To fully appreciate an Elvis Presley gospel album from the early 1960s, such as Elvis His Hand In Mine, one arguably needs to be more attuned to Elvis’s style of that era than to traditional gospel music conventions. Much like his earlier gospel recordings and spiritually-themed Christmas songs, the material here is deliberately not treated with a distinct solemnity merely because it addresses divine themes. Absent are the large choirs and grand organs often associated with the genre; there’s little sense of church-sanctioned holiness. Indeed, if the lyrics were swapped with those of a song like ‘Love Me Tender’, the musical setting might not betray the change. Elvis, despite his reported spirituality, approached his relationship with the Creator with an intimacy that could sometimes border on the unconventional. While perhaps not the first to interpret “loving the Lord” quite so literally, he arguably committed to this interpretation more intensely than many before or since.
Critical Acclaim vs. Genre Purity
This intimate, almost romantic approach to sacred material is viewed as refreshing by some fans and critics, who value the quiet, personal nature of these recordings. Some even declare Elvis His Hand In Mine among the greatest gospel albums ever made. Such praise, however, might be hyperbolic, akin to calling The Byrds’ Sweetheart Of The Rodeo one of country music’s best. While both albums are enjoyable and show an intelligent understanding of their respective genres, top accolades in country likely belong to dedicated country artists, just as premier gospel awards should go to figures like Sister Rosetta Tharpe or Mahalia Jackson. His Hand Is Mine functions primarily as an album of ballads. Listeners with a lower tolerance for Elvis’s ballad style might find themselves restless, perhaps even wishing for a rock ‘n’ roll intervention from the likes of Leiber & Stoller.
Technical Brilliance and Intimate Interpretations
From a purely technical standpoint, the album is meticulously crafted – perfectly sung, arranged, and produced. The title track, “His Hand In Mine,” showcases Elvis utilizing nearly his full vocal range, pushing The Jordanaires to match his intensity. Floyd Cramer’s piano adds delicate, silvery waves complementing the vocals. This arrangement significantly elevates the song compared to the 1953 original by the Statesmen Quartet, which feels almost vaudevillian in contrast to Elvis’s polished serenade. The lyrics, “Till the day he tells me why / He loves me so / I can feel his hand in mine / That’s all I need to know“, highlight an interesting ambiguity; changing the pronouns to “she” and “her” wouldn’t alter the fundamental sentiment.
Album cover for Elvis Presley’s 1960 gospel album ‘His Hand In Mine’, showing Elvis seated at a piano.
The Restrained Energy of Up-Tempo Tracks
When the tempo increases, however, and Elvis’s Nashville backing band nudges him towards spiritual fervor, the results can feel somewhat dated or restrained. On ‘I’m Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs’, originally recorded by The Jordanaires in 1952, Elvis adopts the same vocal control they employed, prioritizing melody and harmony over raw power or ecstasy. While enjoyable as catchy, fast gospel-pop, it lacks the authentic fire often associated with African-American church music – though replicating that specific atmosphere was likely not Elvis’s goal. A similar pattern of moderate, almost hushed delivery appears on ‘Joshua Fit The Battle’, ‘Swing Down Sweet Chariot’, and ‘Working On The Building’. These tracks sometimes evoke the feeling of a clandestine service, voices kept low – Joshua fit the battle ’round Jericho delivered almost as a whispered rumor.
Context, Charm, and Missed Opportunities
This restrained, “catacomb” approach certainly possesses its own unique charm. However, in 1960, a year when rock ‘n’ roll seemed endangered, it might have appeared that even the traditional vibrancy of gospel performance was being similarly muted. The sentiment could be summarized as, “Sure weʼd be glad to raise Hell for the Lord, but itʼs getting late and we really donʼt want to wake up the kids“. In retrospect, viewing 1960 as a temporary pause for rock ‘n’ roll rather than its demise, this context is less detrimental. There are plenty of loud, ecstatic gospel recordings available, leaving room for quieter, more intimate interpretations like these.
Nevertheless, one might wonder how much more potent these tracks could have been if recorded before Elvis’s Army service, or perhaps in a less inhibited setting like Atlantic Studios. LaVern Baker’s ‘Saved’, for example, possesses an energy that overshadows most of this album, even with its slightly comedic edge (which was clearly not Elvis’s intention). While Elvis might have blurred the lines between gospel and rock ‘n’ roll, arguably a line worth blurring, here he instead seems to blur the distinction between gospel and soft country-pop.
The Soundscape: Arrangements and Musicianship
His Hand In Mine operates primarily in two modes: slow/sentimental and fast/playful, each employing similar arrangements and atmospheres. Central to both are the interactions between Elvis and The Jordanaires. Floyd Cramer’s expressive piano is crucial on the slower tracks, almost embodying the Holy Spirit’s presence; arguably, Cramer deserves the spot at the piano on the album cover. For the faster numbers, the steady, pumping groove of the rhythm section is key. Notably, the album features no instrumental solos, reinforcing an idea of collective humility in praise – though Elvis himself remains the undeniable focus.
Interestingly, despite official credits listing Scotty Moore on electric guitar and Boots Randolph on saxophone, their presence is barely discernible. They remain deep in the mix, likely a deliberate choice to maintain the album’s subdued quality. On the plus side, the production avoids strings. The core combination of drums, bass, acoustic guitar, and Cramer’s dominant piano is quite tasteful. While one might critique the lack of raw “gut power” typical of some gospel, Elvis cannot be accused of cheapening the genre or pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Reception and Legacy
Commercially, His Hand In Mine was not a blockbuster, reaching only #13 on the charts – a significant drop from the consistent #1 spots of his 1950s LPs, including the Christmas Album. This indicated that “gospel Elvis” didn’t fully connect with either his younger rock ‘n’ roll fans or the older demographic. While retrospectively seen by some as an anti-commercial artistic choice, it’s unlikely RCA encouraged such moves; they probably hoped Elvis’s star power could sell anything by that point. The album’s relative lack of chart dominance didn’t deter RCA from releasing two more gospel LPs over the following decade, perhaps seeing them as a way to bolster Elvis’s musical reputation among those critical of his film career.
In recent decades, the critical standing of His Hand In Mine has risen significantly, often highlighted in re-evaluations of Elvis’s pop years. Critics frequently label him the greatest white gospel singer of his time. However, the primary difference between his love ballads and his gospel ballads often boils down to an added layer of perceived seriousness on the latter. Even so, when Elvis croons “I believe in the man in the sky,” the effect can feel more like charming persuasion than a deep personal affirmation of faith. It’s smooth and tasteful, but perhaps lacks profound depth.
The same Nashville sessions also produced the outtake ‘Crying In The Chapel’, shelved until 1965 when it became a surprise hit, and the major secular hit ‘Surrender’, a reworking of the Neapolitan song ‘Torna A Surriento’. While the transformation of Surriento into Surrender is linguistically clever, the song itself, like ‘It’s Now Or Never’, leans into a style not universally beloved. Regardless of personal taste for Neapolitan adaptations, ‘Surrender’ undeniably features Elvis Presley at a peak of technical vocal performance.
