“It took almost everyone in the room to persuade Elvis to commit himself to ‘Burning Love.’ Felton (Jarvis), Joe Esposito, Jerry Schilling, and Red West were all convinced it was a hit … Yet Elvis himself remained unconvinced, and though he eventually cut it, three months later he told reporters in New York that the reason he didn’t record more rock ’n’ roll was, simply, that a good rock song was ‘hard to find.’ He seemed to have no idea that the one he’d just completed would become a classic.” — Ernst Jorgensen in “Elvis Presley: A Life in Music”
Released in 1972, “Burning Love” became the last of Elvis Presley’s 38 top ten singles on Billboard’s pop music chart, solidifying its place as a definitive Elvis Last Hit Song. As Ernst Jorgensen noted, Elvis initially lacked enthusiasm for recording the song, or any rock ’n’ roll for that matter. His marriage was dissolving during this period, and he preferred to channel his musical energy into poignant “love-lost” ballads. In fact, he recorded “Separate Ways” just the day before tackling “Burning Love.”
In March 1972, when Elvis entered RCA’s Studio C in Hollywood, his chart performance was in one of its worst slumps. He hadn’t landed a top ten single since “The Wonder of You” hit #9 in the summer of 1970. His previous six singles had failed to even reach the top 30 on the Hot 100. Elvis desperately needed a hit to revitalize his recording career.
Producer Felton Jarvis brought “Burning Love” to the session. The song, penned by Dennis Linde, hadn’t gained traction when first released by R&B singer Arthur Alexander. In his Presley biography, Peter Guralnick recounted Jarvis’s struggle to persuade Elvis to even attempt the song.
“On the second night Felton finally got his way, but he was under no illusion that Elvis was doing it for any other reason than to indulge his producer. With the encouragement of Joe Esposito and Jerry Schilling, and with Charlie (Hodge) pounding away on acoustic guitar, they got a good, energetic version of ‘Burning Love,’ the song Felton had brought to the session, but it was tossed off in six takes, in almost throwaway style, and everyone could see that Elvis’ heart wasn’t really in it.”
After the recording session, Elvis and his band spent a couple of days rehearsing in Studio C for the upcoming April tour dates. Parts of these shows, including stops in Hampton Roads, Richmond, Greensboro, and San Antonio, were filmed for MGM’s Elvis on Tour documentary. “Burning Love” was among the songs rehearsed and performed on stage. The version of Elvis singing the song in the documentary notably showed him using a lyric sheet, perhaps underscoring his initial lack of connection to the track.
Burning Love 45 single sleeve, Elvis Presley’s last hit song cover art
“Burning Love” Ignites the Charts
RCA released “Burning Love” as a single on August 1, 1972, with the country tune “It’s a Matter of Time” on the flip side. The rock track debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 at #90 on August 19 and steadily climbed as radio DJs began playing Elvis’s new rock ’n’ roll offering more frequently. It entered the top ten at #9 on September 30, eventually reaching its peak position of #2 on October 28. “Burning Love” remained on the Hot 100 through the end of November, completing a 15-week run on the chart, with six of those weeks spent in the top 10. It stood as Elvis’s biggest hit since “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, solidifying its status as a significant Elvis Last Hit Song.
“Burning Love” was prevented from hitting the #1 spot on Billboard’s chart by Chuck Berry’s novelty song “My Ding-A-Ling.” That autumn also saw Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party” reach #6, marking a concurrent chart comeback for this trio of early rock ’n’ roll pioneers.
Despite being held from the top spot on Billboard, “Burning Love” did reach #1 on The Cashbox Top 100 Singles chart on November 11, 1972. Elvis’s recording spent 16 weeks on the Cashbox sales chart, including 6 weeks in the top 10. While his later career included many noteworthy elvis presley ballads songs and country tracks, “Burning Love” was arguably his final moment of significant rock and roll dominance on the major pop charts.
An Unusual Album Companion
While still charting in November 1972, “Burning Love” received an unusual follow-up release: it served as the title track for an album. “Burning Love and Hits From His Movies” was released by RCA, but not on their main label. Instead, it appeared on the budget-priced Camden label. The LP featured a strange mix, combining Presley’s current smash single with songs previously issued on his movie soundtracks. It included forgettable cuts like “Guadalajara,” “Tender Feelings,” and “Santa Lucia,” none of which were actually “hits” as the album title misleadingly suggested.
Jorgensen placed the blame for this shoddy budget LP, which seemingly diminished the classic song, squarely on Colonel Parker.
“There was no need bothering to make a real album, although that could have easily been accomplished by combining songs from the March session with the best of the Las Vegas February recordings. The resulting album might have shown the artist as a contemporary force to be taken seriously. But as far as the Colonel was concerned, it wouldn’t have sold any more records.”
