Elvis Presley: "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby"

November 16, 1964 (2 weeks)

And there I was beginning to think that we were going to get through an entire year without The King.

A recurring theme throughout the batch of 1964 number ones — especially in the second half of the year — is examining how various pop stars reacted to the rise of The Beatles. In short, most were better off simply doing their own thing rather than trying to compete with them or, worse still, trying to ape their sound. (Frankly, this is still the case: supposedly 'Beatlesque' groups who play nothing but predictable old power pop have done nothing for the Fab Four's reputation for being influential)

That said, the presence of The Beatles seemed to encourage many to up their efforts. The Beach Boys were improving at a rate that at times exceeded John, Paul, George and Ringo. Bob Dylan began searching further afield from the folk music straightjacket. Motown and Stax had both began thriving commercially and creatively. While other Liverpool groups were mediocre at best, acts from other parts of the UK (The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Kinks) were now on the scene and offered some degree of credible alternative.

And then there was Elvis Presley, the one time King of Rock 'n' Roll who was now a movie star who happened to put out records on the side. He was shaken by The Beatles' takeover of the United States. Reports are conflicting but it's reasonable to guess that he was jealous and felt threatened by their popularity. Though it is sometimes pointed out that he happily recorded covers of many Lennon and McCartney originals (and at least one Harrison number), they tended to come a bit later when he may have developed a greater appreciation for their music  (even though he would also shit talk them during his summit with Richard Nixon). What is indisputable is that their arrival did little to spur him into a creative renaissance — at least, not yet.

The release of "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" backed with "Ask Me" (which proved to be the more popular side in the US) smacks of desperation rather than inspiration. Recorded back in June of 1958 while on leave from his military training (the day before he cut "I Got Stung" a double A side and fellow Canadian number one) but left unreleased, it was suddenly deemed good enough to be pressed and in the local record shops and drug stores just as 1964 was coming to end. It was as if to say, "I don't need inspiration from those limeys, I inspired them!"

So, is it a helpful reminder of what Elvis had once been? Yes but only up to a point. By the lofty standards of his pre-army period, it's reasonable but nothing special. But held up against his mid-sixties' work and it's rather good. Still not great but a definite step up from what he had been reduced to. All one needs to do is flip "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" over and be met by the limp and lifeless "Ask Me", a track which still manages to be superior to everything on the godawful soundtrack to The King's latest film project Roustabout.

Rather than being spurred into finding better material or going out on the road for the first time in living memory or searching for new bandmates/collaborators or — heaven forbid — working on his craft, the ascension of The Beatles did little to motivate Elvis Presley. His longtime record label, RCA, had been clever enough to pull an old session from the archives but it ended up only reinforcing just how irrelevant their cash cow had become. "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" may have given him yet another chart topper in Canada and Australia but other, bigger markets weren't as keen. Not only were consumers sick of the current Elvis but they didn't want to have much to do with the old Elvis either. It would take a while before they'd begin to find their way back to him.

Score: 5