Elvis Is Back

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Elvis Presley entered the army on March 24, 1958, and was discharged on March 3, 1960, after two years of active service. Three words resounded from all the newspapers around the world upon his release from the : Elvis Is Back! He had been away from the music scene for nearly 2 years and the charts were no longer full of the excitement of '50s rock & roll, having given way to a smoother '60s sound. Elvis knew too well that just one year away from the music business can kill your career and, although he had made some home s while in Germany, he hadn't recorded in a studio since June 1958. However, his time away did little to reduce his ubiquitous presence on the radio as he'd recorded a small surplus of tracks prior to his first deployment. Raucous hits like A Big Hunk o' Love and Hard Headed Woman received steady airplay while he was gone. The ultra-hyped, hugely celebrated return of the King most certainly did not disappoint. During his service, Elvis fans anxiously awaited new material. Record label executives worried about whether he'd still be able to crank out the hits. Radio stations were dying for something new for their most requested playlist. It all combined to tremendous pressure on Elvis and all involved to deliver something that lived up to expectations. Just two weeks after coming home, Elvis Presley entered Nashville Studio B on March 20th (returning for the legendary overnight session of April 3rd-4th) to record a batch of songs that would become monumental hits worldwide. The singles Are You Lonesome Tonight and It's Now or Never created a tidal wave of excitement, while LP tracks like Fever, The Thrill of Your Love, and Like a Baby demonstrated an affinity for handling a range of song styles. All of these tunes confirmed that the King was still able to deliver a whole program worth of incomparable material.