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Mr. Songman

Rating:
4.0 / 5

Words & Music: Donnie Sumner

Here's another dime for you, Mr. Songman
Sing the loneliness of broken dreams away, if you can
Yes it's only me and you, Mr. Songman
Take away the night sing away my hurt, Mr. Songman

In your ivory covered house, safe behind your walls of glass
You keep staring back at me like a memory from the past
Won't you sing me away to a summer night
Let me hold you in my arms again
I know memory's not re-living
But at least it's not the end

Here's another dime for you Mr. Songman
Sing the loneliness of broken dreams away, if you can
Yes it's only me and you, Mr. Songman
Won't you take away the night, sing away my hurt, Mr. Songman

Won't you sing me away to a summer night
Let me hold her in my arms again
Take away the night sing away my hurt, Mr. Songman

Recordingdate: 1973/12/12, first released on: Promised Land (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Mr. Songman:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(piano)
(organ)
(organ)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)

Others*

(guitar)
(cello)
(cello)
(cello)
(cello)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)

*Orchestra, overdubs

Availability

Find available albums with Mr. Songman.

Steve V wrote on June 18, 2009
Pleasant country type song. Elvis was more or less a country singer by 1975 with his most chart success in that field. Good good album cut.
Steve V wrote on June 18, 2009
Pleasant country type song. Elvis was more or less a country singer by 1975 with his most chart success in that field. Good good album cut.
old shep wrote on January 30, 2010
Love the song, from a favourite album too.
Steve Morse wrote on January 30, 2010
This song is often reviled on Elvis message-boards, yet I love it. It's one of the best examples of close-harmony singing in Elvis's catalogue and the lyrics are beautiful. It appears to be a homage to the power of songs on a jukebox: "Won't you sing me away to a summer night, let me hold her in my arms again". As a widower of 13 years I can identify with that sentiment, particularly as the song was released during the early years I spent with my wife-to-be. The lyrics, incidentally, should read "In your ivory covered palace". I always heard the next part as, "behind your walls of sadness" but I was wrong on that score and indeed the word is "glass". I also love the following song on the Promised Land album, "Love Song Of The Year", which is also frequently disparaged.
shoesuedeblues wrote on January 30, 2010
I suppose that every song has a meaning and a memory for somebody, a special song for me too.
Deano1 wrote on January 30, 2010
Recorded in December of 1973 and released on the LP "Promised Land" in 1975 and as the flip side of "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" later that year. This marked the 6th song from the LP to be released as a single and two more songs from the 10 track LP would be released as singles posthumously. The song is a pretty straight forward country piece that Elvis delivers in fine voice. A good LP cut, but not really worthy of single release although RCA may have been trying to keep the B side from competing with the A side, something that happened a lot in the mid 70's (example: on the single "Promised Land" / "It's Midnight", the A side hit the pop top 15 and the B-side made top 10 on both the country and adult contemporary charts). RCA wanted Elvis new song, "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" to be able to get all of the attention. It didn't work, for some reason it only peaked at #35 (pop) and #11 (country). "Mr. Songman" did not chart on any chart in the U.S.
derekd wrote on January 30, 2010
I like this one, and the album. Simple as that.
dgirl wrote on January 30, 2010
Pleasant enough to the ear but nothing that will linger in your mind after hearing it.
NONE000000 wrote on January 30, 2010
I really love this song, personally. It is a song that I probably would never go out of my way to try to defend to anyone who says they do not like it, solely because it really is a song I feel a deep personal connection to. There is a version of it on one of my CDs (God only knows which--I forgot and it is all on my ipod now) where the harmony is stripped away and it is only Elvis' voice throughout the entire song. That's the version I love most. I am pretty vocal about having a "hatred" of country music, yet when I hear ANYTHING Elvis sang that is labeled country, I realize I do not hate it at all. In fact, country music might simply be a difficult genre to do well. And Elvis was one of the only ones who could really make it feel real and sincere to me. This is a beautiful track.
JerryNodak wrote on January 31, 2010
Pleasant, country fied album filler. Easy on the ears, but nothing special.
Marty_TCE wrote on January 29, 2011
I love the Promised Land LP. Elvis' vocals are just perfect - he is in fine voice through out. This album has always been a late night, through the earphones favourite for me and wonderful listening from start to finish - Mr. Songman is so sincerely delivered.
AlStrada wrote on January 29, 2011
God, what great song !! Thnx again
sugartummy wrote on April 12, 2013
Donnie Sumner was part of Voice and also wrote I miss you. He claims that this song was (also) recorded in September 1973 at Elvis's home in Palm Springs. A nice country track.
Gorse wrote on June 06, 2013
Yes as said by others, a very pleasant country track that leaves one with the good feel factor. Elvis in excellent vocal form lifts a good song to something a whole lot better - 4 stars from me.
Great Dane wrote on October 22, 2013
Great song, great voice, great album. 5 stars.
ElvisSacramento wrote on October 23, 2013
This is such a terrific and underrated song and I've never skipped it. Elvis sang this song perfectly and sincerely. I rate this song and Elvis' rendition of it 5 Stars.
jwedwards835 wrote on November 22, 2014
A true classic! I give it the same amount of stars that are in the heavens.
Cruiser621 wrote on June 08, 2018
Doesn't ring my chimes; average 3-star rating at best.
atomic powered poste wrote on June 08, 2018
I never skip it, but i never listen to it without the context of the original lp. It's a filler. 3 stars.
Milky White Way wrote on July 08, 2019
Just love this song as with the whole album. Beautifully sung and arranged. Wish it was longer. 5 stars
Miknik7077 wrote on December 02, 2020
Just a beautiful track. Elvis in great voice. The backing vocals matching his. A great piece of art.
DerekH wrote on July 09, 2022
Good song, good album, 4 stars for both
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