Before Elvis Presley’s classic recording, Chuck Jackson had a hit seven years earlier with “Any Day Now.”
One of the many highlights of the great 1969 Elvis Presley album From Elvis in Memphis is “Any Day Now.” While that album yielded other hits, Presley’s “Any Day Now” was not even released as a single. But seven years earlier, someone else had scored a hit recording of the song. Singer Chuck Jackson had a top 25 hit with the song, sometimes listed as “Any Day Now (My Beautiful Bird).” The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard.
Jackson was born July 22, 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After starting off with a gospel group, he joined the 1957 to sing with a gospel group. Later that year, he joined the Del-Vikings (also known as the Dell-Vikings) in 1957 before leaving the group in 1959 to start a solo career.
Jackson’s biggest pop hit would be 1962’s “Any Day Now.” But he had other successes on the R&B charts like “Something You Got” and “Beg Me.” The latter song featured backing vocals by Whitney Houston’s mother Cissy Houston, who also later often sang back up for Elvis. Jackson passed away on February 16, 2023.
“Any Day Now” is a somewhat unique pop song as it is not directly a love song and not about a break up. Instead it is about an in-between time, where the singer laments that his lover will soon leave him “any day now.”
Any day now, When the clock strikes go, You’ll call it off; Then my tears will flow; Then the blue shadow will fall all over town; Any day now, Love will let me down; Oh, oh, oh.
In the video below, a young Burt Bacharach, who passed away eight days after Jackson died, introduces Jackson to sing the song that Bacharach co-wrote. Check it out.
As noted above, Elvis Presley’s version appeared on what was a “comeback” album for him in 1969, recorded at American Sound Studio. That album featured many outstanding tracks like “Suspicious Minds,” which partly explains why he never released “Any Day Now” as a single. But the song did appear as the B-side to “In the Ghetto.”
Elvis’s version is very similar to Jackson’s, down to the introduction. Unfortunately, Elvis never performed “Any Day Now” in concert, although he came close. On August 12, 1972, he rehearsed the song in the Main Showroom of the Las Vegas Hilton before starting a run of shows there. But unfortunately, the song did not make it into the setlist. The song did, however, make it into the recent Elvis (2022) movie and soundtrack.
Lisa Marie Presley carried the burdens of being a famous daughter but she also exhibited her own talents as a singer-songwriter.
Many of us may first think of Lisa Marie Presley, who died on January 12, 2023, as a child and the connection we felt to her through her famous father Elvis Presley. Some younger people may first think of her famous marriages to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage. But Lisa Marie Presley was a talented musical artist in her own right, recording several albums as well as some “duets” with her father.
I bought her debut albumTo Whom It May Concern when it came out in 2003. Presley wrote or cowrote all of the songs on the album, which was a solid debut. I loved the fist single, “Lights Out,” featured in the video below. The lyrics seem extra powerful now that it has been announced that Lisa Marie Presley is going to be buried at Graceland.
Someone turned the lights out there in Memphis; Ooh, that’s where my family are buried and gone (gone); Oh yeah; Last time I was there I noticed a space left, Oh, next to them there in Memphis, yeah, In the damn back lawn.
In 2005, she released her second album, Now What. And her third and final album Storm & Grace was released in 2012.
Through the years, she also released a handful of “duets” that incorporated her vocals with recordings made by Elvis. One of the touching duets she created was on “I Love You Because,” as song written and originally recorded by country music singer-songwriter Leo Payne in 1949.
Elvis recorded “I Love You Because” in July 1954 at Sun Studio, at the same time he was recording “That’s All Right.” The recording occurred before Presley had become a star. Of course you can hear his talent in his vocals, but if you listen closely enough, you may hear a teenager who has no idea of how big of a success he will become.
Lisa Marie Presley recorded her vocals and created a video for “I Love You Because” that was featured in the 35th Anniversary Elvis Concert on August 16, 2012. The video featured never-before-seen family photos, not only of Elvis and his daughter, but also of Lisa Marie and her children: her twin girls Finley and Harper, along with her son Benjamin and daughter Riley (who has since become a talented actress).
As the obituaries about Lisa Marie Presley point out, not only did she and her father die at a relatively young age, but her son Benjamin also died tragically. When we think about these deaths, they of course bring a lot of sadness. And not long before her own death, Lisa Marie wrote a touching and thoughtful essay about grief and about losing her son to suicide.
But also as seen in the video for “I Love You Because,” there was a lot of love in the family. The video is a reminder that although life inevitably brings many tragedies and losses to our lives, there also can be a lot of joy and love at times. The sadness and tragedies may hinder our view of much of life when we look in the rear view mirror. But it also is important to stretch our necks a little to try to see the moments of grace and joy that are there too.
On more than one occasion, Townes Van Zandt made what seemed like an odd choice in performing an Elvis Presley song about a shrimp.
At more than one performance, the great singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt covered a song about a shrimp. I do not know if he ever fully explained why he chose to perform “Song of the Shrimp” (aka “Shrimp Song”). At first, the selection seems an odd choice. Elvis Presley sang the unusual song in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls! Why would Van Zandt choose what seems like one of the throwaway Elvis movie songs from a lightweight musical?
