Words & Music:
Jerry Leiber
Mike Stoller
(Woke up early in the morning)
(What did the poor boy find)
Well the car was gone and you were gone
And I almost lost my mind.
If you don't come back (If you don't come back)
Yeah! if you don't come back today (If you don't come back today)
You can call up the people at the crazy house
And take this crazy man away
(He threw himself off a gas stone wall)
(He tore his clothes out the door)
I ran out on the street in my stockinged feet
Tell the police I've been robbed
If you don't come back (If you don't come back)
Mmm if you don't come back today (If you don't come back today)
Well you can call up the people at the crazy house
And take this crazy man away
Mrs. Brown's been talking about me
To the people across the street
She said (said (I cooked that boy a pot full of stew,
But the poor thing just won't eat).)
If you don't come back (If you don't come back)
Yeah! If you don't come back today (If you don't come back today)
You can call up the people at the crazy house
And take this crazy man away
Recordingdate: 1973/07/21, first released on: Raised on Rock (album)
Musicians
Musicians who contributed to the first recording of If You Don't Come Back:
(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(organ)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
Availability
Find available albums with If You Don't Come Back.
Close to the laid-back original of T-Bone Walker - as are others on Raised On Rock.
The Raised On Rock album has been a favourite of mine since I first bought the LP. I like that laidback feel in this album. My favourites are: Find Out What's Happening, I Miss You, For Ol' Time Sake, If You Don't Come Back, Just A Little Bit, Sweet Angeline and T2 of Are You Sincere? And I even have an ear for Three Corn Patches!!
Raised on rock should never have been released this was truly the worst album of the 70s along with Love Letters.As for this track Elvis should have recorded it earlier by this time Elvis was out of it, and needed a reality check.
Never understood the critics and never will! I Love the Raised on Rock Album. Yes I do! And love If You Don't Come Back, a mature rock song with a contemporary rock sound with a great guitar. Elvis could have been a little more “aggressive” in his voice, thought.
Everyone who has read about these sessions knows Elvis was at his most bizarre behavior and seemed very heavily medicated throughout recording. This song and the LP show it. One of the worst LPs of his career (not counting soundtracks) and one I never listen to because when I listen to Elvis I want to feel good & be happy. This LP doesnt deliver that at all. Imagine these songs recorded in 1969 or 1970 and you get what Im talking about because the material isnt half bad, even Three Corn Patches.
If Elvis had been any more laid back on this track and several others on the Raised On Rock album he would have fallen off his stool. Still, I've always enjoyed this song and the album in general. The FTD version of ROR is fantastic.
This album could have been titled, Elvis What Happened. That was exactly what I was thinking first time I heard it when compared to the great Elvis Country & even Love Letters. This was the first true studio album of new material (Elvis Now & He Touched Me doesn't count) since those LPs and the difference in Elvis is astounding to these ears. Yes, he sounded like he was half asleep. Check out The Drifters version for the real deal.
One of my favourite songs from this session - very funky though too laid back vocally. These sessions started the day after Bruce Lee died. I always wondered if Elvis, being the martial arts fanatic he was would have been affected by that. Imagine if any of us had to "put on a show" the week Elvis died. I know it's not the same thing and I'm more than likely talking out of my backside but Elvis was an emotional guy and he was already feeling low with the divorce coming up plus he had started to pile on the pounds by now. When you're heading in a downward spiral emotionally the smallest thing can speed up your descent. Just thought I'd throw a different perspective on it.
Mediocre, and that's even worse than being bad.
I once read that tony Joe White was asked for songs during these sessions, as he brought the tapes to a backdoor in the twiligth of studio backroom there were some weird guys asking him: do you have zeee tapes? I never liked that one, except of Are You Sincere. One really likes to "find out what's happening"... this is the mediocre sixities revisitied. He was not to be in a studio at the time, rather on a world tour, tasting the admiration of his fans all around the globe...what a pity he never did that...
The song is just ok. As for Raised On Rock LP, it's a masterpiece when compared to The Blvd. album or Moody Blue.
This is one of my three favourite songs from the "Raised on Rock" album. (The others being "Sweet Angeline" and the title cut, which I listen to repeatedly.) This song has a funky beat that draws attention by being a bit out of the ordinary compared to the rest of the album. Not Elvis' best work, but a good effort, I think.
I understand the criticism to the album, it could have been so much better. As for this song, it´s okay really.Not bad, not great, just okay.
I always loved this album and all albums from 1972 to 1976. Love "For Ol' Times Sake" and "I
Miss You".
A recording ahead of its time, or was Elvis showing us what to expect in 10 years time. Trendy
I love this funky laid back song from the LP "Raised On Rock". This type of song is meant to be laid back. If you over sing this one, it would be like over singing a folk song like "Early Morning Rain". What do you people want? You blast some of his bombastic ballads, but then he lays back and you pounce on that. Quit believing everything you read Elvis fans! His performance was not drug induced. If it was, then did he just sober up to do a great version "Take Good Care Of Her" later that night? Same thing the next night. I hear the critics on here say he was drug induced for "Find Out What's Happening", but you rave about his next recording that night "I've Got A Thing About You, Baby"? Can we please just judge the music and stay out of what performance may or may not have been impaired by drugs. Heck, most rock musicians in the late 60's and 70's were higher than kites almost all the time.
What a great funky laid back song from Elvis at a time when he was rumoured to be not in the best of moods.
This scores at every level for me and is a whole lot more enjoyable than Just A Little Bit from the same sessions.
- 4 stars from me.
I love the drums & wah wah guitar on this one. What song does he sing on take 3 of this song? I really dig this song in this swamp rock style.
The version on Essential Elvis vol. 5, take 3 has a great intro where Elvis does some crazy stuff.
Very dated music to be blunt and not very good. The wah wah guitar pedal is very dated by today's standards.
Love the song, love the album and i like the guitar even more. Dated or not, still better than todays music. 4 stars
Took a long time to grow on me, but I like this track, The album however was disappointing, should have had side one with all rock songs that rolled & rock ballets on the flip side,,,, the songs were out there but Parker didn't want to pay them.
I like the album but it was certainly rushed out for release once recorded. I personally feel it could have done with just a little post production I.e compare Got a thing about you recorded at the same session. But RCA wanted it on the shelves. This track however doesn’t need strings or horns, it’s great and funky as it is.