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Fever

Rating:
4.3 / 5

Words & Music: John Davenport Eddie Cooley

Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear

You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night.

Ev'rybody's got the fever
that is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago

Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right

You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night

Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said 'Julie, baby, you're my flame
Thou giv-est fever when we kisseth
Fever with the flaming youth
Fever I'm afire
Fever yea I burn for sooth'

Captain Smith and Pocahantas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said 'Daddy, o, don't you dare
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his misses,
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right'

Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn

Recordingdate: 1960/04/03, first released on: Elvis Is Back (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Fever:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(sax)

Availability

Find available albums with Fever.

burninglove92 wrote on December 08, 2008
Elvis' Rendition Is Fantastic. The Aloha Version Is Great To See.However is you listen to the studio version to 77 version it never gets boring, each version is great. TCB
Christer wrote on December 15, 2008
Elvis soft voice and the sparse arrangement on the studio version is great, especially if you sit down and listen carefully. The Little willie John version is also great with more soul. I wish Elvis would have done a similar version as well. The "Asperger" part of me is a bit annoyed that the bridge is left out on the live versions (except alternate aloha (more???)).
Natha wrote on December 15, 2008
I always liked this song by different artists very much. But both the early version of Elvis as well as the later version (especially Aloha) bleakens the others for me. He puts so much into this song. And in the live version he ads so much exitement that sticks to the mind that while listening to others I tend to sort of visualize his performance. Hence I involuntarily relive Elvis' version.
old shep wrote on December 15, 2008
A song that I could never stand no matter who sings it
Pedro Nuno wrote on December 15, 2008
A true Master Piece, in one of the Best Albums of the Rock Era.
Steve V wrote on December 15, 2008
Good song which showed a different style for Elvis certainly for 1960, but the arrangement is a direct lift from Peggy Lee's version. Interesting comment about Little Wille John's version. Elvis re-recorded Love Letters for no reason in my opinion. Would have been nice for him to re-record this in the Little Willie John style. Thats would have been something.
theoldscudder wrote on December 15, 2008
Elvis does a good version but I believe Little Willie John is much more soulful & better all around. Usually when Elvis did a cover version of a song he made it his own. Not this time. Little Willie notwithstanding a nice recording.
Rob Wanders wrote on December 15, 2008
great song. Peggy Lee's version is also great, but Elvis 1960 version is timeless.
JLpResLey wrote on August 26, 2009
I really don´t like it. I can´t stand the song itself, but there´s nothing wrong with Elvis´ performance.
ivest2 wrote on August 26, 2009
Elvis' perfomance of this song is nothing but stellar. It's a classic recording from a classic singer, a classic band, a classic studio and a classic year.
derekd wrote on August 26, 2009
Great recording, as with all the others on EIB, making this a great Lp back in 1960. In fact, this album is second only to From Elvis in Memphis. Thinking back, both these great albums were comeback times for Elvis, first was Elvis returning from the army and the second Elvis returning to do a studio album after the 60's movie soundtracks. I often play these from Cd's now back to back.
NONE000000 wrote on August 26, 2009
There's nothing to criticize as far as Elvis' performance, but I have never loved this song. In fact--and this might sound crazy on my part--but I actually prefer the song "Relax" from It Happened at the World's Fair, even though "Relax" is basically a rip-off of "Fever". I just never really cared for it.
Ruthie wrote on August 27, 2009
Yep, Elvis makes a song his own & does he ever with Fever! His original recording of this song is the sexiest version I have ever heard of this song - or any song for that matter! He is so close to the mike you can hear him breathing & counting out the bars as he sings. To this day I can't drive when I hear it! Can't afford an accident!
shoesuedeblues wrote on January 14, 2010
The name John Davenport might not mean much to most Elvis fans but to others it was one of the names which the great songwriter Otis Blackwell performed and wrote under. Fever is one of those songs, not a great favourite for me but one that Elvis fans love to hear.
Deano1 wrote on April 29, 2011
My ex-fiance's favorite Elvis song, still I won't hold it against this outstanding track. I am not sure about Little Willie John's version (I have honestly never heard it), but much infinitely better than the painful version by Peggy Lee. Elvis' voice "sizzles" on this one. The live version are good, but it is almost impossible to create the mood in an arena that was created in the studio. Elvis realized this and made this a song to either tease the audience or just generally have fun with.
ElvisSacramento wrote on December 03, 2012
This is such a terrific, fun and catchy song, but the best renditions of this song are by Peggy Lee and Little Willie John by far. The only Elvis rendition of this song that I like is the studio version from 1960, but I totally prefer the versions by Peggy Lee and Little Willie John by far.
Gorse wrote on December 03, 2012
Peggy Lee has the better version and I find this one of the lesser lights on Elvis is Back, but nevertheless is still pretty good. However I really enjoy the visual live performances in the Aloha concert and the amateur filmed concerts in Los Angeles and Omaha in 1974.
kink56 wrote on December 03, 2012
Fantastic song, fantastic performance and fantastic audio recording. I give it 15 stars! Peggy Lee's is fine and I also like Dion's version of his Ruby Baby album. I have never liked Elvis' live performances of this song however. In fact, I just do not care for Elvis' live recordings from the 70s in general. He sounds mostly flat to me when he is live.
Deke Rivers 6 wrote on December 03, 2012
Elvis' version is by far the best on Elvis Is Back, singing it live is ok though. Much better than Peggy Lee.
Great Dane wrote on December 03, 2012
Not a favorite, but that bass is fantastic in the studio version. I prefer the live versions more.3 stars
john804 wrote on December 03, 2012
1 zillion stars!
sugartummy wrote on March 04, 2013
It's strange that Bill Black had to switch to electric bass in the fifties, when in 1960 recording were mostly done with Bob Moore on double bass. A great bass player for that matter as you can hear on Fever.
atomic powered poste wrote on February 25, 2018
Elvis voice, the reduced instrumentation, the perfect sound .... pure sex, pure magic.
JerryNodak wrote on June 17, 2019
I like it, but I've never been as fond of it as many fans are. I don't consider the EIB version a classic. Sometimes I hit the skip button. 3 stars.
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