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.
Way Down
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lights are goin' dim
The sound of your breathin'
Made the mood I'm in
All of my resistance
Lying on the floor
Taking me to places
I've never been before
Ooh, and I can feel it
Feel it, feel it, feel it
Way down where the music plays
Way down like a tidal wave
Way down where the fires blaze
Way down, down
Ooh, my head is spinnin'
You got me in your spell
A hundred magic fingers
A swirling carousel
The medicine within me
No doctor could prescribe
Your love is doing' something
That I just can't describe
Ooh, and I can feel it
Feel it, feel it, feel it
Way down where the music plays
Way down like a tidal wave
Way down where the fires blaze
Way down, down
Hold me again
Tight as you can
I need you so
Baby, let's go
Way down where it feels so good
Way down where I hoped it would
Way down where I never could
Way down, down
The lyrics to Elvis Presley's song Way Down speak about being in the presence of someone who can ignite a passion within you and take you to new heights of pleasure. The opening line "Babe, you're getting closer, the lights are going dim" suggests that the singer is getting ready to be intimate with their partner. As the mood is set by the sound of the partner's breathing, the singer's resistance melts away and they are taken to places they have never been before. They feel the intensity of the moment and are "way down" where the music plays, fires blaze, and the feeling is so good.
The second verse continues with the theme of being under the spell of the partner's love. The singer's head is spinning as they feel the magic of their partner's touch. The sensation is so intense that it feels like a whirlwind of emotions swirling around them, like a carousel ride. The idea that "No doctor could prescribe" the feeling of love suggests that this sensation is otherworldly, beyond the realm of science. As the song progresses, the singer is allured to move towards the place where this feeling is amplified and intensified- "way down" where it feels so good.
Overall, Way Down is a song about passion, love, and the irresistible pull towards someone who can awaken our deepest desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Babe, you're getting closer
The person addressed in the song is gradually coming closer.
The lights are goin' dim
The lights are being dimmed, likely to set a mood.
The sound of your breathin'
The sound of the addressee's breathing can be heard.
Made the mood I'm in
The sound of the addressee's breathing has a particular effect on the singer.
All of my resistance
Any opposition or reluctance the singer may have had is now gone.
Lying on the floor
The singer's resistance is depicted as defeated and fallen to the floor.
Taking me to places
The addressee's presence is leading the singer to new places.
I've never been before
The new places are unprecedented for the singer.
Ooh, and I can feel it
Feel it, feel it, feel it
The singer can feel something, and repeats the phrase to emphasize it.
Way down where the music plays
The singer is now metaphorically in a place where music is playing.
Way down like a tidal wave
The singer is going so far down that it's like they're riding on a tidal wave.
Way down where the fires blaze
The place the singer is descending to is fiery.
Way down, down
Repeating the 'down' phrase to emphasize the depth of the descent.
Ooh, my head is spinnin'
The sensation the singer is experiencing is making them dizzy.
You got me in your spell
The addressee has the singer under their control.
A hundred magic fingers
The addressee's touch is so magical it feels like multiple hands are touching the singer.
A swirling carousel
The sensation the singer is feeling is like being on a spinning carousel.
The medicine within me
The addressee's love is doing something deep inside the singer like medicine.
No doctor could prescribe
The medicine the singer is feeling is indescribable and unattainable through normal channels.
Your love is doing' something
The addressee's love is actively causing something in the singer.
That I just can't describe
The feeling being generated cannot be put into words by the singer.
Hold me again
The singer is expressing a desire to be held once more by the addressee.
Tight as you can
The singer wants to be held tightly.
I need you so
The singer is expressing a strong need for the addressee.
Baby, let's go
The singer is expressing a desire for the two of them to go somewhere together.
Way down where it feels so good
The singer is now in a place where things feel good.
Way down where I hoped it would
The singer is in the place they always wished they could be.
Way down where I never could
The singer is experiencing something they previously thought was unattainable.
Way down, down
Repeating the 'down' phrase to emphasize the depth of the descent.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Harry Edward Stinson, Marty Stuart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Don Brown
Elvis never lost his great voice, even at the end......the best of all time!
Jerry Jaye
Imagine if he had chosen to sing this in his "Jailhouse Rock" or "Hard Headed Woman" voice.
Eliot Wien
I guess this is the version that will appear on the new Elvis Presley release on RCA on August 5, 2016. It's entitled "Way Down in the Jungle Room". The last studio recordings Demos, and Outtakes!!!!
Sandra Miller
Elvis said in his song. Medicine within me no Doctor could prescribe. Was this also a message he left behind.
Dana Davis RN
Only God knows....
Mary McGivney
Iove this song way down 😃❤💋❤😃
Roberto Salum
Rock roll the king para thiago e eric salum
linda galpin
elvis is the grsats
Gianna Bonadeo
❤️👑❤️👑❤️👑
Great British Chefs
We have put this on our Cheese Songs playlist because surely he is singing Whey on Down ;-)