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Love Me, Love the Life I Lead
Words & Music:
Tony Macaulay/ Roger GreenawayI am not a wise man neither am I a fool
But what I am the way the good Lord made me
Though I need you more than you may ever understand
I can't wear a face that will betray me
Oh, If you're gonna love me, love the life I lead
Need the things I need, don't try to change me
If you're gonna take me, take me for what I am
I can't be another man, I can't be free
'Cos The life I lead is the life I lead
Money in my pocket never seems to last too long
I've gambled on the way and drowned my sorrows
Though God knows I can't pretend it's better on my own
I can't promise you a new tomorrow
Oh, If you're gonna love me, love the life I lead
Need the things I need, don't try to change me
If you're gonna take me, take me for what I am
I can't be another man, I can't be free
'Cos The life I lead is the life I lead Recorded:
1971/05/21, first released on
Elvis (Fool)Reactions
It was recorded on the last day of a seven day recording session. Elvis didn't like the demo, his voice wasn't as strong as on the previous days and after twelve takes Felton Jarvis suggested Elvis recut his vocal later, but he never did. Still the song was released. Despite all this, still a decent song.
I actually liked it when I first heard it. Now I find it dated and a bit too much over the top! I think Elvis sang it quite well, he had such a strong voice but sometimes it was just too big. While songs like this one, Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Rags to Riches were great, I also feel that they got too "big" at times. I wish that Elvis would hold back his voice sometimes. Of course, he had a stunning voice, a voice that could do anything, but let´s compare this song with his powerful recording of It´s Now Or Never. That recording has so much power, but is still not too strong, it is balanced very well.
It's a very scratchy vocal for sure but a song I've always quite liked. For me it's filed under guilty pleasures somewhere between I'll take love and Beach Shack. Oops! I've said too much...
The songs isnt so bad, the arrangement & vocal is. Should have been done more simply and in a lower key.
great song. it deserves more attention.
A bit over the top and Elvis seems to strain in parts of the song (he was fighting a cold during part of this recording session), but like Sylvia and Padre it still comes together decently It isn't great and it is a song that sounds very dated today. This song is what it is, a leftover that along with several other leftovers found their way onto a mediocre album. It is better than "Where Do I Go From Here" and on par with the before mentioned "Padre". Not as good as "Fool" or "For Lovin' Me" or even "Don't Think Twice" which deserved to be on real albums (the last two should have been on Elvis Now). What a shame this was RCA's follow-up to "Aloha From Hawaii"...Instead of celebrating Elvis, they gave us this??? A perfect follow-up to "Aloha"? How about "Gold Records, Vol 5". Then they could have taken the best tracks from the July and December Stax sessions and released two great albums in 1974. One country LP and one uptempo rock LP. "Elvis (Fool)" and "Raised On Rock" really hurt his future album sales and it is a shame as the next three LP's (Good Times, Promised Land and Today) were much better LP's.
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