Perhaps it was part of a joke to Van Zandt. He famously had a dark sense of humor that came through in his songs, many of which are about death. And “Song of the Shrimp” is funny, not just for being a sea shanty originally heard from Elvis. The song also finds humor in a shrimp’s boast that will most likely lead to his own death.
Townes Van Zandt did seem to recognize that “Song of the Shrimp” was an unusual song choice for him. He even cracks up while performing the song on the live recording Live at McCabe’s. By contrast, when he once performed another song about an animal that Elvis Presley also recorded, the song was “Old Shep.” And instead of invoking laughter the song about a dog’s death seemed to make Van Zandt choke up.
The Shrimp’s Story
“Song of the Shrimp,” written by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper, tells the story of a little shrimp saying farewell to his parents. He plans to jump into a shrimp boat net to catch a ride to Louisiana where he can come out of his shell.
The song is a parable about the young leaving their parents to go off on their own adventures, facing their own dangers. The twist is that we know the shrimp’s adventure most likely will end with him being served in a restaurant in New Orleans. But the shrimp does not know that.
Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand; Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian’; Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian’.
Townes performed the song as early as October 1990, with his version of “The Shrimp Song” appearing on the live albumLive in Berlin: Rain on a Conga Drum(1991). Townes Van Zandt recorded the version below live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California on February 10, 1995.
Elvis’s Movie Song
“Song of the Shrimp” is often cited as illustrating the fact that Elvis was lost in a musical wasteland during his movie-making 1960’s. In the abstract, it is somewhat shocking that the man who contributed so much to the rebellious birth of rock and roll ended up singing a ditty about a shrimp in a film called Girls! Girls! Girls!
But on the other hand, the song fits the scene in the movie. After all, it appears in a musical film. Elvis did not choose the song for a rock and roll record.
In the film, Presley sings the song aboard a fishing boat. The sound of the song and the setting remind one of an old sea shanty. In other words, it fits the movie. And, as Townes Van Zandt knew, it is a funny song.
Other Versions
There does not appear to be a large number of covers of “Song of the Shrimp,” for understandable reasons, I suppose. Not everyone has the sense of humor that Townes Van Zandt had. A few less famous covers appear on YouTube, including one with a ukulele by German artists Preslisa And Körnel Parka Twins and one by Lowlands (feat. No Good Sister, Maurizio Gnola Glielmo).
But another well-known artist who recognized the humor in “Song of the Shrimp” was Frank Black, aka Black Francis (formerly of the Pixies). He came to the song through Van Zandt’s version, which Black described to Uncut magazine as “a really deconstructed but very entertaining version.”
Black recorded his own version of the song, which appeared on his album Honeycomb (2005). Although he originally started playing a live acoustic version of “Song of the Shrimp,” the version he ultimately recorded sounds the most modern of all of the recordings. In it, Black takes Van Zandt’s deconstruction and finds a groove beyond the song’s sea shanty origins. Check out Frank Black’s version:
Whatever happened to the little shrimp, his legendary tale has gone into history as having been recounted by some very talented musicians.
Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” movie portrays a dramatic moment where Elvis Presley shows up to perform for a TV special and surprises Col. Parker with “If I Can Dream.” Did it really happen that way?
Austin Butler as Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”
Having read several books about Elvis Presley, I was caught off guard while watching director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie (2022) as Colonel Parker and others waited for Elvis to sing a Christmas song on a Christmas set for the Singer . . . Presents Elvis 1968 television special. As portrayed in the film, Parker brings executives to watch Elvis sing about Santa Claus on a full Christmas set.
Suddenly, Elvis, shaken by the killings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, appears in a white outfit. He faces the Christmas set that is all prepared and instead sings “If I Can Dream,” a “protest” song to close out what would become known as the ’68 Comeback Special. Elvis thereby flashes his independence from Colonel Parker in a last-minute surprise move, showing his dedication to music and to civil rights.
Did it really happen that way? Well, sort of, but not quite. More importantly, why did Luhrmann make the changes he did?
What Luhrmann’s “Elvis” Gets Right?
It is true that Colonel Parker originally wanted Elvis to tape a Christmas special. And it is true that Elvis, supported by producer Bob Finkel and director Steve Binder, instead put together a completely different show. That show, recorded in June 1968 and broadcast in December of that year, featured Elvis singing non-Christmas songs, including staged performances and an intimate sit-down jam before an audience. The TV special ultimately only included one Christmas song (“Blue Christmas“) that Elvis performed on stage with no Christmas decorations.
And it is true that the special re-invigorated Elvis and his music career after a decade of making movies of varying quality. And it is correct that the show closed, as actor Austin Butler portrays, with Elvis giving a powerful performance of “If I Can Dream.”
What Luhrmman’s “Elvis” Gets Wrong?
But there was no Christmas set or surprise Elvis performance of “If I Can Dream” while dancers dressed in holiday garb looked on. By the time Elvis performed “If I Can Dream” on the set, everyone was on board with the scrapping of the Christmas theme. And even though Parker had said that “If I Can Dream” “ain’t Elvis’ kind of song,” he was also on board with the changes by the time Elvis sang the song, realizing how much Elvis wanted to do it.
