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.
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shake it loose and let it fall
Layin' soft upon my skin
Like the shadows on the wall
Come and lay down by my side
'Til the early mornin' light
All I'm takin' is your time
Help me make it through the night
I don't care what's right or wrong
I won't try to understand
Let the devil take tomorrow
'Cause tonight, I need a friend
Yesterday is dead and gone
And tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night
I don't care what's right or wrong
I won't try to understand
Let the devil take tomorrow
'Cause tonight, I need a friend
Yesterday is dead and gone
And tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night
I don't want to be alone
Help me make it through the night
The song, Help Me Make It Through the Night by Elvis Presley, speaks to the longing of a man for female companionship, for someone to keep him company through the night. The singer calls on his lover to take off the ribbon from her hair and shake it loose, perhaps a symbolic act of letting go of societal expectations or inhibitions. The ribbon then lays soft upon his skin, like the shadows on the wall. He invites her to lay down by his side till the early morning light, seeking comfort and intimacy in her presence.
The lyrics highlight a sense of desperation and loneliness in the singer's plea for help making it through the night. He acknowledges the futility of trying to understand or assign blame, and instead chooses to live in the moment, blocking out thoughts of the uncertain future ahead. He recognizes that yesterday is dead and gone, and tomorrow is out of sight, and so the present moment, and the comfort of his lover's presence, is all he has to cling onto. The use of the word 'friend' in the final line of the chorus stands out, as if the singer is seeking companionship more than anything else.
Line by Line Meaning
Take the ribbon from your hair
Take off your adornments, let your hair down
Shake it loose and let it fall
Loosen up and be carefree
Layin' soft upon my skin
Intimacy and comfort is what I yearn for
Like the shadows on the wall
In the darkness, we share a love that is pure
Come and lay down by my side
Be here with me and let's enjoy each other's presence
Till the early mornin' light
Stay with me until the new day begins
All I'm takin' is your time
I only ask for your attention and nothing else
Help me make it through the night
Be my support system and help me overcome my struggles
I don't care who's right or wrong
I don't want to argue, I just want to be in your company
I don't try to understand
I don't need all the answers or reasons
Let the devil take tomorrow
Leave the future up to fate
Lord tonight I need a friend
Tonight, I need you to be there for me
Yesterday is dead and gone
We can't change the past, so let it go
And tomorrow's out of sight
We can't predict the future, so let's focus on the present
And it's sad to be alone
Being alone can be difficult and lonely
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
josee jaja
Pure talent , no artifice, no special effects, just a beautiful song delivered by a wonderful men with a stunning voice!
Thales Vieira
Fantástico, Único, Maravilhoso, Eterno! 💖
Rebecca Robbins
The best there ever was, is, or will ever be!!!!!😊
Imaculada Conceição
Maravilhoso!😥😥😥😥
Westside Smitty
I have the ''released'' studio take (I think it was originally on Welcome to My World or maybe the Elvis Now LP memories of the 70's are a bit hazy!) and I have the FTD ''Rehearsals'' (for Elvis On Tour) track. They are all fantastic- I generally prefer the un dubbed Elvis- alt. takes without the ''strings and horns'' that was so much a part of the ''countrypolitan'' approach back in the day. This is an example. And for me, this treasure is THE best of them all. Man, back in the 70's, we'd have never believed a day would come when there were alternate takes of almost every Elvis track and they'd be free for the downloading. He died so young, but what he left behind is a treasure beyond compare. there are few artists where it is rewarding to listen as they develop a song through a series of takes (he did 30 some takes of Hound Dog- they are apparently lost, but I would love to hear every one of them. The only other artists where I obsessively study the out takes are The Beatles, Hendrix (of course!), Nirvana, and the great blues harmonica genius, Walter Jacobs. For a professional singer or a budding record producer, the Elvis out takes are an essential source to study(Elvis had so many claims to fame that it is rarely mentioned that he was one of the greatest producers from the Age of Rock. We are so fortunate to have these treasures. 2 inch tape was expensive- usually it was recorded over and not saved. there is a famous photo of a stack of Elvis studio out takes all marked to be ''destroyed''. of course, somebody(!) sneaked them out and they are available today. Only a fool would destroy something ''touched'' by The King! I just wish somebody had recorded the night The Beatles came and visited and jammed with their hero!
Bruno peres meneguetti
magnifico
el V
The gold voice 🎤👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
The king FOREVER 👑
Sean Fitzpatrick
He was much better before the army and early sixties Nashville vocally and physically
Ray Adkins
FANTASTIC BY THE KING...........ALWAYS ELVIS
Sol Menezes
Wonderful!