Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.
Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
Frankfort Special
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't this outfit something special?
Ah, we heard rumors from the bases
Frankfort girls got pretty faces
Go, Special, go, blow whistle, blow
Frankfort Special's got a special way to go
Whoa, oh, oh
Now when we get to our headquarters
We'll be good boys and follow orders
Now don't take girls from one another
No, no, no, no, no
We'll treat a sailor like a brother
Go, Special, go; blow, whistle, blow
Frankfort Special's got a special way to go
Whoa, oh, oh
Round wheels singin' on a long flat track
Boiler bustin' to blow its stack
Towns and villages flyin' by
Farewell, frauleins; don't you cry
You'll soon get another G.I.
Come on, train, and get the lead out
Well, one more day we gotta sweat out
Frantic frauleins at the station
They're ready for a celebration
Go, Special go, blow whistle, blow
Frankfort Special's got a special way to go
Go, Special, go, blow whistle, blow
Frankfort Special's got a special way to go
Whoa, oh, oh
Come on, train, and get the lead out
Oh, one more day we gotta sweat out
Frantic frauleins at the station
They're ready for a celebration
Go, Special, go, blow whistle, blow
Frankfort Special's got a special way to go
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh
The song "Frankfort Special" by Elvis Presley is a fun and upbeat tune that tells the story of soldiers traveling on a train, presumably on their way to report back to their base. The lyrics are laced with patriotic sentiment and a nod to the soldiers' loyalty as they sing about their willingness to follow orders, treat each other with respect, and refrain from taking female attention from one another. The song also speaks to the beauty of the women in Frankfurt, Germany, and their eagerness to celebrate with the soldiers upon their arrival.
The chorus of the song is particularly catchy, featuring the repeated refrain, "Go, Special, go; blow, whistle, blow, Frankfort Special's got a special way to go." The use of train imagery throughout the song helps to create a sense of urgency and movement, as the soldiers hurry to their destination. The final lines of the song hint at the possibility of new romance and adventure for the soldiers as they depart from Germany, suggesting that this journey is just the beginning of a much larger story.
Line by Line Meaning
Is this train the Frankfort Special?
Is this train the special Frankfort Special?
Ain't this outfit something special?
Isn't this group (of people) something special?
Ah, we heard rumors from the bases
Oh, we heard rumors from the bases (military sites).
Frankfort girls got pretty faces
Girls from Frankfort have attractive faces.
Go, Special, go, blow whistle, blow
Go, Frankfort Special, go! Blow the whistle, blow!
Frankfort Special's got a special way to go
The Frankfort Special has a unique and special way of going (traveling).
Now when we get to our headquarters
Now when we arrive at our headquarters (military base).
We'll be good boys and follow orders
We will behave well and do as we are told.
Now don't take girls from one another
Now, do not take girls from each other.
No, no, no, no, no
No, definitely not.
We'll treat a sailor like a brother
We will treat a sailor as if they were our brother.
Round wheels singin' on a long flat track
The wheels rotate smoothly on a flat, lengthy track.
Boiler bustin' to blow its stack
The boiler is close to bursting, ready to blow off steam.
Towns and villages flyin' by
Towns and villages quickly pass by (outside the window).
Farewell, frauleins; don't you cry
Goodbye, Fräuleins (young women); don't cry.
You'll soon get another G.I.
You will soon have another (American) soldier.
Come on, train, and get the lead out
Come on, train, and move faster.
Well, one more day we gotta sweat out
Well, we have to endure one more day.
Frantic frauleins at the station
Frantic Fräuleins at the station (eagerly awaiting the soldiers).
They're ready for a celebration
They are ready to have fun and celebrate.
Whoa, oh, oh
An exclamation of excitement or surprise.
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh
A continuation of the same exclamation.
Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: Sherman Edwards, Sid Wayne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@diannasmith4371
My family is tackling me to see Graceland this year! I am 74 & have been a Elvis fan since 10 years old.
@eddiejones856
I was a teenager in Nuremberg , Germany in the 1970’s and a soldier stationed in Germany 1980’s. Germany is a special place for me.
@hayleytowner68
Has there ever been a more beautiful man
@corey-bird3489
I try to radiate purity to the point of including him on my channel more than once (even at Ripley’s Believe It or Not) but there is only one King.
@karrietucker8856
Never🥰😢
@kevintotten562
When Elvis was born, he was a gift from God. This man was put here for a purpose. Then God took him home but he made such a beautiful impact on this earth. Elvis was the greatest entertainer that ever walked this earth. And everyone else has to live with it.
@theresamca4440
No in every way. He was one of kind. Gorgeous class by himself.
@foreveryoung999
Just Elvis
@maryannemelenka9250
His movies, today 2020, are great family entertainment, uplifting and fun, they r sweet, be because the scripts are innocent, naive corny, but Elvis put his best into it, he was so good, makes up for anything else.
@corey-bird3489
And no unnecessary profanity that doesn’t move a plot.