So nobody at the set was surprised the day Elvis sang “If I Can Dream.” And there was no big Christmas scene all set up, facing Elvis as he sang or anywhere.
Why Did Luhrmann Change the Way the TV Special Happened?
Yes, Baz Luhrmann takes some liberties in his excellent film about Elvis Presley, but the changes highlight the drama and the choices that Elvis made. Even though in real life the original plan was for a Christmas special, Elvis’s desire for something different and his commitment did alter the course of his career.
Having Presley sing “If I Can Dream” facing the alternate reality of the Christmas set in the movie highlights the contrast of what might have been, even if it did not quite occur in exactly the same way. It’s a wonderful visual image to illustrate what really happened. As reviewer Sean Burns has correctly noted, the film takes risks by not following the conventional sameness of TV-style movies we are inundated with these days. And such risks are necessary to illustrate Elvis’s “impact and the power of the dream therein.”
More importantly, the difference between reality and the images in the movie can be explained by the movie’s concept itself. The movie Elvis is narrated by Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. So, everything in the film is shown from the memory of the character Parker. And as we see at several points, Parker is portrayed as an unreliable narrator.
Thus, the images of the “If I Can Dream” performance should be taken, in the context of the film, as Parker’s recollection (or the recollection of the movie “character” of Tom Parker). So, Hanks’s Parker in old age is in 1997 remembering back to the 1968 performance. Thus, it makes sense that the character’s unreliable memory creates a more dramatic moment than reality.
So, in the movie character Parker’s memory of Elvis rejecting his plan for a Christmas special, it all comes to a head with Parker wearing in a Christmas sweater sitting with executives from the sponsore. In Parker’s memory in the film, Elvis was going to sing “Here Comes Santa Claus” right up to the final moments, with the stage all set up.
In reality, though, the closing song at one point was “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The movie character’s “memory” of of the more jovial “Here Comes Santa Claus” creates more of a contrast with Elvis’s chosen closer “If I Can Dream.” And Parker’s faulty memory of the song, the stage, and the dramatic moment all highlight the betrayal Parker felt when Elvis rejected his plan.
“If I Can Dream”
The song “If I Can Dream” was written specifically for Elvis and the special. So it would have been difficult to hide the surprise. W. Earl Brown wrote “If I Can Dream” for Elvis Presley once it was decided that the show would close with something other than a Christmas song. The song indirectly echoes some of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s language because the songwriters understood how King’s assassination in Memphis had affected Elvis.
There is reference in Elvis to “If I Can Dream” as a “protest song.” But the words are much more generic than a specific protest or direct call for social justice. The lyrics themselves really cannot be offensive to anyone. But it was a change for Elvis, who had generally avoided anything with a whiff of politics.
There must be peace and understanding sometime; Strong winds of promise that will blow away the doubt and fear; If I can dream of a warmer sun, Where hope keeps shining on everyone, Tell me why, oh why, oh why won’t that sun appear?
So, it is not a strong protest song on its face. We do get “a beckoning candle.” And the singer does “dream of a better land /Where all my brothers walk hand in hand.”
Yet, any vagueness in the lyrics is overcome by Elvis’s impassioned performance. Elvis’s energized vocals on the song, as well as the language that indirectly invokes Martin Luther King Jr., creates a strong statement from someone who did not make strong statements. I love the song and Elvis’s performance.
The movie features another image that reflects another truth about the recording. Before showing Elvis on stage singing the song, Luhrmann has Elvis on his back on the floor singing it while others look on. It is true that at one point during the recording of the record in the studio, Elvis did lay down on the floor, actually in the dark, to get more power in his vocals.
After the ’68 Comeback Special closed with “If I Can Dream,” Elvis went on to make more fantastic music as part of this comeback. During the making of the special, he had told Binder, “I never want to sing any more songs I don’t believe in.” Unfortunately, he could not maintain that faith to the end. But he did create a stunning moment in 1968, even if everyone’s memory of that moment may differ.
With her debut album, Morgan Wade established herself among a new generation of talented young female country music artists.
With her 2021 debut album Reckless, which was re-released in 2022 with bonus tracks, Morgan Wade established herself as a young rising country music artist. Wade wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, with lyrics reflecting both strength and vulnerability that usually only emerge in more mature artists.
Many fans have gravitated to Wade, who has been open about her struggles with alcohol addiction. During the pandemic, many found solace in her livestreams of songs like “The Night.”
One of the bonus tracks on the re-release of Reckless is the song “Run.” As the title suggests, the song is about escape. The singer in the song yearns for finding a new place to try to get away from the memories of an abusive relationship.
Can we fly somewhere foreign? You get me high, mess me up until the morning, ‘Cause all I see in every street is where he made me numb; There’s gotta be somewhere, Somewhere we can run, we can run.
Wade is currently opening for major artists and promoting her album. If she keeps making honest music like on this album, she will be around for a long time.
Finally, here is a live version of “Run,” where Morgan Wade takes the song into a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.” And then she goes into AC/DC’s “All Night Long.” Check it out.