Beyond the Charts: “Burning Love” in Pop Culture
Technically, Elvis’s recording of “Burning Love” was a cover version itself, but the numerous adaptations by other artists over the years serve as a testament to the lasting power of Presley’s 1972 rendering. According to Wikipedia, a diverse array of acts have recorded versions. Doctor and the Medics’ 1987 cover was featured on Dr. Demento’s Demented Top 20 Video Countdown. In 1992, country singer Travis Tritt covered it for the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack. Melissa Ethridge’s version appeared on a 1994 TV tribute and later on the LP It’s Now or Never: The Tribute to Elvis. Wynonna Judd recorded it for the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack in 2002, later including it on her album What the World Needs Now Is Love. Perhaps most notably for rock fans, Bruce Springsteen has incorporated his version into some concerts since the 1990s.
Separate from musical covers, Elvis’s recording of “Burning Love” has spawned a wide array of “burning love” and “hunka, hunka” references across popular culture. Elvis sidekick Lamar Fike noted in 1995, “People always remember that song, for the ‘hunka, hunka’ part, I guess. The Elvis impersonators have a field day with it.” Darren Lee is an Elvis Tribute Artist who continues to capitalize on the song’s popularity with his show, Burn’N Love, playing four nights a week at the Maui Theatre in Hawaii. The show promotes itself as a dynamic production celebrating Elvis’s time in the islands, including influences from films like elvis viva las vegas and the Aloha from Hawaii concert.
Even unlikely figures have performed “Burning Love,” including talk show host Conan O’Brien, who, according to Wikipedia, sang the song with his house band to warm up his audiences before taping. The song’s memorable hook and energetic delivery made it perfect for such moments.
Other appearances listed on Wikipedia include its use as a wake-up song on space shuttle mission STS-123. A 1997 commercial for Velvetta Chilli Dip altered the lyrics to “Hunka Hunka Meltin’ Love.” At the 2010 Miss Universe contest, it provided background music for the swimsuit competition. Songfact.com reported a bizarre incident in 2005 where an Australian woman allegedly stabbed her partner because he played the song too many times. A more lighthearted anecdote from 1972 recalls a radio DJ in Mississippi introducing it as the “theme song of all the guys in the waiting room down at the public health clinic!” These varied uses highlight the song’s deep, if sometimes quirky, penetration into popular consciousness.
The Double-Edged Sword: Pop Culture vs. Reputation
While these myriad peripheral references to “Burning Love” and its lyrics undoubtedly speak to the song’s enduring impact on pop culture over the years, they also tend to trivialize one of Elvis’s most commercially successful records. Writing on the Elvis Information Network website, Harley Payette explains how the reputation of Elvis’s recording of “Burning Love” has suffered as a result.
“For some reason or another, ‘Burning Love’ has fallen out of favor amongst Elvis’ fans and pop critics. Once upon a time, this ’72 classic was the only consensus late period Elvis pick. Casual fans knew it and when it hit the streets in ’72 it was greeted with almost unanimous praise from critics including Robert Christgau who picked it as one of the ten best singles of the year.
“Oddly enough, as the reputation of Elvis’ 70s work has increased with fans, his most famous late period work has fallen into the background. The record seldom makes lists of great singles. It’s seldom written about or analyzed. It’s been omitted from some ‘70s oriented radio formats. Latter day critics have dismissed it as self-parody and even fans have called it overrated, preferring to lavish praise on Elvis’ generally worthy ballad work of the period. Whatever the reason, the record doesn’t quite have its steam anymore; it’s a shame because ‘Burning Love’ is, even 34 years later, one of the great pop singles—sexy, funny and subversive.”
Continued Life Through Reissues
Of course, since Elvis’s death in 1977, “Burning Love,” recognized as a significant elvis last hit song, has been reissued repeatedly by RCA in various re-packaged and remastered versions. One of the most interesting recent appearances is on the album “If I Can Dream,” which features Presley recordings remixed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reviewer John Connor Coulston described the seemingly unlikely fusion of Elvis’s rock ’n’ roll energy with classical orchestration.
“Accompanying Presley’s original vocal track are the same guitar riff and drum beat, along with a bed of strings surrounding the track. They fill the ‘empty space’ present in the 1972 single with a lush arrangement that swells as Presley goes into the chorus.”
No doubt Elvis fans remain divided on opinions of this new remix, just as some might debate the original version that nearly topped the Hot 100 back in 1972. For many, however, watching “Burning Love” climb the charts back then was a moment of hope for yet another comeback from the King. While he continued to have success on the country and adult contemporary charts, and singles like “Promised Land” reached the top 20, “Burning Love” ultimately proved to be his last major pop chart ascent, cementing its legacy as the elvis last hit song of significant impact on the Hot 100.
