Words & Music:
Elvis Presley
Vera Matson
They call me poor boy, poor boy, poor boy
But I ain't lonesome and I ain't blue
'Cause I could never be a poor boy
As long as I’ve got a dolly like you
Ain't got a crust, ain't got a cent
Can't buy a jug, can't pay the rent
I got a heartfull of dreams
And a lot of memories
And that's enough for me
Can't buy a house, can't buy a lot
Ain't got a bean, I ain't got a pot
But what I got is a heartfull of
Love and memories
And that's enough for me
Don't have a pig, don't have a cow
I don't have a horse to pull a plow
But what I got is a heartfull of
Love and memories
And that's enough for me
Recordingdate: 1956/08/24, first released on: Love Me Tender (EP)
Musicians
Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Poor Boy:
(guitar)
(bass)
(piano)
(banjo)
(accordion)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
Availability
Find available albums with Poor Boy.
Now this one I always liked. Man does he sound happy. But he was 21 and had the world at his fingertips. Bouncy & fun song.
I practically wore the EP out as a kid and this was always a favourite track. A good bouncy number which Elvis appears to enjoy singing, a little lightweight maybe but it rolls along nicely.
A fun, energetic song recorded for the movie and soundtrack EP "Love Me Tender". While not one of Elvis' best 1950's songs, it is stilll good. Very similar to the song "Let Me" that was also in the movie and on the EP.
I remember people leaping around in their seats when Elvis sang in those early films. Don't know if this was partly due to the sanitation of some of those flea pits though! A good energetic number, I loved the 1950s Elvis. God bless you where ever you are.
This one was quite popular in New Orleans in the 1950's in part because there's a a type of sandwich on French bread here called a "Poor boy" (or more often, Po-Boy). So it's weird, in this part of the country it is thought of almost like one of Elvis' hit singles despite never being one. But it is a great track, full of tremendous energy and Elvis' voice just bouncing along perfectly!
This is such a sensational, underrated and overlooked song and Elvis' rendition of it was marvelous. I rate this song and Elvis' rendition of it 5 Stars.
An energetic vibrant good feel song with a country hoedown influence and a youthful Elvis voice. I also like the whole atmosphere of the recording which was different from other studio releases in 1956.
I also liked the way he moved his legs, especially in "Let Me", which is, you could say an anachronistic element considering the movie setting ;-)
Added side note...this song did hit the top 40 as part of the "Love Me Tender" extended play (#24 Billboard Top Jockey Charts and #35 Billboard Top 100).
Even without his usual band, Elvis good do it. A fun song, even if Elvis didn't care for it.
I actually gave this song 5-stars. It just sticks in my mind after listening to it all these years. It was a dramatic change from all the classic hard rock 'n roll he was recording back in 1956, but a welcome change to these ears. It was on the album "For LP Fans Only", last song side 1; funny that "Let Me" didn't get as much airplay from his first movie "Love Me Tender".
A first glimpse of the downward spiral the movie soundtracks would become. A way to simple, compromise kind of a song. Forgettable at best.
Elvis in 1956 was the hottest thing in music so Love Me Tender just had to have music in it. But it is really silly to see these songs performed in a period piece like this. His first movie should have been Loving You. That said, I do enjoy it on record because Elvis in the 50's was just so damn good.
Over the years this song has grown on me. I've gone from I can't stand it, to I kinda like it. 3 stars.
I've always enjoyed the songs from Love Me Tender. Even more so when they appeared in stereo. Poor Boy gets 4 out of 5 from me. Elvis could do no wrong in the 50's!
If this was recorded in the 60's everyone would be panning this song. Its just ok to me. Of course Elvis sounds great but it just doesn't fit in what he was doing at the time.