Words & Music:
Donnie Sumner
Here's another dime for you, Mr. Songman
Sing the loneliness of broken dreams away, if you can
Yes it's only me and you, Mr. Songman
Take away the night sing away my hurt, Mr. Songman
In your ivory covered house, safe behind your walls of glass
You keep staring back at me like a memory from the past
Won't you sing me away to a summer night
Let me hold you in my arms again
I know memory's not re-living
But at least it's not the end
Here's another dime for you Mr. Songman
Sing the loneliness of broken dreams away, if you can
Yes it's only me and you, Mr. Songman
Won't you take away the night, sing away my hurt, Mr. Songman
Won't you sing me away to a summer night
Let me hold her in my arms again
Take away the night sing away my hurt, Mr. Songman
Recordingdate: 1973/12/12, first released on: Promised Land (album)
Musicians
Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Mr. Songman:
(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(piano)
(organ)
(organ)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
Others*
(guitar)
(cello)
(cello)
(cello)
(cello)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
*Orchestra, overdubs
Availability
Find available albums with Mr. Songman.
Pleasant country type song. Elvis was more or less a country singer by 1975 with his most chart success in that field. Good good album cut.
Pleasant country type song. Elvis was more or less a country singer by 1975 with his most chart success in that field. Good good album cut.
Love the song, from a favourite album too.
This song is often reviled on Elvis message-boards, yet I love it. It's one of the best examples of close-harmony singing in Elvis's catalogue and the lyrics are beautiful. It appears to be a homage to the power of songs on a jukebox: "Won't you sing me away to a summer night, let me hold her in my arms again". As a widower of 13 years I can identify with that sentiment, particularly as the song was released during the early years I spent with my wife-to-be. The lyrics, incidentally, should read "In your ivory covered palace". I always heard the next part as, "behind your walls of sadness" but I was wrong on that score and indeed the word is "glass". I also love the following song on the Promised Land album, "Love Song Of The Year", which is also frequently disparaged.
I suppose that every song has a meaning and a memory for somebody, a special song for me too.
Recorded in December of 1973 and released on the LP "Promised Land" in 1975 and as the flip side of "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" later that year. This marked the 6th song from the LP to be released as a single and two more songs from the 10 track LP would be released as singles posthumously. The song is a pretty straight forward country piece that Elvis delivers in fine voice. A good LP cut, but not really worthy of single release although RCA may have been trying to keep the B side from competing with the A side, something that happened a lot in the mid 70's (example: on the single "Promised Land" / "It's Midnight", the A side hit the pop top 15 and the B-side made top 10 on both the country and adult contemporary charts). RCA wanted Elvis new song, "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" to be able to get all of the attention. It didn't work, for some reason it only peaked at #35 (pop) and #11 (country). "Mr. Songman" did not chart on any chart in the U.S.
I like this one, and the album. Simple as that.
Pleasant enough to the ear but nothing that will linger in your mind after hearing it.
I really love this song, personally. It is a song that I probably would never go out of my way to try to defend to anyone who says they do not like it, solely because it really is a song I feel a deep personal connection to. There is a version of it on one of my CDs (God only knows which--I forgot and it is all on my ipod now) where the harmony is stripped away and it is only Elvis' voice throughout the entire song. That's the version I love most. I am pretty vocal about having a "hatred" of country music, yet when I hear ANYTHING Elvis sang that is labeled country, I realize I do not hate it at all. In fact, country music might simply be a difficult genre to do well. And Elvis was one of the only ones who could really make it feel real and sincere to me. This is a beautiful track.
Pleasant, country fied album filler. Easy on the ears, but nothing special.
I love the Promised Land LP. Elvis' vocals are just perfect - he is in fine voice through out. This album has always been a late night, through the earphones favourite for me and wonderful listening from start to finish - Mr. Songman is so sincerely delivered.
God, what great song !! Thnx again
Donnie Sumner was part of Voice and also wrote I miss you. He claims that this song was (also) recorded in September 1973 at Elvis's home in Palm Springs. A nice country track.
Yes as said by others, a very pleasant country track that leaves one with the good feel factor. Elvis in excellent vocal form lifts a good song to something a whole lot better - 4 stars from me.
Great song, great voice, great album.
5 stars.
This is such a terrific and underrated song and I've never skipped it. Elvis sang this song perfectly and sincerely. I rate this song and Elvis' rendition of it 5 Stars.
A true classic! I give it the same amount of stars that are in the heavens.
Doesn't ring my chimes; average 3-star rating at best.
I never skip it, but i never listen to it without the context of the original lp. It's a filler. 3 stars.
Just love this song as with the whole album. Beautifully sung and arranged. Wish it was longer. 5 stars
Just a beautiful track. Elvis in great voice. The backing vocals matching his. A great piece of art.
Good song, good album, 4 stars for both