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.
Frankie & Johnny
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She asked for a glass of beer she said, hey
Bartender has my johnny been here he's my man but
He's done me wrong the bartender said
Frankie you know I won't tell you no lie
He left here about a minute ago with a gal named
Alice fry he's your man but he's doing you wrong
Frankie was a good little woman surely everybody
Knows she paid one hundred dollars for johnny's
New suit of clothes she loved her man but
He done her wrong then frankie went down broadway
With a razor in her hand she said, stand back
All you women I'm looking for my cheating man
Yes, he's my man but he's done me wrong
It was on a Friday morning about a half past
Nine o'clock frankie pulled her .44 and fired
Three fatal shots she shot her man cause
He done her wrong why don't you run, frankie
They said, frankie why don't you run cause here comes
The chief of police with the .44 smokeless gun
You killed your man we know he done you wrong
Yeah, he done you wrong, frankie you
Should've shot him forty times I'm a witness, frankie
The classic song “Frankie and Johnny” tells the story of a woman named Frankie who goes in search of her cheating man, Johnny. The song is about betrayal and a woman’s fierce sense of pride and loyalty. It starts off by giving a glimpse into Frankie’s life, who is a good woman but has been done wrong by her man. She goes to the bar in search of Johnny and finds out from the bartender that he left with another woman named Alice.
Frankie, hurt and angry, goes to find Johnny and warns all the women to stand back with a razor in her hand. She confronts Johnny and eventually shoots him three times with a .44 because he has done her wrong. As she walks down the street with her gun in hand, the police finally catch up to her and tell her to run, but she refuses to go. The police officer admits, in the end, that Johnny got what he deserved, and Frankie should have shot him forty times.
The song is a tragic love ballad about a woman’s desire for loyalty and the lengths she will go to get it. The betrayal she feels at the hands of her lover leads her to commit a heinous crime, which ultimately lands her in prison. The lyrics reveal a woman’s emotional journey and the struggle that comes with unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
Little frankie went down to the barroom
Frankie went to the barroom
She asked for a glass of beer she said, hey
She asked the bartender for a beer
Bartender has my johnny been here he's my man but
Frankie asked if the bartender had seen her man, Johnny
He's done me wrong the bartender said
The bartender confirmed that Johnny had done wrong to Frankie
Frankie you know I won't tell you no lie
The bartender asserted that he was speaking the truth to Frankie
He left here about a minute ago with a gal named Alice fry
The bartender informed Frankie that Johnny had left with another woman named Alice Fry
He's your man but he's doing you wrong
The bartender reiterated that Johnny was still Frankie's man, but he was doing her wrong
Frankie was a good little woman surely everybody knows she paid one hundred dollars for johnny's New suit of clothes
Frankie was a good woman who had spent a lot of money on Johnny's suit
She loved her man but he done her wrong
Frankie loved Johnny, but he had betrayed her
Then frankie went down broadway with a razor in her hand
Frankie went to Broadway with a razor in hand
She said, stand back all you women I'm looking for my cheating man
Frankie publicly announced that she was looking for her unfaithful man
Yes, he's my man but he's done me wrong
Frankie acknowledged that Johnny was her man, but he had wronged her
It was on a Friday morning about a half past nine o'clock
The incident occurred on a Friday morning at around 9:30 am
Frankie pulled her .44 and fired three fatal shots
Frankie shot Johnny three times with her .44
She shot her man cause he done her wrong
Frankie shot Johnny because he had betrayed her
Why don't you run, frankie They said, frankie why don't you run
People urged Frankie to run away after the shooting
Cause here comes the chief of police with the .44 smokeless gun
The chief of police arrived with a .44 smokeless gun
You killed your man we know he done you wrong
The police accused Frankie of killing Johnny even though they knew he had wronged her
Yeah, he done you wrong, frankie you Should've shot him forty times
The police acknowledged that Johnny had betrayed Frankie and joked that she should have shot him forty times
I'm a witness, frankie
The police declared that they were witnesses to the incident
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ALEX KARGER, BEN GOTTLIEB, FRED WEISMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bic papermate
The song "Frankie and Johnny" has been performed by literally thousands of singers and acted out many many times. But this version has Donna Douglas, Nancy Kovack and Sue An Langdon. You aren't going to find a more gorgeous version of this song ever.
Warblerab 295
this was good, but prefer Louis Armstrong's version.
Tachyna
Estoy es realmente lo que quería "escuchar" la historia de la canción detrás de frankie and Johnnie nunca me llamo la atencion esta cancion en particular por Elvis hasta que escuche a Yvonne de Carlo en una estupenda interpretación suya.
Armand Bourque
Ohh, yeah!
Alan Stevenson-Graham
It started life as a poem
kellipooh 1987
Damn I know this man can wear anything but he looks so good in that pink pinstripe jacket 😍
Roberta Williams
Elvis Presley was and is the best star ever to hit the silver, Hollywood
Serenity Love
I love how he smiles when he's singing Frankie and Johnny. I love his outfit but there's a dark blue outfit that he really looks gorgeous in this movie.
LionTheHeart
Great film and line up with many memorable songs!
Love these well known female stars!
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1966 {March 13th} both sides of Elvis' "Frankie and Johnny" b/w "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" entered Billboard's Top 100 chart...
"Frankie and Johnny" entered at position #74, six weeks later it would peak at #25 {for 1 week}, "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" debut at #85 and it reached #45 {for 2 weeks} on April 17th, 1966...
Both sides spent eight weeks a piece on the Top 100...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, on March 13th, 1966 nearly 25% of the Top 100 was made up of debut records, for twenty four records entered the Top 100 on that date...