was lit by Elvis Presley, really, and all that was happening back then.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_lynch_4.html
I've loved music always, and my music fire was lit by Elvis Presley, really, and all that was happening
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_lynch_4.html
I've loved music always, and my music fire was lit by Elvis Presley, really, and all that was happening
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_lynch_4.html